Keyboard Hazards

[Griffin NoName]

Read all about it here.

Now go and wash your hands.

[Swatopluk]

This keyboard is not promiscuous! (OK, this one is used by 2 persons but they also use the same toilet etc.)
I use isopropanol to clean the keyboard (it also an disinfectant although that is not the reason: water doesn't work and acetone eats the plastic)

[beagle]

Does spilling beer and whisky on it count as disinfecting it?

[Swatopluk]

Beer makes it too sticky. Drinkable beverages contain too much water, so you risk shortcircuiting the thing (as happend to me when I dropped a mug of water on one)

[Griffin NoName]

OK, this one is used by 2 persons but they also use the same toilet etc.)

as long as they dont both use both at the same time maybe it's ok?

Tempting to use those spray surface disinfectants..... but i know it would be foolish...

disinfectants dont kill C.difficile so there may be an epidemic soon; another thing to worry about.

[Aggie]

Meh, a little bacteria is good for the immune system.  

Some of the nastiest concentrations of bacteria I've seen cultured (classic post-secondary microbiology lab:  go swab something and plate it up) were taken from around the threads of my seldom-scrubbed waterbottle. 

Toilet seats and bathroom handles are poor indicators as they don't tend to promote bacterial growth.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Toilet seats and bathroom handles are poor indicators as they don't tend to promote bacterial growth.

Besides, toilets are one of the most scrubbed areas in the home-- on average.

Now, if you want some REAL bacterial growth, go swab the soap-cake, the bathroom faucet handle or the button on a public drinking fountain.

I took a microbio class back in the day, and these are some of what I swabbed.  I got a classmate (female) to swab the women's bathroom soap dispenser and handles for me-- I did the men's

The results were similar-- I really expected higher growth on the women's.  Why?  Because it gets more use than the men's, on a per-person basis.   (men tend to zip up and just leave)

As for the keyboard?  Hardly surprising.  The world is literally swimming in bacteria.  These live on EVERY surface imaginable.

As for keyboards, there's a steady supply of skin oils and skin cells to live off of. 

I really don't worry about sterilization.   My immune system is quite robust-- too robust when it comes to certain allergens.

The facts are that most of the really nasty buggers that are common do not do well on hard plastic surfaces-- too cold, too dry, too--too.

Obviously, there are nasty exceptions-- but these critters are rare.  So far. (Ebola comes to mind in the latter category.)

[Sibling Chatty]

I wipe down my keyboard regularly with the alcohol preps I use to clean off my skin for an injection.

Gotta get the Cheeto dust off somehow...

[Swatopluk]

Next study: What bacteria on what key in what concentrations?
Interestingly the ä,ö,ü,ß keys are the most dirty although they are the least used. The keys most used have a dirt circle but are clean at the centre.

[pieces o nine]

I wipe down my keyboard regularly with the alcohol preps I use to clean off my skin for an injection.

Gotta get the Cheeto dust off somehow...

I worked with a small department of cheeto addicts. A new hire introduced eating them with chopsticks, which (1) slowed consumption, (2) improved eye-hand coordination, especially for the non-dominant hand (freeing up dominant hand to continue using mouse) and (3) eliminated the cheeto equivalent of tell-tale nicotine stains on the fingers.

I had taught myself to use chopsticks gracefully by practicing with all kinds of meals and snacks, but had never considered cheetos! Perhaps this 'handy household hint' will spare you some tedious dusting, Chatty...

[Aggie]

I had taught myself to use chopsticks gracefully by practicing with all kinds of meals and snacks, but had never considered cheetos! Perhaps this 'handy household hint' will spare you some tedious dusting, Chatty...

Why did I not think of that? (we don't eat Cheetos, but for powdery-snax in general).  I catch hell for licking my fingers, so this is a good idea.

We eat 80% of our meals with chopsticks anyways...

[anthrobabe]

chopsticks do slow down eating
well not really for me
I can pretty much plow with them-- sad but true--

I lick my fingers- but catch hell as well so it is getting better. The real bad habit I used to have was when my hair was very, very long and I'd use chopsticks (pencils, pens, whatever) to put it up- but the chopsticks I would then take out and eat with them--- hey most people wash the hair daily but it really gagged people so I quit it.

Maybe the least used keys are 'dirtier' because the fingers are not swiping them as much and it sits and grows. That is interesting.

[pieces o nine]

I haven't temped, but friends who do cite their reaction at sitting down to yet another  filthy keyboard or phone headset with...something...crusted on the earpiece as the most disgusting parts of the job.

Cleaning (disinfecting) the workstation or keyboard is viewed as presumptious, if not close to vandalism, in some places.

I wonder if any temps ever snap on a pair of latex gloves... 

[Sibling Chatty]

Chopsticks...would end up in my hair. Left hand no longer has the strength or dexterity, so the right hand would be it. I've tried to learn to use them for years, but--no eye-hand coordination, either.

I could use a spork!

[Griffin NoName]

The mouthpiece of the old bakerlite ABC dial telephones were always disgusting. And the smell of them in public phone boxes enough to kill at seven paces.