A recent article featuring a UK study from Which? Computing gives some alarming news about how dirty your keyboard may be. The study found that in an ordinary office, keyboards had more bacteria on them than you would find in a bathroom. So it’s time to clean your keyboard and mouse.
Simple how-to: turn off your computer and unplug your keyboard and mouse. Pick up your keyboard, turn it upside down and shake it. If you have canned air, spray between all the nooks and crannies. Wipe the whole keyboard down with a disinfectant alcohol wipe.
For your mouse, you can follow the same procedures. Canned air, disinfectant alcohol wipe and if your mouse has a ball, take it out and wipe it down. A cotton swab dipped in alcohol can be used to wipe around the inside of where the ball sits inside your mouse.
While you are at it, if you have a mouse pad, shake that guy out too. Many mouse pads are safe to wash in the top rack of the dishwasher…use your best judgment here on that one (don’t try it with any gel-filled pads). You can always wipe that mouse pad down if you’re afraid to try the dishwasher. If it’s really nasty, go buy yourself a new one – they are cheap and it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to nasty germs.
There are lots of web sites with good examples on how to keep your computer clean. Just Google “cleaning your keyboard.”
After cleaning your mouse, you might notice an improvement in its ability to move! So remember this, next time you feel like you are fighting with your mouse to get it to move across the screen. Give the little guy and his pad a bath! –Jill
