Many employee use their desktop keyboards with little attention as to how clean the keyboard surface is. The pandemic has highlighted the need to maintain hand hygiene at all times, however keyboard hygiene is often forgotten in the pressure of a working environment.
QWERTY Keyboards and Hygiene
How often do you clean your keyboard? Microbiologists recommend that everyone should wipe down their keyboard at least once a week. However, in healthcare environments its suggested that it should be done at least once a day. This helps ensure the removal of any pathogens left on the keyboard surface.
Often standard plastic keyboards are difficult to clean, due to the crevices between the keys. Damage to the device can occur if water gets underneath. Most people neglect to clean their keyboard because of this, or because they do not realise the health hazard of a dirty keyboard. A study found that some computer keyboards harbour more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat. This is where Easy Clean, sealed QWERTY keyboards can provide an excellent solution, particularly where a keyboard is used in a multi user environment.
ioniTOUCH™ range of silicone rubber keyboards, are fully sealed, for easy cleaning. The outer shell has an antimicrobial additive impregnated in the material to help inhibit bacterial growth. To perform thorough cleaning, ioniTOUCH™ keyboards can be ‘isolated’ from a system using an on/off button removing the need to unplug a keyboard.
To find out more view the full range here.
Hygienic keyboards are ideal for various sectors, such as:
- Medical (hospitals, laboratories)
- Healthcare clinics (GP surgeries, dental clinics and beauticians)
- Veterinary practices
- Offices
- PCs in public areas (libraries, schools, and colleges)
- Factory floors
- “Clean Process” manufacturing
Why should you invest in a hygienic keyboard?
Hygienic keyboards help encourage cleaning practices. Most people when using a standard plastic desktop keyboard neglect cleaning. Creating an easy transmission point for germs. By having an easy to clean surface, and conducing regular cleaning of the keyboard, the risk is minimised dramatically.
Hygienic keyboards can be particularly helpful in multi-user environments when the device is intercepted by various users throughout the day. An unclean keyboard is a health hazard. By having an easy to clean surface, the user can help eliminate the possibility of passing anything onto other users, such as a cold.
Further to this, microbes find the plastic on keyboards and computer mice very comfortable and easy to live on. As our ioniTOUCH™ keyboards are fully sealed and made from silicone rubber there is nowhere for dirt to hide. The keyboard can be wiped down with antibacterial wipes or spray, and even put in the dishwasher if you require more of a thorough clean!