COMPUTER FILTH


Computer filth exposed

The shocking secrets of the grime beneath your fingers have been revealed.
Computer keyboards are accumulating up to two grams of muck every month, research conducted on behalf of AOL UK shows.
The bits collect underneath the keys because users eat breakfast, snacks, and lunch over their computer terminals.
Personal grooming done at the terminal also contributes to the buildup of gunge.
AOL collected the dust, dirt and organic debris accumulating beneath the keys of a keyboard in a typical London office for a month.

Keyboard crumb breakdown
Corn Flakes (15%)
Boiled sweet (15%)
Noodles (7%)
Vegetable pieces (4%)
Leaf (1%)
Pencil shavings (1%)
Staple (1%)
Finger nail (<1%)
Tape/plastic (<1%)
Insect (<1%)
Foil (<1%)
Hair (<1%)

Various particles resembling cereal grains, biscuit crumbs, bread crumbs, pastry flakes and chocolate crumbs (56%)

The accumulated rubbish, which weighed in at a hefty 1.89 grams, was then sent for study at Reading Scientific Services, an independent food and drink analysis centre.
The majority of the gunge, 56%, was made up of food crumbs from the chocolate bars and biscuits that people like to munch when using their computer.
Much of the rest was also food-related, but also in the dirt were dead insects as well as fingernail bits, small patches of dead skin and the odd hair.
If the keyboard studied is typical, AOL UK estimates that almost 0.318 tonnes of what it calls “keyboard krumbs” will accumulate beneath all keyboards over the space of a year.
A spokeswoman for Reading Scientific Services said the company operated a strict confidentiality policy and could not comment on the research, or whether the accumulating grime constituted a health hazard.

To keep keyboards clean, office cleaning firms recommend that people regularly remove the keys, and vacuum, blow or shake off the dirt beneath.
Standard keyboards at Dot.Com Cybercafe are regularly upended and gently tapped on the desktop, try it with your own keyboard and see what emerges from the dark recesses.  Of course this is not ideal, but it’s a lot easier than dismantling the keyboard, loosing some of the parts and then purchasing a replacement.
Better still, buy one of our flexible keyboards, you can rinse them under the tap, and even disinfect them – try doing that with a regular keyboard!
If you are concerned about hygiene, bugs, superbugs, mrsa; if you use a computer and handle food (perhaps in a bakery or abattoir) you need to be using our keyboard. If you work in a hospital and use a computer on the ward or in theatre, you need to be using our keyboard.

Extract from Daily Mirror – UK National Daily Newspaper

Mirror Works:   Jun 26 2003

DISHING THE DIRT ON NASTIES IN OUR OFFICE

IT could be healthier to eat your lunch in the office loo than at your desk.
That’s because your IT equipment could be contaminated with bacteria. I’ve just had Techclean in to analyse my keyboard and the results are gross.
The reading from the Celsis Bacterial Counter, which measures living micro-organisms came out at 2,209. The acceptable food hygiene standard figure is between 101 and 501. Cornflakes, plastic, hair and a lot of dust were found. Recent readings from an office toilet door and flush were only 826 and 1,091. So you can see which is worse. It’s not all from me (I don’t eat cornflakes). As in most modern offices, different people use the keyboards.
Workers today eat at their desks before washing their hands, so the chances are they are putting bacteria in their mouths. Research from Techclean shows that 85 per cent of business keyboards are riddled with bacteria.
But it doesn’t take much to keep germs at bay. Just cleaning on a regular basis. (or use one of our keyboards…..)

What’s lurking in workstations?
CockroachesWormsFingernailsFleasDried bloodPubic hairs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!