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Germ-Free Keyboard and Mouse
Sometimes compressed air doesn't cut it when it comes to cleaning your keyboard -- there's still a good amount of gunk left clinging to the forest of keys.
In a study commissioned by a consumer advocacy group released in May, a microbiologist from the United Kingdom tested 33 keyboards for germs and found that four of those keyboards contained bacteria posing potential health hazards.
Several manufacturers have taken this study and others like it to produce keyboards and computer mice that are more convenient to clean.
Unotron, one such company, developed a keyboard and mouse that can withstand a soap-and-water session in the sink.
"Both products are laser-welded so the case itself is sealed ... so no liquid can penetrate," said Joe Caribella, a member of the board of directors for Unotron.
In addition to being water-resistant, the keyboard and mouse have an anti-microbial embedded in the plastic.
"The silver nitrate [in the keyboard and mouse] breaks down the cell walls of bacteria," Caribella said.
Wash-friendly items are turning up in hospitals and other health-care practices, where germs are a common concern. Fishman agrees that the ability to wash a keyboard is useful in such settings, but he is less enthused about the silver nitrate.
"My bigger concern is that they get dirty, not that they be anti-microbial," Fishman said. "You don't necessarily need the anti-microbial component."
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