Office workers concerned about catching nasty diseases from
sharing keyboards and mice may want to consider equipment that can
be sterilised in a dishwasher.
The Keyboard Company
has developed a keyboard and mouse that look, feel and work exactly
the same as any others, but they protect their users against nasty
bugs, including those that cause colds, flu and
gastroenteritis.
The Silver Shield keyboard and mouse are embedded with silver
nitrate, which is said to contain anti-bacterial properties.
The company says research shows that bugs can live on surfaces
for several days and that computer keyboards and mice harbour 10
million of them, which is 400 times more than found on a toilet
seat.
This is largely due to people coughing, sneezing, eating and
dropping food, and poor hand hygiene. The rise of hot-desking is
causing the threat to spread, says the Keyboard Company.
The Silver Shield products are completely immersible for
cleaning in diluted bleach for disinfection, or they can be put in
an office dishwasher.
They cost £35 each.