Self Sanitizing Keyboards

Recent studies have indicated that some computer keyboards have more virulent germs than most bathrooms or kitchens.  Various factors in your workplace could contribute to this, especially if you work in hospital or a retail environment where large numbers of people are involved in handling various pieces of equipment.  ATM and Pin Pad keyboards are known to be the worst offenders, and while you may find it unquestionably gross, you may not have thought about other options to completely resolve the issue.

Basic things such as routinely vacuuming your keyboard and carefully wiping down your equipment are a good idea.  However, one must also be careful that any chemical cleaners being used will not short-out or damage equipment in any way, or that whatever is being used does not void the manufacturers warranty.

Another issue has always been convenience.  When being cleaned, all equipment should be powered down and preferably unplugged from a power source in order to prevent static discharges, or other issues with the computer. Obviously, in a fast paced retail environment, this not only inconvenient, but sometimes not practical.

Enter self-sanitizing keyboards...

Recently, a start-up called Vioguard announced that it received FDA approval for a device the company claims can kill up to 99.9 percent of pathogens using ultraviolet light.

Vioguard, launched by a couple of former Microsoft hardware designers,  has been selling the self-sanitizing keyboard to consumers for around $900.

Now, with the FDA approval, it is pitching the keyboard for use in hospitals, which are known to be one of the most infectious places know to man.  Most Hospitals tend to be filled with people sick, among other things, with bacteria, viruses, prions and other invisible pathogens that are far more successful at making humans sick than those that infect people who don't end up in the hospital.

A recent British study found that keyboards in office buildings were shown to host more than five times as many bacteria as the average toilet in the same building.  This includes common objects such as keyboards, computer mice and elevator buttons that are commonly infected with a variety of pathogens, including particularly virulent antibiotic resistant staph infections such as MRSA.

Vioguard's self-sanitizing keyboard ships with a box into which the keyboard can withdraw into in order to be bathed in the germicidal ultraviolet-C light from (2) two 24-watt fluorescent lamps.

The box, with has a mechanized drawer into which the keyboard retracts automatically, which keeps the keyboard hidden until a user waves a hand to activate an infrared motion detector, which sends the keyboard out of its germ-free environment.

There are also other UV products:

• VirWall Systems -  a UV-lit cover that is put over phones or keyboards.

• Germ Genie  - Looks like a desk lamp, but emits UV to kill germs left by your fingers as you type.

If you would like more information product such as this or reconditions for sanitizing your equipment, please contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department.