In the pre-Nintendo 1980s and 1990s era, gaming was home-PC centric with keyboards as the main controlling mechanism. Once Nintendo, Sega, and SONY created their own gaming consoles, keyboards took a backseat to small controllers. Now, though, keyboards are back with a vengeance as the main controlling mechanism for the gaming world. And they’re cool looking, too! Never before has a QWERTY keyboard been so neat to look at, with most gaming keyboards sporting flashy lights and state-of-the-art ergonomic designs. However, with all flashy looks, there is a sinister, grosser side to gaming keyboards, which is that keyboards are home to some of the nastiest bacteria around. How dirty is a computer keyboard? Well, the answer to that begins with understanding how dirty is a toilet.
Alarming amounts of fecal bacteria
Yes, that’s right. Numerous scientific studies have been conducted that confirm the presence of alarming amounts of fecal matter on keyboards. Why? Well, because most people don’t wash their hands enough (or at all) after using the WC. Sad but true. In fact, it has been concluded that the seat of a typical toilet is cleaner than the keys of a typical QWERTY keyboard. Think about that next time you’re typing an email.
This gross information shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us, though, should it? I mean, how many of us browse on our smartphones while using the loo? The answer is probably close to 100%. Because smartphones aren’t regularly disinfected, fecal matter (though microscopic) continues to live on the surface of our phones, which we touch throughout the day, and therefore transfer fecal matter bacteria to other surfaces, including keyboards . . . which also don’t get cleaned very often (if at all).
How to clean a gaming keyboard
Now, if you’ve reached this point of the blog post and you’re freaking out about the nasty poop germs that reside on your keyboard, that’s a good thing. However, a better thing is to do something about it. Might I suggest using an eco-friendly, tech-friendly disinfectant like Melaleuca Sol-U-Guard to get rid of the WC grossness? Stay away from harmful cleaners that use bleach, because you are going to have your bare skin (fingertips) touching the keyboard.
Conclusion
Even though gaming requires very little movement, it’s amazing how much crap (literally) the gaming experience exposes you to, not to mention the other health risks associated with sitting for so long. However, with just a bit of prevention (hand-washing) and a little disinfecting, you can ensure a safe, clean environment for your gaming life.
