A Keyboard Designed For Germaphobes
Cold and flu season isn't over yet. For those of you who
want to avoid germs at all costs, Cleankeys recently introduced a keyboard that can easily
be cleaned from germs. Whereas a traditional keyboard has lots of nooks and
crannies that can harbor all sorts of bacteria and germs, the Cleankeys
keyboard eliminates all of these hiding spots.
This flat keyboard is 100% touch sensitive, so all you'll have to do is wipe the keyboard down with a disinfecting cloth and you'll get rid of most of the germs. The average keyboard has 3,295 germs per square inch. By wiping a standard keyboard with a disinfecting cloth, you'll kill only about 5% of the bacteria. By wiping the Cleankeys keyboard with a disinfecting cloth, you'll get rid of 99% of these germs. This means you'll be left with mere 33 germs per square inch to deal with on the Cleankeys keyboard. Interestingly enough, the average toilet seat has about 49 germs per square inch, so the keyboard will be cleaner than your toilet.
The keyboard is flat and touch sensitive, so it will likely take some getting used to since there isn't any tactile feedback from the keys. The company claims users will see a 30% reduction in the speed of their typing compared to a standard keyboard, but “that time is typically made up many times in the time saved cleaning.” We don’t know how true that will be for an average user (how many of you actually spend hours cleaning your keyboard?), but for hospitals and similar settings, having an easy to clean keyboard may very well be worth it.
The Cleankeys keyboard is washable, has an integrated trackpad, and comes with a plastic or glass top for $400 and $450 respectively.
This flat keyboard is 100% touch sensitive, so all you'll have to do is wipe the keyboard down with a disinfecting cloth and you'll get rid of most of the germs. The average keyboard has 3,295 germs per square inch. By wiping a standard keyboard with a disinfecting cloth, you'll kill only about 5% of the bacteria. By wiping the Cleankeys keyboard with a disinfecting cloth, you'll get rid of 99% of these germs. This means you'll be left with mere 33 germs per square inch to deal with on the Cleankeys keyboard. Interestingly enough, the average toilet seat has about 49 germs per square inch, so the keyboard will be cleaner than your toilet.
The keyboard is flat and touch sensitive, so it will likely take some getting used to since there isn't any tactile feedback from the keys. The company claims users will see a 30% reduction in the speed of their typing compared to a standard keyboard, but “that time is typically made up many times in the time saved cleaning.” We don’t know how true that will be for an average user (how many of you actually spend hours cleaning your keyboard?), but for hospitals and similar settings, having an easy to clean keyboard may very well be worth it.
The Cleankeys keyboard is washable, has an integrated trackpad, and comes with a plastic or glass top for $400 and $450 respectively.
