It is a known fact that computer keyboard and mice are home to more germs on average than toilet seats. Why that is the case? Two things come together here to build this fatal combo. First, toilets are cleaned more often than computer keyboards or mice on average. I have seen my fair share of keyboards that have not been cleaned once, and things like smoking or eating while working usually turn a brand new keyboard into something that you would not want to sit on, if it were a toilet.
The second factor that plays a role is that keyboards are often used by several users. This is especially true in work places without fixed seating order, public locations like Internet cafes or libraries, and maybe even at home when a family shares a computer system.
What you can do about it? Cleaning comes to mind of course, but you can also prevent your keyboard from getting dirtier by making sure you do not eat at your workplace, especially not if you eat something with your hands, and to wash or sanitize your hands regularly, especially after using them for other activities.
I usually come up with the idea to clean my keyboard or mouse when I’m working on a computer which does not work out that well for obvious reasons. Since it is necessary to give the keyboard and mouse a thorough cleaning, it usually interferes with what is going on on the system at that time.
On some systems, it is possible to simply disconnect the mouse or keyboard from the PC but if the connectors are not easily reachable, it may not be an optimal solution on all systems.
Software like Keyboard and Mouse Cleaner, or the previously reviewed Toddler Keys, add another option. You can use those programs to lock the keyboard and mouse so that accidental clicks and taps do not have any effect on the computer.
To use the portable software simply download and unpack it to your system. Once done, run the program, set a cleaning time in seconds, and click on the clean button to start the cleaning.
Once done, keyboard and mouse input are locked so that you can clean them thoroughly.