The science behind a clean laptop

Shared keyboards carry more microbes

Researchers sampled keyboards on a university campus. Shared, multi-user keyboards averaged 20.1 colonies per cm², compared with 4.5 per cm² on single-user keyboards, and more of them carried potential pathogens. The authors recommend regular cleaning and disinfection, especially for shared workstations.

Source: Anderson & Palombo, Am J Infect Control (2009)

Keyboards harbor potential pathogens and can be disinfected safely

A study of keyboards in a healthcare setting cultured coagulase-negative staphylococci from 100% of keyboards, diphtheroids from 80%, Micrococcus from 72%, and Bacillus from 64%. Every disinfectant tested removed or inactivated more than 95% of the test bacteria, and keyboards showed no functional or cosmetic damage after 300 disinfection cycles.

Source: Rutala et al., Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol (2006)

In an office, germs travel fast

In the University of Arizona's Healthy Workplace Project, researchers seeded a harmless MS-2 tracer virus in an office of about 80 employees. In one trial, a single seeded person's hands contaminated more than half of the surfaces tested within four hours. When the office was given disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, and tissues, the share of contaminated communal surfaces dropped from 51% to 5%, personal surfaces from 47% to 19%, and hands from 38% to 11%.

Source: Reynolds et al., The Healthy Workplace Project, Arch Environ Occup Health

A related study presented at an American Society for Microbiology conference found the tracer on 40 to 60% of sampled surfaces, including computer equipment, within 2 to 4 hours. Daily use of disinfecting wipes cut the number of contaminated surfaces by 80% or more.

Source: American Society for Microbiology / Gerba (2014), via ScienceDaily

Germs persist on dry surfaces

A systematic review of hospital pathogens found that many can survive on dry surfaces for weeks to months and remain a source of transmission without regular disinfection. Some examples:

Source: Kramer, Schwebke & Kampf, BMC Infectious Diseases (2006)

Public-health guidance covers electronics

The CDC's cleaning guidance for offices and businesses lists touchpads and desks among the high-touch surfaces to clean regularly. For electronics, including keyboards, it says to follow the manufacturer's instructions. That is exactly what our Standard is built on.

Source: CDC, When and How to Clean and Disinfect a Facility

Dust, heat, and device life

HP notes that dust and debris can clog fans and vents, causing overheating and reduced performance, and that regular cleaning helps extend a laptop's life. Dell says a few minutes spent cleaning off dust and grime makes a massive difference in a laptop's lifespan, and recommends canned air for the vents. Researchers have also studied how dust builds up between the fins of the fan heat sinks used in mobile PCs.

Source: HP, How to Clean Your Laptop
Source: Dell, Best Practices: Clean and Maintain Your Dell Laptop for Longevity
Source: Matsushima & Ohashi, Study of Dust Accumulation on Air Cooled Heat Sink with Fan

Sources

1. Anderson & Palombo, Am J Infect Control (2009)
2. Rutala et al., Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol (2006)
3. Reynolds et al., The Healthy Workplace Project, Arch Environ Occup Health
4. American Society for Microbiology / Gerba (2014), via ScienceDaily
5. Kramer, Schwebke & Kampf, BMC Infectious Diseases (2006)
6. CDC, When and How to Clean and Disinfect a Facility
7. HP, How to Clean Your Laptop
8. Dell, Best Practices: Clean and Maintain Your Dell Laptop for Longevity
9. Dell, Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
10. Apple Support, How to clean your Apple products
11. Lenovo Support, Keeping your computer clean
12. Matsushima & Ohashi, Study of Dust Accumulation on Air Cooled Heat Sink with Fan