Do You Know Whats Hidden In Your Keyboard, Mouse and Phone?

Stress and anxiety are on the rise under the weight of COVID-19 pandemic. A key trigger of this stress is of course, the fear of getting infected.

Stress and anxiety are on the rise under the weight of COVID-19 pandemic. A key trigger of this stress is of course, the fear of getting infected. As a result, there is something that you will experience for a long time: increased vigilance around cleaning and disinfecting your personal items.

Do you use a keyboard, a mouse or a phone ? These items are some of the most contaminated surfaces, used many times, each and every day. In fact, all these items carry more germs than what is considered the “gold standard” for dirtiness — the bacteria brewing in the bathrooms.

First things first, let’s have a quick review of the scientific evidence to get some facts and real numbers.

Your keyboard. Did you know that computer keyboards can be dirtier than a toilet? According to a 2008 study, a keyboard under research had 150 times the pass limit of bacteria and was found 5 times filthier than the swabbed toilet seat. [R]. The computer mouse is often contaminated with multiple microbes, too. A systematic review of 75 studies involving over 2800 computer devices (keyboards and mice) used in healthcare settings found the biggest culprits: a variety of gram negative and positive bacteria, including microbes that are resistant to antibiotics like Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). [R]

As you can imagine, your phone will carry even more microbes. That is because the average person checks the phone 47 times daily. In addition, you tend to carry the phone everywhere, including washrooms.

One study found more than 17,000 bacterial gene copies on the phones of high school students. [R]. When compared with toilets, scientists from the University of Arizona phones found that phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats [R].

A little “cleaner” than a public toilet seat is the TV remote control [R], but here is the catch: TV remote is one of the most likely items to use when you get down with a flu or other infection. This means it will carry many viruses that eventually will spread to your loved ones. [R]

Other surfaces that carry many bacteria and viruses include your wallet, car/home keys, door handles and on/off light switches.

What is the solution ? Obviously, you can buy a variety of chemical disinfectants to clean your personal items. You will need to buy several disinfectants, as different products have the ability to kill a limited type of microbes. Also be prepared to spend a lot of time cleaning all these items.

Or you can choose a better option to keep all your items germ free, which is called PXL Sanitizer. It offers disinfection with UV light. Unlike chemical disinfectants, PXL Sanitizer is an advanced ultraviolet disinfection unit. Not all disinfection with UV light devices are created equally, and PXL Sanitizer uses a special, highly effective pulsed xenon UVC light. There are no chemical by-products, no risk of chemical poisoning or allergies, and eco-friendly. It can successfully replace a number of disinfectants, as it has board antimicrobial effects. It is even effective for antibiotic resistant bacteria like MRSA and VRE. Hard-to- kill coronaviruses like MERS and SARS are also inactivated quickly and effectively by UVC light. How fast does it work ? Based on a third party microbiology laboratory that evaluated and certified PXL Sanitizer, this device has the ability to kill over 60 million bacteria within 30 seconds. Best of all, it is super easy to use and can be battery operated or plugged into a wall outlet- your choice.