This isn't new, nor is it news. Anything people handle, type on, touch, etc should be cleaned. Guess what happens when you go from Public Transit to work, and then touch your keyboard? It's like the whole Public Transit system touched your keyboard. And unlike the office toilet, keyboards aren't cleaned semi-nightly. Clean your electronics people!

Actually, not-too-harmful bacteria give your immune system a good workout.

In an earlier career incarnation as an IT support tech for a large university, I was often called to repair malfunctioning keyboards. A simple technique of upending the keyboard and tapping it hard on the underside revealed the frequent cause. I was always surprised (and aghast) at the amount of crumbs, hair, skin and boogers stuck under the keyboard. Even from the most preeminent academics.

OK, so there are MORE bacteria on many a keyboard than a toilet seat, but what KIND of bacteria are they? Lots of bacteria all over my hands are completely benign. Can we say the same thing for a toilet seat?

Is this really an issue? You hear all the time about somebody swabbing something and getting a high bacterial count. I'll assume that the lab results are correct, but are they meaningful? Is that bacterial count of a type of bacteria that is harmful and infectious? Are such personal items as a keyboard covered with a bacteria type that we already have immunity to and as such it poses no risk? Do people that use use keyboards with a high bacteria count really have higher incidents of infection? Perhaps there is real science out there on risks from "personal" items, but I've not seen it. Before we "go nuclear" with toxic chemicals, perhaps we should find out if this really is a problem. These reports sound like astro-turfing for the chemical companies.

Yes. One should disinfect everything one touches. Please produce silver keyboards. Please use chlorine and dettol on every surface. Don't forget to boil anything you wear for at least fifteen minutes. Oh, and don't forget to boil your shower water while you're at it. It might be a bit hot at first, but I'm sure you'll get used to it.

Ridiculous scaremongering nonsense.

Apple's new keyboard is a simple platform with keys that pop up out of it, instead of the usual inset keys. The keys on the new Apple keyboard are set apart, so the usual gaps between keys, such as those in laptop setups, aren't a problem.

I agree with Bram. You know, if we were exposed to more germs to begin with instead of disinfecting everything in sight, we would actual be healthier. This is the same type of article that scares people into using antibacterial soap, which can actually make you more susceptible to germs.

That's my photo -- the article gives me pause about my lunch eating habits.

I just pounded out my keyboard -- most of the grit that fell out appears to be flakes of skin, dried boogers, a lot of lint, a few hairs, and maybe food particles too. Hmmm, it tastes kind of salty, too.

I love the comparison "dirtier than a toilet seat".

Practically everything has more bacteria than a toilet seat. That's because toilets are firmly entrenched in our minds as the yuckiest things on earth, yet nothing could be further from the truth. Toilets get disinfected on a regular basis (because we all think they're the yuckiest places on earth). But does your toothbrush? Your doorknobs? Your cell phone?

The best bit of information (which for most people belongs firmly in the "I really wish I never knew that" bin) in this field of study is an experiment done on Mythbusters years ago.

The myth they tested was that the farther you leave your toothbrush from the toilet the better, because fecal chloroform bacteria from the toilet can waft onto your toothbrush if it's too close. So they set up a half dozen toothbrushes varying distances from the toilet, used them all for a month, and then did some cultures. They also included a control, which went right from the package into a jar far from the bathroom, never to be touched.

The results? Every toothbrush tested positive for fecal chloroform, even the control. And there wasn't a lot of variation in the amounts. This was hardly surprising to the microbiologist who was helping them with technical support however.

"Yup," she said "And yet, here we are!"

In other words, if it weren't for our immune systems, we'd all be dead now.

And by the way, unless you break your skin, bacteria hardly ever make you sick anyway. It's viruses that do that. So using antibacterial agents to clean your house or keyboard isn't going to reduce your sick days at work.

If it is simply a question of cleaning your keyboard, the best solution I have found is still to run it through the dishwasher and rinse well after, then dry in a warm oven. Saw the tip in one Robert & Barbara Thompson's PC Hardware books. Worked everytime for me.

I did a similar experiment in 4th grade. Toilet seat (and flusher handle) was the cleanest thing I tested. Dishrags were TREMENDOUSLY bacteria-laden.

I personally wash my hands before using my computer, so there is no grime in my keyboard, short of dead skin flakes!

Took my hands off the mouse and keyboard to read this.