# Sanitizing keyboards. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667 "2020-05-29T13:18:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/1 "2020-05-29T13:18:51Z")
How can we sanitize keyboards and mice? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/2 "2020-05-29T13:22:21Z")
We use antibacterial wipes and a clean paper towel to dry. We open Notepad so any pressed keys are unlikely to effect work in other windows. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/3 "2020-05-29T13:30:57Z")
From **[Pain In The English](https://painintheenglish.com/case/534):** > [@](#): > > Since neither “mouses” nor “mice” is the official plural of “computer mouse,” using either one is acceptable. Technically, since “mouse” is an acronym for “manually-operated user-select equipment,” it should probably be pluralized as “mouses.” But since hardly anyone is aware of the word’s etymology, and because it sounds less awkward, most people pluralize it as “mice.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/4 "2020-05-29T13:46:39Z")
I have no idea how that is relevant, but some companies sell keyboards and mice that can be cleaned, even in a dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/5 "2020-05-29T13:47:58Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/6 "2020-05-29T13:50:28Z")
Mouse (the computer kind) is not an acronym. It was named for the rodent. > [@](#): > > Doug Engelbart reportedly conceived the mouse during a conference lecture in 1961. His first design, in 1963, used rolling wheels inspired by mechanical area-measuring devices called planimeters invented in the 1800s. > [@](#): > > Who Named the Mouse? > > When asked who named his most famous invention, Doug Engelbart recalled, “No one can remember. It just looked like a mouse with a tail, and we all called it that.” The wire “tail” originally came out under the user’s wrist. From here: > **[The Mouse - CHM Revolution](https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/input-output/14/350)** > > The MouseTrackballs, light pens, and other clever pointing devices were widespread. Then the mouse was invented. Twice. (Well, at least twice.)Doug Engelbart reportedly conceived the mouse during a conference lecture in 1961. His first design, in... ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/7 "2020-05-29T14:21:28Z")
Alcohol wipes work well. Just make sure that you get the wipe down in between the keys as much as possible. Keyboard covers are common in industrial use and other places where the keyboard needs to be covered for some reason. These covers can usually be easily removed and washed. They do make it harder to type though, in my experience. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have no idea how that is relevant, but some companies sell keyboards and mice that can be cleaned, even in a dishwasher. Actually most keyboards these days can be cleaned in a dishwasher, though you definitely would not want to do it often. If you want to do frequent sanitizing this is NOT the method you want to use as you will end up causing corrosion and destroying your keyboard. But if someone dropped your keyboard into some horrible muck (or more likely, someone dropped some horrible muck into your keyboard) the dishwasher method does work fairly well. This is an old electronic technician’s trick that goes way back. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you don’t have one of the fancy keyboards that Dewey Finn mentioned, there are a few tricks you need to know so that you won’t ruin your keyboard: A lot of those little fancy LCD panels that some keyboards have don’t do well in a dishwasher. If your keyboard has one of these, don’t wash it in the dishwasher. I have heard that some wireless keyboards don’t do well in a dishwasher. Wired USB keyboards don’t usually have an issue. Put the keyboard on the top tray of the dishwasher. Wrap up the cord (if it has a cord) so that it can’t get caught in the moving parts of the dishwasher. Do not use soap. If it’s a keyboard, place it upside down. Make sure to turn off the heat cycle at the end. Dishwashers basically bake dishes to dry them, and the heat will melt plastics that aren’t designed for it. Note that this can be a bit confusing, because sometimes the heat cycle will be labeled as something like Power Saver Dry, or with some other label that indicates that you have to turn it ON to turn the heat OFF. Make sure you let the device dry out for a few days. Again, not something you want to do as regular maintenance, but it works surprisingly well. I have resurrected numerous keyboards that people have spilled coffee or soda into. The place where I work would just throw them out. I’d run them through the dishwasher and basically have a free keyboard. I wouldn’t bother trying to run a mouse through the dishwasher. You can take them apart and clean them with alcohol and a Q tip pretty quickly. Keyboards, on the other hand, can be a royal pain to take apart and clean, depending on how they are made. Note that this is not 100 percent safe, but if you have a keyboard that you need to clean for some reason and the alternative is to toss it, this at least gives you a chance to resurrect it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/8 "2020-05-29T14:30:13Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Mouse (the computer kind) is not an acronym. TIL. Wow, you are correct. There are many mentions of it being an acronym, but the acronym was thought up after it was named mouse by its inventor. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/9 "2020-05-29T14:30:20Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > We use antibacterial wipes and a clean paper towel to dry. We open Notepad so any pressed keys are unlikely to effect work in other windows. My cordless mouse has a switch on it so I can shut it off while I clean it. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/10 "2020-05-29T14:37:50Z")
Is this a keyboard and mouse in a common area, that is used by multiple people? Did your cat pee on it? I get cleaning it of dust periodically, but why would you need to **sanitize** it? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/11 "2020-05-29T14:48:31Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I get cleaning it of dust periodically, but why would you need to **sanitize** it? Because that’s one of the specific guidelines allowing me to reopen my business last week? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/12 "2020-05-29T14:54:06Z")
[Seal Shield](http://www.sealshield.com/) is one company that supplies washable keyboards and mice. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/13 "2020-05-30T00:02:54Z")
How many people need to use the keyboard, and how rapidly do they trade off? If it’s something like a call center where three people rotate through the workstation per day, it may be effective to assign each person their own keyboard. There are quite a few flexible and even roll-up keyboards that are made of silicone as well - Logitech makes a few styles. If you can get your hands on it, CaviCide kills darn near everything. Mist the keyboard with it after use and let it air-dry. Much easier to find would be liquid alcohol-based sanitizer in a spray bottle. Same routine - mist and let dry. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/14 "2020-05-30T00:33:16Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > TIL. > > Wow, you are correct. There are many mentions of it being an acronym, but the acronym was thought up after it was named mouse by its inventor. It’s actually a [backronym](http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-bac1.htm). [Backronym generating tool.](https://backronym.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/15 "2020-05-30T03:58:09Z")
Try not to use hand sanitizer. It has added stuff to try and keep your skin from drying out. It can build up on things that do not absorb and cycle it. Use more pure alcohol. Get a sprayer that creates a very fine mist. I found an eyeglass cleaner fluid one to work very well. Good wide mist at close range. Doesn’t cause pools of fluid. Don’t bother wiping it off. Just let it dry off. Should dry fast if very pure alcohol. Wiping may rub off the letters on the keys. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/16 "2020-05-31T06:54:36Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Is this a keyboard and mouse in a common area, that is used by multiple people? Did your cat pee on it? > > I get cleaning it of dust periodically, but why would you need to **sanitize** it? Picture the P.O.S. or the thingie to ring in orders at a restaurant. At a diner you may just have the one lone waitress, but I’ve worked at busy BBQ joints where multiple servers and managers swiftly use the same input keys all night. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/17 "2020-06-01T02:09:45Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Picture the P.O.S. or the thingie to ring in orders at a restaurant. At a diner you may just have the one lone waitress, but I’ve worked at busy BBQ joints where multiple servers and managers swiftly use the same input keys all night. If it’s at all a standard keyboard, [buy several of these](https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Waterproof-Anti-Dust-Protector-Keyboards/dp/B01MXONFI1/ref=sr_1_3?crid=T3COIJNX4N5S&dchild=1&keywords=silicone+keyboard+cover&qid=1590977128&s=pc&sprefix=Silicone+key%2Ccomputers%2C161&sr=1-3) and wash them once an hour, rotating them as you do so. Super cheap, etc. Hell, rotate them every 20 minutes. If it’s NOT a standard item, find someone locally who does model-making or vacu-forming. Have a few thermoformed silicone covers made. More pricey than the Amazon item, but easily washed with very very hot water and soap suds and will last a wicked long time. The silicone forming will allow them to nest as well into the keyboard pattern as the ones i’ve linked above. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sanitizing-keyboards/854667/18 "2020-06-01T17:15:00Z")
I have a spray bottle filled with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Well, actually, 91% alcohol I diluted to about 70%. I just switch off the keyboard or t-ball, give them a mist, and wait for it to evaporate.