You Could Be Typing On The Toilet! (Fellowes Virashield Keyboard Cleaning Kit)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Fellowes Virashield Keyboard Cleaning Kit
Date:	14/05/09 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick and easy to use.

Disadvantages: Expensive.

About three weeks ago my youngest son came down with a sickness bug. He is prone to migraine but it soon became clear this was a viral illness as he was running a temperature and looked really grim. Coincidentally that day in Smiths I had purchased some computer cleaning products as someone at my husband's office has made a comment that his laptop screen was less than immaculate, which was what prompted my purchase.

In the past I have used a damp fresh cloth for cleaning computer equipment which I would soak in a mixture of washing up liquid with a dash of bleach, and I would use this to clean the keyboard and screen once a week, but I was looking at some specialised products and thought I would try them to see if they were an alternative.

I purchased two items; The Fellowes Virashield Keyboard Cleaning Kit and the Fellowes Deluxe Laptop Cleaning Kit, the latter for cleaning my husband's laptop, and the former which is the subject of this review for our family desktop keyboard.

I paid £3.99 for the kit and this was in Smiths. I don't normally purchase much in there as I think it is an expensive outlet, but I had a token and a discount voucher so this was the exception rather than the rule. Having said that I looked on Amazon and here it is £6.19 though it is not clear from the description if this product is a larger version.

Inside my kit there were 12 individually wrapped sachets of cleaning wipes which claim to kill 99.9% of germs and viruses for up to 7 days, and a special cleaning tool which allows you to guide the wipe into all the crevices.

So on the afternoon of my son's sickness bug I decided to get to work as he is studying for AS levels and was trying to study, go on MSN, Facebook. and all the other things teenagers do as the symptoms waned a bit between bouts, leading me to believe that the keyboard was probably a hot house of germs by then!

I have to tell you that I read an article on the BBC about a study in 2004 which claimed that there are more germs on computer keyboards than on toilet seats! In fact 400 times as many microbes! This study conducted in the University Of Arizona makes scary reading, and it's not just the keyboard but the mouse too! As some viruses can survive on these surfaces for up to 72 hours it could be of great importance now we are bombarded with warnings about health scares in respect of Swine Flu.

Talking of Arizona, which borders Mexico, my son lives there and he has reported to me that there are many people over there who are ill with the flu who simply don't report it because they cannot afford health care, and so the swine flu problem may be vastly underestimated in The USA at least.

Apparently microbe numbers peak after lunch as biscuit and sandwich crumbs lay in office workers computer keyboards feeding microsystems! The study also said that wiping the surfaces with these types of wipes reduced the number of viruses and bacteria by 99% so here is my reasoning behind the use of these!

So to the pack itself. I took out a wipe and immediately recognised the antiseptic hospital smell I associate with my former career, and I was impressed with the size of the wipe and the quality which was strong and effective. First I wiped the top of the keyboard and then using the tool provided got to work. The tool is little more than some very stiff card coated with some cushioning material which has been cut into a shape like a square flag with a study little end resembling the shape of a seed marker. This swiftly and thoroughly sweeps dirt and dust from between the keys -AND I WAS ACTUALLY HORRIFIED HOW DIRTY IT WAS ESPECIALLY AS I HAD BEEN CLEANING IT WEEKLY! I had often used a toothbrush to get between the keys before and this seemed to be very good, but this special tool really was the perfect weapon and simple too.


Now to the real question would I buy them again? Well certainly I will use this system again but I feel there are cheaper methods of purchase. The wipes appear to be antiseptic wipes so I would certainly investigate the chemist as I know that 10 Boots antiseptic wipes are just over £2 and having now got the tool I could easily do a perfect job more cheaply.

I have to say though that if you are someone who regularly uses communal keyboards in schools, offices or libraries I would seriously consider popping a wipe into your bag and giving it a discreet quick once over before using it. It makes sense and it also might just protect you from a myriad of nasty viral illnesses. At home I will certainly continue to use a system like this as although an almost dry cloth soaked in washing up liquid and bleach does a pretty good job, it certainly is bettered by this product or a similar version I am sure.

Sometimes I think we are becoming guilty of panicking and filling our homes with so many anti bacterial sprays and cleaners which our ancestors would find horrific, but there is certainly a case for targeting areas of heavy traffic like keyboards, and if they really have an many germs on them as toilet seats it is horrific!

In conclusion I would say this is a great product and it provides peace of mind. If my children were still small I would buy lots of them because I remember the days when one would bring something home from playschool and we would one by one drop like flies with it. The keyboard couldn't have been the culprit then as it was just prior to major use of home computers in our house but it would be now. A great product for sure and it might just save you a few miserable days of sickness!

Summary: A good product to ensure your keyboard is clean and free of viral and bacterial nasties.

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