G'day,

I am amazed that this is still a problem today. I have been involved on the periphery
of the computer industry since 1970 and have recently moved all the way in and
trained as a tech.

One of the issues raised back in the early 1970's was the passing of germs etc by
users sharing keyboards as it was extremely rare for a keyboard to be used by just
the one person in those days. Many organisations had keyboard cleanliness policies
similar to their phone cleanliness policies.
Packets of wipes, what we now call 'baby wipes', were kept sitting around the office and
people would pick up a wipe and clean the keyboard or phone just prior to use. This
process cleaned the germs and bacteria off the phone/keyboard and made it safe
to use. Telephonists have been doing this for decades, it is very important to do if
you share a telephone headset, clean the ear and microphone sections before you
start using it, and also clean your hands with a wipe.

Very simple and can reduce office illnesses by around 30% or more.

Ernest Bywater