A Bothell company is launching a germ-killing keyboard.
Breanna Taylor is no germophobe, but she still bugs out when it comes to bacteria, especially when using computer keyboards that get shared with others.
"I don't touch anything until I wash my hands," she said. "It doesn't feel safe."
Fortunately for Taylor, she works at a place that is pioneering the cleanest keyboards in the country. With the push of a button her keyboard completely sanitizes itself.
"It's nice to have that peace of mind," she said.
Bothell-based Vioguard is bringing the keyboards to market.
The keyboards get more than clean; they get sanitized by a 90-second bath of ultraviolet light.
"The UV light will break down the germs at a molecular level. It just kills them," said Vioguard Director of Sales Scot Reynolds.
The Vioguard keyboard is the only one to be get full approval by the FDA. The company claims the UV rays kill 99.99 percent of a keyboard's germs. The hardware is now in use in hospitals in the U.S. and Europe where concerns about MRSA and infections are paramount.
The keyboard is now available to the general public for $999. It's a bit pricier than a bottle of Purell, but Reynolds said it is much more effective.
"There are no colonies left to create a superbug like you would with chemicals," Reynolds said. "In the case of UV light, it kills everything."
Vioguard plans to spread its technology to everything from ATMs and airline check-in kiosks to cell phones and escalator handrails.
