Study Says Computer Lab Keyboards Are Gross

As if you needed another reason to get away from your computer, students at the University of Washington tested high-traffic computer lab keyboards and found "unusually high" amounts of staph and fecal coliforms, suggesting the presence of fecal matter, the Daily reports. The research team also tested for antibiotic-resistant bacteria but happily found no trace in their relatively small testing sample.

The conclusion that computer labs are very gross may interest the researchers of a survey that says cleanliness is really important when it comes to education. The report—which was cosponsored by an organization representing education facility managers and a worldwide cleaning industry association—says cleanliness is the fourth-most-important building factor that impacts personal learning—after noise, air temperature, and lighting, Brigham Young's Daily Universe writes. No idea what No. 5 and No. 6 are. (Paint color? Desk height?)

Sounding the bell of paranoia, the survey's press release says:

"In this day and age when services are cut in order to save dollars, this study shows that cutting cleaning services could have a detrimental impact on our primary customers, the students. Recruitment and retention are the lifeblood of institutions of higher learning. If we do not provide environments our students feel comfortable in, they may go elsewhere."