Asus puts Antibacterial Guard in laptops

Being isolated during lockdowns has made all of us more sensitive to sickness-causing pathogens. While we may have moved on from wiping down our groceries with soap water, we’re washing our hands more frequently. Many of us still habitually grab a mask on our way out the door. Unfortunately, when it comes to preventing the growth and spread of bacteria, many of us forget the devices that we touch throughout the day.

This is where Asus’s Antibacterial Guard comes in. It works to inhibit the growth of potentially dangerous bacteria on laptop surfaces.

You might be surprised to learn where the highest concentrations of bacteria lurk in a typical household. We are so accustomed to seeing a laptop as our portal to the exterior world of work and friends, we sometimes forget how much time we spend with our hands on it. But how often do we remember to clean it? The Asus Antibacterial Guard puts that worry to rest with a special treatment on all the notebook parts that users touch most frequently, including the keyboard, touchpad, palm rest area, and fingerprint sensor. For 2022, users will find Antibacterial Guard across a wide range of Zenbook and Vivobook laptops.

In the old days, the local news regularly warned viewers about everyday threats. One of their favourites was the common kitchen sponge used to wash dishes and wipe countertops. These sponges held the most bacteria of any household object – more than refrigerator doors, toothbrushes, or even toilet bowls. Today, however, the kitchen sponge’s reputation as a hidden hazard has a potential challenger: the laptop.

Consider a startling data point. The typical notebook’s keyboard contains 20,000 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.** If that surprises you, remember that surface bacteria picked up by our hands naturally accumulate in the places we touch most. Recollect that the hours we spend lost in thought over keyboards are simultaneously spent breathing, coughing, or even sneezing. Even a single airborne droplet can contain health hazards, yet most laptops lack basic protections against bacteria.

The Antibacterial Guard forestalls the growth of microbial pests with a silver-ion coating. The silver ions’ positive charge draws the microbes’ negative charge the same way a kitchen magnet sticks to a refrigerator. Upon contact, the silver ions pierce the surface of the bacterial cells, scrambling their structure and preventing them from reproducing. Scientific tests show that the Antibacterial Guard inhibits the growth of bacteria on plastics and other non-porous surfaces by more than 99%.

Antibacterial Guard meets laboratory standards

To ensure the effectiveness of the treatment, an independent lab tested it according to strict ISO 22196 standards. Laboratory scientists pitted Antibacterial Guard against two of the most common household bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus, or “staph.” These bacteria are responsible for several common ailments that disrupt daily life.

Scientists tested the growth potential of these common household bacteria with and without Asus Antibacterial Guard. After a 24-hour incubation period in a warm environment, the number of bacteria on untreated surfaces nearly tripled from 10,000 to 28,000. In that same period, treated surfaces limited bacterial growth to less than sixteen. That difference in bacterial growth exceeds 99%. More importantly, the two tested bacteria behave the same as thousands of other bacteria. In other words, one can expect Antibacterial Guard to have its 99% inhibiting effect on almost all known bacterial threats.

Antibacterial Guard doesn’t just stand up to harmful bacteria. It also resists everyday household cleaning products, which do not easily wear down the silver-ion surface treatment. The Antibacterial Guard is rated to endure at least three years of normal usage.

Asus has treated its entire range of Zenbook and Vivobook laptops in 2022 with Antibacterial Guard to provide protection that lasts at least three full years.

For more information, visit Asus Antibacterial Guard