It’s crucial to clean everything in an office – it holds benefits as varied and important as employee engagement, happiness, first impressions for visitors, reduced sickness, and savings on cleaning bills.
With that said, some things need to be cleaned more regularly than others to maintain a high standard of cleanliness and experience all of these benefits.
Arguably near the top of the list is technological surfaces that need to be touched often – touch screens on phones and tablets, button pads on phones, mouses and keyboards, control panels on machinery, etc.
Why is it so Important to Disinfect Electrical Equipment?
Electrical equipment is one of the worst sources of bacteria in our everyday lives.
It might be a little surprising to hear, but several studies have found that touch screens can have up to 10x more bacteria than a toilet seat!
As a top UK’s leading cleaning company we are well aware of the risks this entails and how seriously it must be taken.
In fact when you combine this knowledge with awareness of just how often different people come into contact with these surfaces on a daily basis, it is perhaps unsurprising that so many people are off work sick every year. Even before covid-19 this was important. In 2022 it’s an absolute must for any company that wants to be respected.
Although you really shouldn’t need another reason, cleaning and disinfecting these surfaces doesn’t just improve employee health and productivity, and avoid illness. It also increases the lifespan of the devices, as dust, dirt and grime getting caught in computer fans, in the bottom of keyboards and down the side of screens, will all cause issues, potentially causing the devices to fail completely after enough time.
How Should I Clean Electronics?
Now that you know how important this task is, this is likely your next question. After all, some objects can be cleaned simply with washing up liquid and hot water – but we’re sure you don’t need to be told that pouring water over a computer or other electrical device isn’t the best idea.
Even some more specialist cleaning products can cause serious damage to electricals.
One of the most commonly accepted and effective ways to clean such a device is with isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. This liquid is very effective at killing germs and bacteria and is very safe for use on electrical devices. It should be at least 70% strength to guarantee good results.
In hospitals or healthcare settings this may be replaced by hydrogen peroxide.
Once you’ve got the right cleaning equipment and products available, just follow these simple steps:
How to Clean and Disinfect Electrical Equipment
- First, wash your hands thoroughly to avoid contaminating the device further. Open a window or ensure you are in a well ventilated area. Consider even taking the items outside, as isopropyl alcohol fumes can be damaging in enclosed spaces.
- Unplug all devices from power outlets. If you’re cleaning devices that are connected to another device via a wire, such as a PC keyboard, unplug these too.
- Be sure to remove any batteries from any devices that include them such as wireless mouses, as these could remain powered on and dangerous when the rest of the setup is unplugged.
- Cover any exposed circuits or sensitive parts with tape to prevent damage.
- Wipe surfaces such as monitors and keyboards with a disinfectant wipe or isopropyl alcohol and cloth. Do the same for small areas that can be reached such as between buttons on a keyboard.
- Consider moving items to make them easier to clean. For example, turning a keyboard upside down to remove any dust or opening a printer to access harder to reach areas.
- Use a dry microfibre cloth to remove all cleaning liquid to leave the device spotless and remove any remaining dust.
- Polish any glass surfaces or similar that may need it.
- Leave the hardware to dry safely and ensure all liquid and fumes are gone
- Plug the equipment back in and power up when you are sure they are clean and safe.