The Ultimate Guide To Sanitizing Office Equipment

With different states taking different tactics for re-opening and reintroducing workers to the office space, there are several steps you can take to make sure that your office is as clean and safe for your employees as possible. To limit the spread of coronavirus, it is essential that you understand how it is spread from person to person. 

The CDC states that COVID-19 is spread through infected droplets ejected from the mouth and nasal passages when a sick person coughs, sneezes, or speaks without a mask on. These droplets can hang in the air and be inhaled by others, or they could land on a hard surface and live there until someone touches the infected area. 

Scientists are still researching exactly how long COVID-19 can live on high-touch surfaces, but it’s best to sterilize all high-touch surfaces in your office frequently – this includes your shared office equipment like printers, copiers, scanners, and shredders. So let’s go over how to sanitize your office equipment safely and correctly. 

 

How to Sanitize Your Office Equipment

 

The office printer and copier are frequent stops for employees and are often overlooked during the sanitization process. Central Business Equipment’s techs sanitize your business equipment after ever service visit, but you should still be cleaning frequently – at least once a day, but preferably every few hours or after every use – to keep the virus at bay. Here are our best tips on how to sanitize your office equipment without damaging it. 

1. Wear Latex Gloves 

While you are disinfecting your office equipment, be sure that you are wearing the appropriate personal protective gear. In addition to the mask you should be wearing at all times in public, you may want to don latex gloves. This serves the dual purpose of protecting your hands from harsh cleaning chemicals as well as protecting you from touching a potentially infected surface with your bare hands. 

Just be sure not to touch your hands to your eyes, mouth, or face while cleaning to avoid transferring germs to your face. Always use gloves only once, and throw them away immediately after you clean the equipment.

 

2. Power Down the Device

The next step should always be to turn off your printer, copier, shredder etc. Make sure it is powered off correctly and completely, and unplug it as well. This is to ensure that you do not accidentally activate the device while you are cleaning – you want to leave this chore with all of your fingers! 

Never leave your device plugged in while sanitizing. Apart from possible accidents, you could also run the risk of electrocution if you were to spill any cleaning agent near the outlet. Be sure to disconnect any external devices such as another copier or printer as well to avoid damage to either machine. 

 

3. Use the Right Cleaning Solution

There are specialized cleaning solutions available for cleaning your office equipment, but the most effective way to sterilize your equipment is to wet a lint-free (preferably microfiber) cloth with rubbing alcohol. It should be 70% isopropyl alcohol and 30% water. Be sure not to soak the cloth, you don’t want it to drip everywhere and possibly damage the inner workings of the machine or the control panel. For the same reason, do not spray liquids directly onto your device. You could ruin your machine very easily. 

 

4. Wipe Down the Device

Wipe down all frequently touched areas, such as:

  • Control panel
  • Trays
  • Jam access areas
  • Handles

 

As you wipe, try to prevent any moisture from dripping into the device. DO NOT attempt to wipe down the inner workings of the machine – you risk injury to yourself and damage to the equipment. Always have a professional technician clean the inside of the machine for you. This also prevents cross-contamination.

 

5. Allow the Device to Dry

Allow the device to dry completely before you power it back on to prevent any electrical malfunction. Alcohol evaporates quickly, so you should be able to use it again within about 15 minutes. 

 

6. Clean Up After Disinfecting

After you disinfect, you may want to clean again. It sounds counter intuitive, but disinfecting with alcohol is meant to kill germs, not clean, and it can leave streaks behind on the glass in your equipment. Use a normal glass cleaner to remove any streaks left behind on the control panel or scanner bed. Spray the cleaner directly onto a cloth – do not spray it directly on the machine. 

If you have any questions about how to sanitize your office equipment, contact Central Business Equipment at 501-833-8150. We’re happy to give you pointers or send out a technician to take a look at your office equipment.