Cleaning laptops and monitors: Difference between revisions

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Our equipment is not made of materials designed to stand up to disinfection agents. Use of disinfectants can break down lettering on your keyboard and more importantly surfaces of screens and touch surfaces (ie laptop screens, keyboards and “mouse” surface).  
Our equipment is not made of materials designed to stand up to disinfection agents. Use of disinfectants can break down lettering on your keyboard and more importantly surfaces of screens and touch surfaces (ie laptop screens, keyboards and “mouse” surface).  


HP recommends the [http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c01507270 following]. They are not specific about which product to use, however the general category of LCD wipes would not do much to disinfect, so this really doesn't help us. '''Do not use screen cleaner meant for CRTs, i.e. old fashioned big monitors, as this will also damage the LDC screen on our laptops.'''   
At some point HP recommended the general category of LCD wipes which would not do much to disinfect, so this really doesn't help us. '''Do not use screen cleaner meant for CRTs, i.e. old fashioned big monitors, as this will also damage the LDC screen on our laptops.'''   


Tina contacted HP directly, and they don't have a recommendation of what product to use. Generally speaking, '''solvents (e.g. alcohol, hydrogen peroxide)  should not be used on LCD screens.
Tina contacted HP directly, and they don't have a recommendation of what product to use. Generally speaking, '''solvents (e.g. alcohol, hydrogen peroxide)  should not be used on LCD screens.

Latest revision as of 11:55, 2021 July 22

Guidelines for cleaning computer technology we use for data collection

Guidelines

There is no product approved or recommended by WRHA that will clean laptops and is at the same time safe to use on them according to manufacturer's recommendations, and we must not use something that will hurt our equipment.

The most helpful recommendation I heard was to consider the inside of the laptops a clean zone. Make sure your hands are clean when you use the laptop.

The outside of the closed laptop could be wiped with most of the wipes available to you on the wards, as long as you make sure you don't get the liquids into any of the ports/plugs/vents/holes. However, do not use them on the inside of the laptop.

Chemicals Damage tech equipment

I understand that people within the system are using various products on their computers, but that doesn't make it appropriate for ours.

Regular keyboards are basically cheap and disposable these days. If they are wrecked with inappropriate chemicals, we throw them out and get a new one, or more likely, one the eHealth has just sitting around as a spare. This is not an option on laptops.

Some equipment in patient care situations is specifically specked to be able to withstand sanitization. In those cases, extra cost is taken to be acceptable. We are not involved with patient care and the extra cost would be inappropriate. So, just because you see someone else use a product, don't assume it's safe.

Background

We use our laptops within the patient care environment, but not for patient care activities. This means we should keep them clean, but there is no requirement to keep them sterile.

According to Occupational Health, ergonomics (both HSC and WRHA) and eHealth (issue 210050), there does not appear to be a policy or recommendation what to use for cleaning.

Our equipment is not made of materials designed to stand up to disinfection agents. Use of disinfectants can break down lettering on your keyboard and more importantly surfaces of screens and touch surfaces (ie laptop screens, keyboards and “mouse” surface).

At some point HP recommended the general category of LCD wipes which would not do much to disinfect, so this really doesn't help us. Do not use screen cleaner meant for CRTs, i.e. old fashioned big monitors, as this will also damage the LDC screen on our laptops.

Tina contacted HP directly, and they don't have a recommendation of what product to use. Generally speaking, solvents (e.g. alcohol, hydrogen peroxide) should not be used on LCD screens.

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