Sanitizing Staff and Patron Electronic Devices

General Guidelines

SCLS recommends these general guidelines regarding sanitizing electronic devices in between staff and patron use:

• Work with local public health officials and follow their guidelines, especially to establish frequency of cleaning, etc.
• Follow manufacturer’s instruction for cleaning and disinfecting (see section below).

SCLS Tips (incorporates guidelines from CDC)

• Wash or sanitize hands before sanitizing equipment.
• Unplug the devices (mice, keyboard, touch screen monitors, etc.) from the PC. It is not necessary to unplug the power or turn off the PC.
• If no guidance from manufacturer, use alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% isopropyl alcohol.
• Do not spray directly onto the device. Always spray onto a cloth. Do not use paper towels. Microfiber or white/light cotton cloths (including old dish towels or t-shirts) are preferred.
• Make sure wipes are damp, but not dripping. Dry surface thoroughly.
• Do not get moisture into any openings, gaps, ports, keyboards, etc.
• There is a concern that repeated and frequent cleaning of any electronic devices of a long period of time may cause problems. We do not know what the effect will be. These tips are based on manufacturer’s guidelines.
• Wash or sanitize hands after sanitizing equipment.

If all else fails, encourage patrons and staff to wash hands before and after use.

Ways to Reduce “Touch” on Touch Screens

• Provide a stylus per patron that can be cleaned in between use (SCLS is researching these)
• Reconfigure settings for self-check settings to reduce touch (for example, disable PIN)

Manufacturer’s Instructions

The following are known manufacturer’s instructions:

• Apple How to Clean your Apple products
• Dell Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
  • Exception: Libraries may choose to unplug the mouse or keyboard rather than unplug the PC.
• Bibliotheca Cleaning methods for Bibliotheca solutions
• Envisionware Cleaning Envisionware Self Checks

Encourage Washing Hands

Based on access to cleaning supplies, it may not be feasible to perform frequent, if any, regular cleanings. Encouraging staff and
patrons to wash hands may be your only option. You may post signs regarding proper hand hygiene before and after using the computers to minimize disease transmission.