Before COVID-19 most of us never gave much thought to how important it is to keep the surfaces of our printers, copiers, and MFP’s clean and germ-free.

 If you think about it, these devices are among the most frequently touched surfaces in a typical office environment. Take that number of touches and then multiply it by the number of people who use it over the course of a workday, and you can begin to understand why it is important to the health, safety, and welfare of your employees to keep these devices sanitary and free from contamination.

Respect and Protect Your Office Workers

Many of our customers are reaching out to us to ask us the best ways to keep their office equipment clean and disinfected. The latest research has shown that nearly half of all American professionals are reluctant or afraid to return to their offices because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One way to assuage worker concerns is to institute a comprehensive facility cleansing and disinfecting regimen that includes frequent cleaning and sanitizing of the surfaces of your copiers, printers, and MFP’s.

How to Sanitize High-Touch Surfaces on Your Office Copier

 Here are the steps to a clean and germ-free copier:

1.  Power off your device. If you are cleaning multiple devices multiple times per day, it may not be practical to power off AND unplug all of your devices.
   
   
2. Use an approved detergent-based or alcohol-based cleaner such as Lysol All Purpose Cleaner or Lysol Disinfecting wipes. Do not use cleaners containing chlorine bleach, ammonia, or chemical solvents. They may damage important components of the device.
   
   
3. Use a pre-treated Lysol wipe, or pour a small amount of liquid cleaner onto a clean, lint free cloth. Do not spray or pour cleaners directly onto the device surfaces.
   
   
4. Carefully wipe the exterior of the device, paying extra attention to frequently touched areas like control panels, paper tray handles, platen lids, and other control buttons like keyboards. After wiping, leave the surfaces damp for several minutes.
   
   
5. Do not allow liquids to penetrate the spaces around buttons or other control surfaces.
   
6. Allow surfaces to air dry or use a clean, dry, lint-free cloth to wipe off any remaining liquid and/or residue.
   
   
7. Once the surfaces have dried completely, power the device back on.
   
   
8. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (you can sing “Happy Birthday” to yourself twice if you don’t have a clock) after cleaning the device.

Regular and careful cleaning of your office equipment will reduce the need for copier service, and will protect the health, well-being, and confidence of your critical knowledge workers. Your local copier service company should also follow these disinfecting procedures when they provide copier repair services.

Is There a Way to Use a Copier Without Touching It?

Please contact one of our office technology experts for ways to use mobile printing applications from your phone or tablet to allow users to print their documents without having to touch the device’s control panel and to allow for greater physical distancing while using their office devices.