Device Cleaning Guidelines

Helping Families Address Coronavirus

With public health concerns over the SARS-CoV-2virus and COVID-19 disease, also known as coronavirus, spreading worldwide, BVSD wants staff, students, and families to have the information they need to effectively clean electronic devices and to assist our community in maintaining a healthy education environment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends cleaning surfaces, followed by disinfection, as a best practice for the prevention of coronavirus and other viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings.

BVSD Device Cleaning Guidelines

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Cleaning Electronic Devices 

A CDC-recommended disinfectant that is also within BVSD’s cleaning guidelines is an alcohol solution consisting of 70% isopropyl alcohol and 30% water. Follow the steps below to clean high-touch, external surfaces on electronic devices using the CDC-recommended alcohol solution.:

1. Wear disposable gloves made of latex (or nitrile if you are latex-sensitive) when cleaning surfaces.
2. Turn off the device and disconnect AC power (for printers, devices should be unplugged from the outlet). Remove batteries from items like wireless keyboards. Never clean a product while it is powered on or plugged in.
3. Disconnect any external devices.
4. Moisten a microfiber cloth with a mixture of 70% isopropyl alcohol / 30% water. Do not use fibrous materials, such as paper towels or toilet paper. The cloth should be moist, but not dripping wet.
   1. Isopropyl Alcohol is sold in most stores, usually in a 70% Isopropyl Alcohol / 30% Water solution. It may also be marketed as rubbing alcohol.
5. Do not spray any liquids directly onto the product.
6. Gently wipe the moistened cloth on the surfaces to be cleaned. Do not allow any moisture to drip into areas like keyboards, display panels or USB ports located on the printer control panels, as moisture entering the inside of an electronic product can cause extensive damage to the product.
7. Start with the display or printer control panel (if applicable) and end with any flexible cables, like power, keyboard and USB cables.
8. When cleaning a display screen or printer control panel, carefully wipe in one direction, moving from the top of the display to the bottom.
9. Ensure surfaces have completely air-dried before turning the device on after cleaning. No moisture should be visible on the surfaces of the product before it is powered on.
10. After cleaning copier/scanner glass with the alcohol mixture, the glass should be cleaned again using an office glass cleaner sprayed onto a clean rag to remove streaking. Streaking on the copier/scanner glass from the CDC-recommended cleaning solution could cause copy quality defects.
11. Gloves should be discarded after each cleaning. Clean hands immediately after gloves are removed.

Instructions for Safe Handling

It is important to handle isopropyl alcohol in a safe manner at all times.

• Avoid contact with skin, eyes, and clothing.

• Keep away from heat and sources of ignition.

• Use with adequate ventilation.

• Store in a cool, well-ventilated place. Keep container tightly closed.

• In the event of contact with isopropyl alcohol, wash skin thoroughly with soap and water.

Note: Users may experience some visible changes to cosmetic finishes over time as a result of the cleaning techniques mentioned in this document.