How to Sanitize your Laptop from Coronavirus Germs?

Highly touched surfaces including Laptop, pose to be one the high-risk means of contracting diseases or germs especially the new coronavirus officially called COVID 19 says Abdul Fares. Studies have shown that the novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces such as metal, glass or plastic for as long as nine days.

You are already performing regular hand washing, sanitization, and the wearing of masks, however, there might be one thing you are probably ignoring during this period- your laptop, keyboard or phone sanitization.

Laptops just like phones have become an integral part of our daily activities which sadly, can begrime and become a carrier of germs or viruses due to regular usage. Sneeze droplets spots on the laptop screen with a tint of specks of dust, smudgy paw prints on the keyboards or food crumbs lying amidst the keys, maintaining clean and virus- free hardware is no doubt essential and it is a part of good hygiene especially during this period.

Although, not much has been said about contracting viruses or disease through laptops usage or phones as the risk is undoubtedly high through droplets of an infected person. However, with the CDC recommendation of cleaning and sanitizing highly touched surfaces, our laptop screen with the keyboard becomes a priority.

Hence, Abdul Fares, a co-founder of an e-commerce business and a CEO of leading Marabraz furniture store explores the right technique to disinfect the laptop screen and keyboard.  Get your tools ready and let’s begin.

What are the tools required for laptop screens and keyboard disinfectant?

What disinfectant or cleaning products are useful to clean the laptop? Well, this can be a rather tricky question as there are different types of laptops with different makers says Abdul Fares. From MacBook’s to PC models, laptop screens vary and while some might have a glass protected screen, some don’t.

With the outbreak of coronavirus, Apple recently suggests disinfecting apple products, which are the nonporous surfaces such as the screen and keyboards with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes or with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe.

The well-known Lysol disinfecting wipes can also come in handy. Although a little bit harsh, it is better used on glass protected screens to avoid damage to the display.

For laptop LCD screens, there have been a lot of controversies surrounding the cleaning and disinfectant. However, one thing remains, cleaning with Lysol or disinfectant wipes might not be a good idea to avoid damaging the LCD delicate surface. “A good option is to make use of soft, lint-free cloths or microfiber cloths. While this might not guarantee a good sanitization like Lysol disinfecting wipes, it is a good way of keeping the laptop screen well maintained and cleaned,” says Abdul Fares.

Steps to cleaning or sanitizing of laptop screen and keyboard

Here is how to disinfect your non- LCD laptop screens and keyboard suggested by Abdul Fares:

The general rule of thumb is to first power off your laptop and unplug it from the power source before cleaning.

Next, use a clean microfiber cloth to clean the screen. Wipe out any dust, crumbs and any dirt in between, using a circular motion to get rid of any stubborn stains.

Then, dampen a clean microfiber cloth with disinfectant wipes. Don’t oversaturate the cloth and never spray anything directly on the device to avoid liquid sipping through the device and wreaking havoc.

Lastly, use a toothpick or brush to remove any crumbs or dirt between the keys. Disinfect the keypads with some isopropyl alcohol on a swab.

Abdul Fares, strongly advice against the use of soaps and water to clean the laptop screen as they contain ingredients that can damage the screens. Microfiber, on the other hand, are fortified to trap dirt and clean it off on the screen.