Community
Newsroom
Keep Your Technology Clean
Our phones, laptops, keyboards, and other devices can be breeding grounds for germs, and they can't always be cleaned with the same cleaning products that we use elsewhere. Read on for some tips from the Sinai Akiba Academy IT department.
Laptop, Tablet and Phone Screens
In general, make sure to never use water or soap near your screen. Instead, unplug your equipment, grab a microfiber cloth or pad, and watch it instantly remove fingerprints, streaks, and smudges. If you need to, add a little bit of water. In most cases, that should be all you need. If you have a more hearty build-up of spots or gunk, resist the urge to press hard and wet the cloth with a 50-50 mix of water and white vinegar. You can use a special monitor cleaner if you desire, but the vinegar/water mix should work just fine. If you can, use distilled water instead of tap water, since tap water is likely to leave white spots on your screen from salt or other deposits.
In general, make sure to never use water or soap near your screen. Instead, unplug your equipment, grab a microfiber cloth or pad, and watch it instantly remove fingerprints, streaks, and smudges. If you need to, add a little bit of water. In most cases, that should be all you need. If you have a more hearty build-up of spots or gunk, resist the urge to press hard and wet the cloth with a 50-50 mix of water and white vinegar. You can use a special monitor cleaner if you desire, but the vinegar/water mix should work just fine. If you can, use distilled water instead of tap water, since tap water is likely to leave white spots on your screen from salt or other deposits.
Remember, as you're doing this, that you want to use a soft cloth, preferably microfiber. Do not use anything paper-based, like paper towel, Kleenex, or toilet paper, since it can scratch up your monitor. If you don't have a microfiber cloth, coffee filters will do in a pinch. Also, remember never to spray any liquid on the monitor itself—always spray it on your cloth first.
Keyboard Surface and Keys
All you need is a soft brush to sweep away any dust and dirt in those hard-to-reach areas, and a microfiber pad to clean the rest of the surfaces you touch every time you grab your keyboard.
All you need is a soft brush to sweep away any dust and dirt in those hard-to-reach areas, and a microfiber pad to clean the rest of the surfaces you touch every time you grab your keyboard.
Be wary of disinfectant sprays; many are strong enough that you wouldn’t want to keep your hands in contact with them for very long. Try to find ones that are electronics-friendly. One preferred option is to use an isopropyl alcohol solution.
Be sure to use isopropyl and NOT ethyl, as the harsher ethyl alcohol can take the lettering off of the keys. Anything about 60% alcohol or less is fine; higher concentrations don’t really help kill more germs, but it also won’t hurt. Take a little alcohol solution and moisten an old rag or a paper towel with it. Do NOT pour it into the keyboard. A wet napkin is enough. Scrub it over the tops of the keys, and use a wet cotton swab to go down in between them.
Adapted from:
© Sinai Akiba Academy, All Rights Reserved.
Contact Us
Resources
Affiliates
About Sinai Akiba Academy
Sinai Akiba Academy is a private Jewish day school in Los Angeles, serving students in Early Childhood through Grade 8. We also offer a variety of parenting classes and programs for children through our Parenting Center. A Sinai Temple school.
Notice of Non-Discriminatory Policy As to Students
Sinai Akiba Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.