Cleaning and disinfection procedures for WEROCK devices

A world without shared IT devices is no longer conceivable in the everyday life of a company. Just think of operating terminals on machines, the touch screen of a fully automatic coffee machine or simply the warehouse PC.

Also our products are usually found in harsh environments and are not exclusive for a single employee. If devices are shared among different employees, special attention is required. They should always be kept in a clean and hygienic condition.

Due to the current global situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends cleaning surfaces to prevent viral diseases in offices, common areas and homes.

These recommendations are in brief:

• Ensure that your workplaces are clean and hygienic. Surfaces and hi-touch areas must be regularly wiped with disinfectants.
• Use 70% ethyl alcohol to disinfect small areas between uses or sodium hypochlorite with 0.5% (equivalent to 5000 ppm) to disinfect other surfaces.

Only a thorough disinfection of the device surfaces reliably kills viruses and bacteria. In doing so, the instructions of the disinfectant manufacturers must be strictly observed. The Sterillium manufacturer Bode Chemie, for example, stipulates that a contact time of at least 30 seconds must be observed for hand disinfection.

In this article we would like to provide you with all the important information for the current situation:

Resistance to disinfectants

WEROCK devices can be cleaned with all commercially available cleaning and disinfecting agents.

We do not make any recommendations for specific disinfectants. WEROCK neither supports a specific commercial disinfectant or manufacturer nor does WEROCK guarantee its effectiveness. If you are unsure about a specific disinfectant, please contact us.

If the product has open interfaces which are not at least IP65 waterproof, please make sure that no disinfectant can flow into the housing. This could damage the electronics.

Survival time of the corona virus on surfaces

According to a study by US scientists on the survival time of corona virus on surfaces (“Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1”) it could be proven that the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, as the corona virus is correctly called, survives up to 4 hours on copper surfaces and up to 24 hours on cardboard and paperboard. On plastic surfaces and plastic, as well as stainless steel, the corona virus survives two to three days.

Unfortunately, there are no statements about survival time on glass surfaces. However, it can be assumed that they are similar to those of steel, i.e. 2-3 days.

In the case of plastic surfaces of touch screens, displays, cell phones and monitors etc., which are constantly in contact with the fingers, the pathogen remains active for these two to three days, so that potentially more people could be infected with Covid-19 disease.

Cleaning and disinfection of the display

Frequent cleaning and disinfection minimizes the germ count on surfaces (down to 0!) and thus contributes efficiently to preventing the spread of pathogens. Just a few weeks ago, the Technikerkrankenkasse (health insurance for technicians) published a detailed report according to which, in addition to hand cleaning, cleaning the cell phone (touch screen) also contributes to hygiene.

We recommend the following procedure

1. wear disposable latex gloves when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces to protect your hands.
2. remove the cables, close all terminal covers and flaps to prevent the solution from penetrating
3. turn off your notebook and tablet before cleaning and unplug the power cord along with other connected devices.
4. It is recommended to use a 70% isopropyl alcohol and 30% water solution.
5. use a clean cloth to dry the surface. Be careful not to use materials such as paper towels or toilet paper.
6. We do not recommend spraying disinfectants directly on the display, cooling openings or keyboard, even if the device has IP65 certification. Use a dry cloth or cleaning cloths as previously recommended.
7. special attention should be paid to screw holes, non-flattened areas, stripes and finger touch points. Unplugged cables should also be wiped clean.
8. make sure that the disinfected surfaces are completely dry before turning the unit on again after cleaning. Wait until there is no more visible moisture on the surfaces of the device before turning it on.
9. Clean your hands after taking off the gloves.

General Cleaning Instructions

You should avoid the following materials if you want to clean or disinfect your product. This could, for example, cloud the legibility of the display.

• Isopropyl alcohol with a concentration > 70%.
• Methyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol in a concentration > 35%.
• Thinner or petrol
• Strong alkaline solutions
• Strong solvents
• Acids
• Cleaning agent with fluoride
• Cleaning agent with ammonia in a concentration > 1.6%.
• Abrasive cleaning agents
• Cleaning agents with abrasives
• Formula 409
• Steel wool
• Sponges with abrasives
• Blades of steel
• cloth with steel threads

General note: This website/document does not provide medical or health advice. The medical or health information contained herein is provided by the Authority for general information purposes only and is not intended to replace professional advice. Accordingly, we recommend that you consult with appropriate professionals before taking any action based on this information. Your use of or reliance on any medical or health information contained in this website is entirely at your own risk.