Office Hygiene and COVID-19: Can I disinfect my Multi-Function Printer?

Your office’s Multi-Function Printer (MFP) is one of those pieces of office equipment that everyone touches throughout the week. And because of this, your MFPs become a hotbed for bacteria and viruses to congregate and transfer from one employee to another.

While this is always something to consider, it’s especially important right now, with the possibility of a pandemic on the horizon due to the coronavirus COVID-19. While there may only be around 1,000 positive cases in the United States, it’s still a good idea to take every precaution you can in order to reduce the risk of contraction.

Luckily, according to WHO, cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces that may have come in contact with the virus is an effective method of preventing transferral of COVID-19. You don’t want, however, to damage your MFP during the process of cleaning and disinfecting.

PROPER DISINFECTION TECHNIQUES FOR YOUR MFP

While hand sanitizer or soap are the preferred methods of cleaning your hands (of which you should do as frequently as possible), these options aren’t viable for disinfecting your MFP. So what should you use to clean your office’s printer?

Disinfecting wipes are not only great at, well, disinfecting surfaces, they also won’t damage your MFP. You can wipe all surfaces on the outside of your MFP, including the touchscreen, with disinfecting wipes. We recommend the proper use of any disposable disinfecting wipes. Just make sure the wipe isn’t dripping wet, or else it can damage your MFP.

You should not use any disinfecting spray, however. Sprays can get inside your MFP and end up causing damage or interfering with sensors.

PRECAUTION AND PREVENTION

It’s always a good idea to keep the surfaces in your office clean — but with COVID-19 looming, it’s a necessity. For any piece of office equipment that is touched frequently by multiple people, disinfection should be a common practice until COVID-19 has been taken care of.

For more information about infection prevention and how to protect yourself from COVID-19, visit WHOs guidelines.