POS Supply Solutions Blog
How to Clean Your POS Equipment
Sanitizing Credit Card Terminals & POS Systems in the Era of COVID-19
The Point of Sale (POS) is a hot spot for customer and employee contact, and should be cleaned regularly. Especially now, with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 affecting the way businesses around the world can operate, there are even more concerns over disinfecting and sanitizing equipment to prevent the spread of germs. So we’ve put together a quick guide on how to clean and disinfect POS Systems and Credit Card terminals to protect your customers, employees, your equipment, and your brand.
What Is The Difference Between Cleaning & Disinfecting?
Cleaning is the process of removing contaminants, germs and bacteria from a surface. Disinfecting is the process of applying an active chemical to a surface and allowing it to kill any bacteria and viruses.
A popular disinfecting agent, which we offer in many of our cleaning products, is Isopropyl alcohol (IPA). IPA with concentrations of 60% or higher is very effective in killing microbial bacteria, fungi, and viruses. However, not all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) recommend IPA for their machines, so be sure to check your manuals before using any cleaning agents.
How to Clean Your POS Equipment:
There are many cleaning products made specifically for POS housing, touch screens, keypads, thermal printers, and more. While the recommended usage is different for each item, here are some basic tips for cleaning your POS Equipment:
- Remember to always use OEM-approved cleaning products.
- When possible, turn off the device prior to cleaning.
- Never spray any product directly onto a surface - instead, spray on to a cloth first, and then wipe clean.
- Be sure to use a microfiber cloth, as paper products can scratch surfaces or leave fibers behind, and dispose after each use.
- Never reuse a cloth or rag, as they can harbor bacteria and viruses.
- Always follow the recommended usage instructions.
Recommended POS Device Cleaning Products:
| Products with IPA: | SKU: | Works Best With: |
|---|---|---|
| 99.7% IPA Electronics Cleaning Wipes, 7" x 8" Individually Packaged (100 Wipes) | K2-WIT100 | All Purpose |
| 70% IPA Device Cleaning Wipes, 5" x 6" Individually Packaged (50 Wipes) | K2-WST50IPA70 | All Purpose |
| 70% IPA Cleaning Kit (10" x 11.8" Wipes & Bottle of IPA) | K2-KEC70T2 | All Purpose |
| 70% IPA Canister Cleaning Wipes (100 Wipes) | K2-WC100IPA70 | All Purpose |
| 99% IPA Electronics Cleaning Snap Swab, 4.5" (25 Swabs) | K2-SPS75B25 | Keyboards / Pin Pads |
| Products without IPA: | SKU: | Works Best With: |
|---|---|---|
| CleanCide Canister Cleaning & Disinfecting Wipes (100 Wipes) | K2-WC100CC | All Purpose |
| Screen Cleaning Wipes, 7" x 8" Individually Packaged (50 Wipes) | K2-WVT50 | Screens |
| Screen Cleaning Wipes, 7" x 8" Individually Packaged (100 Wipes) | K2-WVT100 | Screens |
| Screen Cleaning Wipes, 7" x 8" in Canister (50 Wipes) | K2-W01-SCR | Screens |
| EZ View Screen Wipes, Dual Wet/Dry Solution Wipes (25 Packs) | K2-WDT25 | Screens |
| 3 1/8" Grab-n-Go Point of Sale Cleaning Kit (5 Kits) | KW3-KPOS3N1 | Entire POS System |
| 2 1/4" Grab-n-Go Point of Sale Cleaning Kit (5 Kits) | KW3-KPOS2N1 | Entire POS System |
We also carry Card Reader Cleaning Cards with IPA to reduce residue build-up in your credit card swipes, without dismantling equipment. A quick, easy, inexpensive preventative maintenance, cleaning card readers regularly can reduce card errors and failed transactions - in addition to killing harmful bacteria.
Other Protective Products:
After sanitizing your POS equipment, be sure to keep it clean and protected. We carry Keypad Covers for POS terminals, as well as POS Counter Top Shields (aka “Sneeze Guards”) that reduce the spread of viruses and airborne germs at the Point of Sale. We also offer SaniZide Pro 1 Surface Disinfectant Spray, 3M™ TB Quat Disinfectant Ready-To-Use Cleaner, Bulk Hand Sanitizer, Face Masks, Face Shields and other products to help with COVID-19 .
We hope that this helps keep your POS equipment clean and working effectively, as well as provide some peace of mind for your employees and customers during these unsettling times. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! We are in this with you.
As always - we are here to help if you have questions! (Hablamos Español)
Call Us Toll Free at 888-431-5800 (M-F 8:00am-8:00pm ET).