As coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc around the world, many offices are scratching their heads on how to properly stop the spread of germs in their workplace while simultaneously keeping their employees safe. Not only do we need to make sure that we are keeping our office copiers, telephone systems, printers, and other equipment properly sanitized but that we are also practicing safe social distancing. This will ensure that our staff continues to remain safe and productive during these troubling times.

Best Sanitation Practices For Your Office Equipment

Start off by wiping down the touch screen, buttons, and any other commonly used area on your equipment with a damp cloth. When it comes to chemicals, any disinfectant will work just fine except for pure bleach. While you might also be tempted to spray down your equipment, you are much better off using a rag or paper tow to wipe the surface of your copier. This is because those liquids can seep into the inside of the machine causing serious mechanical problems.
Since your office equipment is in constant use by your staff throughout the day, it is also a good idea to have some hand sanitizer nearby so they can clean their hands after each use.
It is also recommended that you schedule a few quick cleaning times where you wipe your office copier down with alcohol wipes just as a precautionary step.
There are certain businesses or industries that use their copier machine at a much higher rate. If this sounds like your company and doesn’t have a few printers throughout the office to practice social distancing, then its time that you start utilizing your copier’s job storage feature. Navigate through your copier’s property settings to find the job storage option. When this feature is used it will allow you to pull your documents at a later time when foot traffic has gone down around the copier.
Every works space and company operates a little differently. There are some companies that have embraced the use of gloves and masks around the office. If so, make sure that you start incorporating these practices with all shared office devices.
As mentioned earlier, your copier might be a crucial component in your daily operations so you and other staff members need to use it regularly. If this is you, then you might want to consider printing and copying at a certain time of day rather than every time you need to scan or print. Minor changes like this will help ensure that you limit your exposure to germs from those shared devices or dealing with close encounters in a tight space.

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Situations To Avoid

Be mindful of your surroundings and try to limit the number of close interactions you have with those that are using your office copier. If you see a line forming in front of the copier machine, make sure that you are giving yourself at least six feet of distance from the person in front of you and behind you.
We wanted to again emphasize that using pure bleach to disinfect your office copier is not recommended as it can damage your office equipment. Now if you use household cleaners that have low bleach levels than that can be used to clean your office copier.
It can be very easy to get carried away once you started cleaning but make sure that you avoid cleaning any internal areas of your office copier, especially if they are in spray or liquid form.
Lastly, this should go without saying but if you are feeling ill or have flu-like symptoms then please stay home or avoid using the copier or printer at all.

Final Thoughts / The Next Step

While there is no 100% guarantee that these practices will keep you from contracting the coronavirus, they will make sure that you are doing everything possible to prevent the spread of this disease amongst colleges, friends, and those closest around you. If you have any other questions about how to properly take care of your office copier during this pandemic, please make sure to reach out to one of our specialists.

If your business is growing exponentially and need a better/faster machine without spending a penny more, we encourage all business owners to take advantage of our Free Upgrade Program for business owners that qualify. Additionally, if your small business resides in Orange County, Los Angeles County, or San Bernardino County and are looking to get an economical copier plan, then we encourage you to take advantage of our copier Starter Package promotion going on right now. Ask to speak to one of our copier specialists to learn more on each of these promotions and programs.

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