Cleaning keyboards, mice and screens

[localzuk]

I've just finished cleaning the keyboards, mice and screens in one of our it suites as they were brown with dirt. I found out that the KB's and mice hadn't been cleaned since they were installed, 4 years ago.

What do other schools do? Do the cleaners do this job?

[bishopsgarthstockton]

thats a job that i will be doing in the next few weeks.

[plexer]

some schools cleaners will do it stuff but to be honest I wouldn't let them near your stuff with their wet cloths.

Try some Mr PC Cleaner on them it's supposed to be good for renovating pc's it works great on IWB.

For the screen some foaming cleaner if they are crt's or hard glass tft's otherwise some tft cleaner.

Ben

[localzuk]

I use a made for the job cleaning fluid that is anti-static, alcohol free etc... The keyboads go from being brown to a light beige colour. People are amazed when they see the difference.

[Geoff]

Keyboards and mice got nicked often enough that they never got dirty (in most rooms). Replacements are matte black.

[enjay]

some schools cleaners will do it stuff but to be honest I wouldn't let them near your stuff with their wet cloths.

Ditto. I caught one of our cleaners wiping the PCs down with a wet cloth - and when I say PC I do mean the base unit not the monitor, and these were standing tower-format so had nice big "air" holes for the water to fall through. I hit the roof, told her to stop at once, then told the cleaning supervisor who also hit the roof and told her to stop; now all PCs are left for me to clean. Somewhat childishly, this cleaner often now refuses to empty the bins or vacuum the floor in the IT Suites, but better that than the other option!

I go round the PCs after school as one of those "brain's too tired, need something simple" tasks. We've previously set it as a task for kids on IT detentions, but we're not meant to do that any more :-(

[bazuk]

Hi All
The best way i have found to clean keyboards is to use a foam cleaner and an air compressor, it really gets all the muck out from under the keys, a good antistatic foam cleaner removes the rest.

Baz (humbled)

[tosca925]

Cleaned..........? Whats that?

[richard]

Just reminded me that I need to do that in the next couple of weeks.

[elsiegee40]

The keyboards get a regular shake to get rid of the worst of the accumulated gunk.

Unless totally appalling, the monitors and keyboards have to wait for the summer break for cleaning.

[EvLPhenom]

I have a feeling i will be doing that when the kids finish which is about 6 weeks. Its one of thos things that has to be done though. Actually come to think of it we gave most of our kit a quick clean last half term, mice, K/B's , monitors and smartboards, with a few projector filters thrown in for the sake of it.

[projector1]

i planned to do it this summer but i have to go to goa for three weeks, dam if only i could stay at school and clean the equiptment

[acrobson]

We never get a chance to clean our stuff; it's in and nicked the same day. We have found Flash multi purposes surface wipes do a fantastic on Promethean and SMART boards, we sometimes give the keyboards and mice a once over with some anti-bacterial wipes given some of the kids here, and that seems to do the trick nicely, plus all of our equipment is black Dell, so you can't see the muck anyway!

YAY!

With regards to the cleaners, we have SFF machines, the cleaners just clean the surfaces where the kids sit, however when they dust the surfaces, it totally knacks up the optical mice as the optics go haywire and we either have to re-wash the surfaces again, (Flash does the job again nicely) or put a piece of paper under neath the mouse, given that the kids and staff acquired all of the mouse mats!

We also have a procedure where we each carry Anti-bacterial hand gel when where in contact from computer to computer, user to user and where things are really bad, disposable gloves. As at my place, you really don’t know what your gonna come across. It’s a case of ‘Don’t put your hands where your eyes cant see!’