Coronavirus and Classroom Equipment Cleaning

[unmode]

Dear all,

 

I'd appreciate your thoughts on how you're dealing with shared IT equipment come September.

 

We still have a few IT suites that students rotate in and out of and clearly this is not ideal. ptions we're considering are:

 

• Removing all shared devices from use, including desktops and loan laptops/tablets
  
• Requiring students or teachers to clean keyboards after use
  

[mavhc]

Not having any.

 

Not sure there's any evidence SARS-COV-2 is ever spread by touching things though, seems to be mostly via breathing in droplets.

 

Install giant extractor fans in every room.

[Ditto]

I hadn't heard it was thought to be breathing droplets over touch points predominantly, I thought it was still unclear. If true, I'm slightly less concerned about the new setup in our tennis club. They decided that everyone that plays needs to sign in on a sheet of paper each day they play. They've conveniently provided a writing pad and pen. Personally, I decided that touching a pen that everyone else has been encouraged to touch wasn't such a great idea.

[Rob_D]

Not sure there's any evidence SARS-COV-2 is ever spread by touching things though, seems to be mostly via breathing in droplets.

Then why are we spending all this money on surface cleaner and hand sanitizer?

 

And to answer the original question, upon entering their new classroom students will be given a disposable cleaning cloth to wipe down their workstation.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Rob_D

[Ditto]

My governance school asks the children to wipe down the keyboards and mice with 'anti-bacterial' wipes. I' going to get the H&S governor to check that the are of appropriate alcohol level to be anti-virus effective in the expectation the use of the term 'anti-bacterial' is just semantics. Edited August 7, 2020 by Ditto

[Boredguy]

Our staff are expected to clean the keyboard, mouse etc before use with the provided wipes which meet the correct alcohol level. Students are in hubs so not much of a worry with their devices as they are in a "bubble" and the devices in rooms where bubbles will mix should be getting cleaned by the site team.

 

As the virus can live on some surfaces more than long enough for you to pick it up on your hands, and then rub your face, that is a transmission source hence all the "wash your hands" and other such guidance for the last 4 months.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Boredguy

[mavhc]

Then why are we spending all this money on surface cleaner and hand sanitizer?

 

And to answer the original question, upon entering their new classroom students will be given a disposable cleaning cloth to wipe down their workstation.

 

Because that was decided months ago and more evidence has emerged since then, also why we're wearing masks now.

[psydii]

My governance school asks the children to wipe down the keyboards and mice with 'anti-bacterial' wipes. I' going to get the H&S governor to check that the are of appropriate alcohol level to be anti-virus effective in the expectation the use of the term 'anti-bacterial' is just semantics.

 

Look for wipes tested to EN 14476. Anti-bacterial wipes (typically tested to EN 1276) are not necessarily effective against virii.

 

The ones we use leave the surface damp for 30-60 seconds, which is enough time to kill sufficient quantities of enveloped virii (such as sars/covid) as to make surfaces safe to touch.

 

Well, at least according to what I've read on the internet (product data sheets mostly).

[SamanthaD]

Hand sanitiser provided in every space, to be used before touching any equipment. Keyboards / mice cleaned daily by cleaning staff. Microphones / remote clickers etc removed.

[networkmangler]

We purchased some laptops during lock down and they were used when Year 10 came back in

 

At the end of each day the laptops were wiped down with Dettol surface cleaning wipes

 

We have started to rebuild and sort the laptops out ready for September and have found 3 with keyboard issues. You press 1 key but all the other keys around it are also entered

 

I opened a support call with a HP engineer who has just been out and replace the keyboards but he said he suspects that some of the solution from the wipes had gone between/under the keys and caused the issue. Thankfully he said he would still replace the keyboards under the warranty for us

 

 

Has anyone else had this issue? Is there anything else we could use that will be safer to use?

[tdh1987]

We purchased some laptops during lock down and they were used when Year 10 came back in

 

At the end of each day the laptops were wiped down with Dettol surface cleaning wipes

 

We have started to rebuild and sort the laptops out ready for September and have found 3 with keyboard issues. You press 1 key but all the other keys around it are also entered

 

I opened a support call with a HP engineer who has just been out and replace the keyboards but he said he suspects that some of the solution from the wipes had gone between/under the keys and caused the issue. Thankfully he said he would still replace the keyboards under the warranty for us

 

 

Has anyone else had this issue? Is there anything else we could use that will be safer to use?

 

 

Hi

 

We're having exactly the same problem. We've been using some anti-bacterial wipes to clean our laptops and we've killed 3 keyboards in as many days.

 

Did you come up with a solution?

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[6Foot2]

Hi

 

We're having exactly the same problem. We've been using some anti-bacterial wipes to clean our laptops and we've killed 3 keyboards in as many days.

 

Did you come up with a solution?

 

Thanks

 

Tom

 

Apart from the tea drenched laptop reported yesterday, I have heard today about one of our new ASUS laptops with an unresponsive glide pad. I don't have any further details, but I would expect the member of staff who has this laptop to look after it. I will know more when I get back next week.

[networkmangler]

Hi

 

We're having exactly the same problem. We've been using some anti-bacterial wipes to clean our laptops and we've killed 3 keyboards in as many days.

 

Did you come up with a solution?

 

Thanks

 

Tom

 

No, not to cleaning the laptops

 

We have gone done the route of students having to use hand sanitiser before and after using the laptops. We also have laptops that only stay within year group bubbles to stop potentially spreading anything around the whole school

[paulkerton]

The current active advice is here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings

[LukeRowberry]

This is Lenovo advice to the nhs that we’ve been sent for our recently purchased laptops.

[elsiegee40]

FAO All EduGeeks especially @mavhc

 

This thread is about how to clean things. Hygiene is a basic fact of any disease control.

 

Please do NOT derail this thread with discussion surrounding necessity.

 

Posts have been removed

[hyb80]

HI, anyone got a specific product they are using? This has caused me a major headache and now trying to source correct wipes as kids have been allowed to spray directly into keyboards.

[MYK-IT]

All areas being cleaned periodically with Zoono combined with (alcoholic-based) hand sanitiser gel and wipes daily / each lesson etc.

 

Now, due to amount of wipes being used and costs (to the environment too) we are now using

- a water-based solution, combined with rolls of blue paper (biodegradable etc) for cleaning surfaces etc. daily / each lesson. Edited September 28, 2020 by MYK-IT

[Reverend_Dan]

Just got some Nilbac dry touch santiser, big 750ml spray can. Can do a whole computer room in minutes. You just spray it 2 metres away and allow to dry naturally. Takes a few minutes but worked well this morning for Midys test quick change overs.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B089G6LGRH/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_7iECFbZ5P8YY8