Cleaning Guidelines for Copiers and Printers

The Best Way to Clean and Disinfect Office Copiers and Printers 

We all want to be healthy, and one of the best ways to do that (aside from washing hands and not touching your face) is to keep workspaces clean. 

Many of Loffler's clients have copiers and printers from us. These are high-touch devices many of us want to keep clean to avoid the spread of germs.  

What is the best way to clean and disinfect an office copier or printer? 

Power down and unplug the device before cleaning. 

You should also allow surfaces to dry before plugging in and powering on the device. 

Use Isopropyl alcohol (at least 70% concentrate) to disinfect all surfaces of the device that a user would touch. 

Common touchpoints include keypads, touchscreens, scanner glass, door/drawer handles that open the machine, common jam points within the machine, the output tray, etc.

Isopropyl alcohol is flammable; please do not use near an open flame.

Never spray directly onto or into the machine. 

Instead, spray onto a cloth or towel, and use it to wipe the machine. 

Use a soft cloth to clean surfaces.  

Lint-free or microfiber is preferred to prevent streaks. Use a paper towel if no cloth is available. 

Use glass cleaner on platen glass to prevent streaks. 

This includes both the flatbed glass (the larger glass surface where copies are placed for scanning) and the slit glass (the small piece of glass to the left of the main flatbed glass).  

Cleaning the glass is also a good practice to remove streaks from prints. 

Use disposable gloves. 

If your organization supplies disposable gloves for you to use, you can use them to prevent contamination while cleaning a copier or printer. Remember that disposable gloves are only meant to be used once, so dispose of them properly after use. 

How often should you clean/disinfect your copier or printer?  

Best practice would be with each new user, for the lowest risk of infection. But follow your organization’s guidelines and always wash your hands after using shared surfaces. 

Notes:

We cannot guarantee complete protection against any virus using the methods above. They are simply best practices.