There are important Do’s and Don’ts to keep in mind when sanitizing your point of sale and payment hardware.

Do not:

• Spray your POS equipment directly (Spray onto a cloth, first!).
• Use a touch screen before it dries.
• Use alcohol-based cleaners on screens. (Use a solution made for device screens!).

Do:

• Use a soft cloth to wipe down screens.
• Wipe the dust off the screen before sanitizing.
• Wear gloves when cleaning.
• Use a stylus instead of a touchpad, when possible.
• Encourage contactless payments.

These cleaning and sanitation steps apply to everything from your tablet screens to your payment devices.

For smaller devices, like credit card keypads, you can use a cotton swab to clean those nooks and crannies.

How often should you clean POS equipment?

It’s normally recommended that all POS equipment is wiped down on a daily basis. However, the covid-19 pandemic may require your team to sanitize your point of sale hardware much more frequently, especially for federally-deemed “essential” stores with heavy traffic.

To ensure the safety of your employees and your customers, POS equipment should be cleaned hourly.

Some retailers have even set up rotating cleaning stations that sanitize POS devices each hour. A clock-in software can help ensure employees keep up with cleaning schedules.

As a store owner, you may be concerned that frequent POS cleanings may be disruptive to the sales process. Health and sanitation is a priority until Covid-19 is under control; we’re willing to bet that your customers would prefer the hardware they interact with is actively sanitized.

Have any questions on how to sanitize your POS equipment? Contact your hardware provider for recommended point of sale hardware cleaning processes and hardware-approved cleaning products.

Remember: properly cleaning and sanitizing your POS equipment also has the added benefit of prolonging the hardware’s lifespan!