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Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean

Summary: Find out information about how to clean your Dell equipment.

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Article Content


Symptoms

Not applicable

Cause

Not applicable

Resolution


Helping Customers Address Concerns at Home and at Work


Dell's comments on use of UV-C for cleaning of Dell equipment:

 

Dell currently does not have any knowledge of results from exposure to UV-C light for any of Dell's products. While we are aware of products in the marketplace that use UV-C for cleaning items such as cell phones, we have no independent data or information regarding its use, efficacy, or issues that may arise. We have been unable to find any specific industry aging tests that are defined exclusively for exposure to UV-C. Dell cannot make a recommendation concerning use of UV-C light due to a lack of sufficient and standardized test data. Dell's approved cleaning recommendations continue to be the other methods listed on this page.



Client Systems

We understand customers may have questions about cleaning and disinfecting options for their Dell products. The guidance below applies to all Dell-branded PCs, monitors or display screen, docking stations, keyboards, and mouses.

  1. We recommended you wear disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.
  2. Turn off the device that you plan to clean and disconnect AC power. Also remove batteries from items like wireless keyboards. Never clean a product while it is turned on or plugged in.
  3. Disconnect any external devices.
  4. Never spray any liquids directly onto the product.
  5. Moisten a microfiber cloth with a mixture of 70% isopropyl alcohol / 30% water. The cloth should be damp, but not dripping wet. Excess moisture should be removed if the cloth is wet before wiping the product. Using any material other than a microfiber cloth could cause damage to your product.
  6. Gently wipe the moistened cloth on the surfaces to be cleaned. Do not allow any moisture to drip into areas like keyboards, display panels, etc. Moisture entering the inside an electronic product can cause damage to the product. Excessive wiping potentially could lead to damaging some surfaces.
  7. When cleaning a display screen, carefully wipe in one direction, moving from the top of the display to the bottom.
  8. Surfaces must be completely air-dried before turning the device on after cleaning. No moisture should be visible on the surfaces of the product before it is turned on or plugged in.
  9. After cleaning or disinfecting a glass surface, it may be cleaned again using a glass cleaner that is designed for display surfaces following directions for that specific cleaner. We recommend you avoid glass cleaning products containing Ammonia.
  10. Discard the disposable gloves that are used after each cleaning. Clean your hands immediately after gloves are removed and disposed.

Customers may experience some visible cosmetic changes to finishes over time as a result of the cleaning process outlined above on some surfaces. Other cleaning chemicals are very harsh and will damage surfaces. Avoid using any of the following chemicals or products containing these chemicals:

  • Any chlorine-based cleaner, such as bleach
  • Peroxides (including hydrogen peroxide)
  • Solvents such as; acetone, paint thinner, benzene, methylene chloride or toluene
  • Ammonia (i.e. Windex)
  • Ethyl alcohol

Using any of the chemicals that are listed above will cause permanent damage to some product surfaces. By following the steps outlined in this document, you can minimize the risk of damage.
 

How to Clean your personal computer


Enterprise Systems

We understand customers may have questions about cleaning and disinfecting options for their Dell Storage, Networking, HCI, and Server products. The guidance below will help address concerns.

Warning: If the business requirements call for sterilization for an abundance of caution, Dell Technologies highly recommends engaging a professional cleaning company that specializes in sterilizing data center equipment. If engaging a professional cleaning company that specializes in sterilizing data center equipment is not possible, Dell Technologies recommends that customers exercise extreme caution when sterilizing and disinfecting their Dell Storage, Networking, HCI, and Server products by using the following steps:
  1. We recommend that all personnel performing cleaning and disinfecting wear disposable gloves when disinfecting any surfaces.
  2. If your data center procedures require turn off prior to cleaning external surfaces, follow Dell Technologies published procedures for safely turning off data center equipment, to ensure data integrity.
  3. If the equipment must remain operational while external surfaces are cleaned, use extreme caution in exposing powered equipment to any moisture and take all proper and necessary precautions when handling powered equipment that has been exposed to moisture.
  4. Cleaning must be limited to external surfaces such as handles and other common touchpoints. Do not open cabinet and chassis doors or attempt to clean any internal components.
  5. Fiber optics should not be removed for general purpose cleaning due to increased risk of debris contamination.
  6. Never spray any liquids directly onto or into any product. Do not expose any internal components of Dell Technologies data center products to moisture.
  7. To clean external surfaces such as handles and cabinets, moisten a microfiber cloth with a final concentration of 70% isopropyl alcohol by volume. The cloth should be moist, but not dripping wet. Excess moisture should be removed if the cloth is wet before wiping the exterior and handles of the product, keeping clear of power leads and permanent wiring. Using any material other than a microfiber cloth could cause damage to your product.
  8. Gently wipe the moistened cloth on the surfaces to be cleaned. Do not allow any moisture to drip into areas like keyboards, display panels, vents, etc. Moisture entering the inside an electronic product can cause damage to the product. Excessive wiping potentially could lead to damaging some surfaces.
  9. When cleaning a related display screen, carefully wipe in one direction, moving from the top of the display to the bottom.
  10. If the equipment was turned off, all surfaces must be completely air-dried before powering up the equipment after cleaning. No moisture should be visible on the surfaces of the equipment before it is turned on or plugged in.
  11. Discard the disposable gloves that are used after each cleaning. Clean your hands immediately after gloves are removed and disposed of.

Customers may experience some visible cosmetic changes to finishes over time as a result of the cleaning process outlined above on some surfaces. Other cleaning chemicals are very harsh and will damage surfaces. Avoid using any of the following chemicals or products containing these chemicals:

  • Any chlorine-based cleaner, such as bleach
  • Peroxides (including hydrogen peroxide)
  • Solvents such as; acetone, paint thinner, benzene, methylene chloride or toluene
  • Ammonia 
  • Ethyl alcohol

Using any of the chemicals that are listed above will cause permanent damage to some product surfaces. By following the steps outlined in this document, you can minimize the risk of damage.

 

 

Article Properties


Affected Product
Hybrid Cloud Platforms, Hyper-converged Systems, Network Adapters, Rack Infrastructure, Storage Adapters & Controllers, Desktops & All-in-Ones, Inspiron, OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, G Series, Gateways & Embedded PCs, Electronics & Accessories , PC & Tablet Accessories, Laptops, Chromebook, G Series, Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS, Datacenter Scalable Solutions, PowerEdge, Legacy Server Models, Enterprise Storage, Atmos, CloudArray, Disk Library, ECS, Isilon, PowerMax, ScaleIO, Symmetrix, VMAX, VPLEX, XtremIO, Entry Level & Midrange, Compellent (SC, SCv & FS Series), Software Defined Storage, EqualLogic (PS Series), PowerVault, Dell EMC Unity, VNX/VNXe, Legacy Storage Models, Storage Software, Thin Clients, Workstations, Fixed Workstations, Mobile Workstations, Chromebook 11 3180, Chromebook 11 3189, Chromebook 13 3380, Latitude 3180, Latitude 3189, Latitude 5289 2-in-1, Latitude 5290 2-in-1, Latitude 5290, Latitude 7280, Latitude 13 3379 2-in-1, Latitude 13 3380, Latitude 3390 2-in-1, Latitude 7380, Latitude 7389 2-in-1, Latitude 7390 2-in-1, Latitude 7390, Latitude 5414 Rugged, Latitude 5490, Latitude 7480, Latitude 5580, Latitude 5590, Latitude 3480 mobile thin client, Latitude 5280 mobile thin client, XPS 13 9365 2-in-1, XPS 13 9370 ...
Last Published Date

29 Jun 2023

Version

7

Article Type

Solution