Two-way radio cleaning and disinfecting is a good regular maintenance practice and incredibly important in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your business or personal radios are essential for the leisure and business activities you undertake. They help keep workers, friends, and family connected while observing social distancing across business sites, event spaces, or the great outdoors.
Because walkie talkies are used close to the face and often shared among the workforce, cleaning becomes a vital component of workplace hygiene. If you are the owner of a company, a manager, or supervisor, make sure your team knows how to effectively carry out two-way radio cleaning by reviewing our guidance below.
General Cleaning
It only takes a touch or a breath for your radios to pick up germs, viruses, and the coronavirus on surfaces such as buttons and in crevices such as the microphone. To combat the spread of COVID-19, you should clean the radio and then disinfect it every time you or a worker finishes using the device.
Cleaning wipes away viruses and germs, removing them from the surface of the device. However, two-way radio cleaning does not remove all traces of the virus. This is why you must also disinfect the radio, and we cover this process after reviewing the best two-way radio cleaning guidelines.
First, you should check to see if the manufacturer provided two-way radio cleaning guidelines with the radio. Walkie talkies are made from different materials, so there may be slightly different rules for each model or manufacturer. Most industry-grade models can usually withstand just about anything because they are made for use in harsh environments.
You should not rinse the radio under a tap or submerge in water. You should also not use abrasive cleaning instruments such as metal brushes or an abrasive cleaner. Furthermore, you shouldn’t use bleach or solvents, clean the device while it is switched on, or spray cleaning solutions directly onto the unit.
To clean the radio, turn it off, remove the battery pack and belt clip, and conduct two-way radio cleaning in a well-ventilated area. Remove soil, mud, and dust using a stiff but non-metallic brush. Mix detergent with water at a ratio of no more than 0.5% detergent. Wet and use a soft cloth to wipe over the surfaces and dry using a second soft cloth or tissue, paying particular attention to ports and metallic contacts.
Allow time for the device to air dry before moving on to step two, disinfecting.
Disinfecting
Disinfecting your walkie talkie will kill any viruses, pathogens, and bacteria that are not removed during the cleaning process.
To disinfect the radio, wipe the handset with isopropyl alcohol of at least 70% concentration (use the cloth to apply/do not pour the rubbing alcohol directly onto the radio). Use an antibacterial wipe if the manufacturer’s two-way radio cleaning guidelines permit this. Allow the unit to air dry and only then connect the battery pack.
Remember, you can make a difference, and it all begins with good workplace hygiene practices.
For more radio maintenance or if you’re interested in purchasing a two-way radio system for your business, get in touch today.