How can I sanitize and clean my laptop's surfaces without damaging them?

[her-hollyness]

I would like to disinfect my HP Pavilion Touchscreen x360 laptop- the casing, the screen, the keyboard and the touchpad.

Research has shown that items like computers that are touched frequently need to be cleaned and sanitized.

See for instance, Computer Keyboards Can Be Dirtier Than a Toilet: Study

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/02/us-computers-dirty-idUSSP5334520080502

I am concerned about damaging the finish of my glossy laptop, though!

Can I use Lysol disinfectant wipes for any of these areas? (Containing Ethanol, n-Alkyl (C14 50%, C12 40%, C16 10%) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, Alkyl polyglucoside, Propylene Glycol Butyl Ether, Ethanolamine, Fragrance) I realize the link below says to not usesome of these substances, but lysol wipes seem to be widely recommended for cleaning computer equipment so I wanted to check. The percent concentration of ethanol is 1-2.5%. 

Can I use Benefect for any of these areas (a natural botanical cleanser -registered with the EPA- using esssential oils of thyme and oregano- see www.benefect.com  )

Can I use 91% isopropyl alcohol for any of these areas? If not, what percent isopropyl alcohol?

I think I am not the only one who wants to know how to sanitize my HP laptop. Can you help me and other users?

Thank you.

[her-hollyness]

Cleaning guides already on the site are:

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01580483

Says to use glass cleaner (which can contain ammonia) and isopropyl  alcohol. A recommended alcohol concentration is not listed, but the bottle in the photo is 91%.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00292159

Says to use a commerical computer cleaner, implies isopropyl alcohol is ok, says:

"Do not use any of the following chemicals or any solutions that contain them: Acetone, ethyl alcohol, toluene, ethyl acid, ammonia, or methyl chloride. If you have a different chemical or solution and are not sure whether it is suitable, do not use it. Using any of the chemicals in the previous list may cause permanent damage to the LCD screen. Some commercial window cleaners contain ammonia and are therefore unacceptable."

From the product manual of my Pavilion x360     http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04196644

Use the following products to safely clean your computer:

● Dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride 0.3 percent maximum concentration (for example, disposable wipes, which come in a variety of brands).

● Alcohol-free glass-cleaning fluid

● Water with mild soap solution

● Dry microfiber cleaning cloth or a chamois (static-free cloth without oil)

● Static-free cloth wipes

CAUTION: Avoid strong cleaning solvents that can permanently damage your computer. If you are not sure that a cleaning product is safe for your computer, check the product contents to make sure that ingredients such as alcohol, acetone, ammonium chloride, methylene chloride, and hydrocarbons are not included in the product.

Fibrous materials, such as paper towels, can scratch the computer. Over time, dirt particles and cleaning agents can get trapped in the scratches.

 There seem to be contradicting advice in these pages. Alcohol, ammonium chloride (which contains ammonia), and glass cleaners are both recommended and not recommended.

I called HP Support and I was told to follow the advice of my specific manual. I was told that I could use the .3%  dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride solution for the exterior of the notebook, and an alcohol-free glass cleaner for the screen. The representative led me to a listing here of dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride cleaners (with the percentage shown) . Unfortunately most of the relevant prodcts appear discontinued.

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=389

I am still a little concerned about ammonia being in the "alcohol-free glass cleaner" and that glass cleaner is not a great disinfectant. But the dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride solution should help a lot.  

I called Lysol and the representative told me that "Brand 2" type products are in the correct  ammonium chloride range, and that I should check the percentage on the bottle to confirm this. 

Additionally, I found two other web pages which gave some interesting advice. 

I realize this is a different brand, but Lenovo gives recommendations for cleaning all its computers to use soap on the outside, isopropyl alcohol on the keyboards, and a dry cloth or a mixture of 50% isopropyl alcohol on the screen. They also recommend a disinfecting wipe containing up to 0.5% hydrogen peroxide.  Always taking care to not drip liquid onto the computer of course.  

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/migr-52190

A New York Times article discusses the use of alcohol in disinfecting computers. It says that Apple recommends not to use alcohol but then carries 32% isopropyl alcohol Clens Wipes (Bausch & Lomb) in its Apple Stores to be used to clean the devices. It also relays a recommendation from an employee at a computer mega-store to make a solution with a 1:1 ratio of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and distilled water, and use that to wipe a computer.  It mentions UV light sanitizers too. It mentions protective covers for parts of the machine, some of which are washable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/technology/personaltech/cleaning-the-mobile-germ-warehouse.html

Benefect, a natural EPA-registered botanical disinfectant, is being used for computers and they recommend its use.  A Canadian company called Mainline Services advertises that it will clean your computer with Benefect so it can't be that bad for an average computer's finish. The product comes in 2 strengths, Botanical Decon 30 Disinfectant (0.06 - 0.%) and Botanical Disinfectant (.3-1%). It is based on essential oils, which can be corrosive to a surface, but it has supposedly been shown to be safe for non-porous hard surfaces. The representative at Benefect told me that I might not want to clean the screen with Benefect; and that I should use a cloth moistened with it rather than soaking the computer. She uses it for her own keyboards. She wisely said to try a small spot before doing the whole computer. I would like HP to try the product and weigh in on whether it is safe for HP computers' finishes.

I would like to see HP take this issue more seriously. We need effective disinfecting options that are both known to be safe for the surfaces of our devices, and that are non-toxic.

[AmalliaLee]

I received a replacements for a cracked screen on my HP Envy M360 laptop recently, 2 mos into a 2 yrs warranty.
I used hand sanitizer (saw a mgr at a Verizon store use hand sanitizer to clean a Samsung tablet screen (with no screen protector w/o harm, but not in the quantity with which I applied it directly onto my HP ENVY 360 LAPTOP screen). I cleaned it off with a soft micro fiber cloth, applying pressure where there were "stubborn" spots.
Since then, I have experienced some "bleed" in picture resolution ON CERTAIN REPETITIVE AD VIDEOS, and cessation of picture action while streaming, (while the cc captions & audio continue to play normally). If I stop the video & start it again, the video synchronicity is restored for a while, but then happens again.
I am also now experiencing interruptions in mouse tracking while in composition mode in email. The mouse cursor "has a mind of its own" and trails to the left consistently until I temporarily close my composition & reopen it. Could this all be related to using the hand sanitizer to clean the screen?

[Katznhat-02]

I've seen several suggestions online about using distilled water and isopropyl alcohol in 50:50 ratio, as well as certain types of eyeglass cleaners. They said that for stubborn spots just use distilled water and go gently.

As for sanitizing, I worked in a medical laboratory in a hospital for years as Medical Lab Tech. We used bleach and EVEN THAT doesn"t kill everything! Just to kill the HIV/AIDS virus it had to sit in contact with out work surface for several MINUTES. Best policy is to thoroughly wash hands before using computer. (If the bacteria on your computer gets you, don't read about what a toothbrush in a bathroom and a toilet being flushed with the lid UP does! Do not think about how all that bacteria on your computer and even more is on your CELLPHONE! The phone you touch all day long and then go eat without washing hands, and touch face, and touch...!)

As for the run-away mouse, mine frequently drifts, but I have a wireless. It was jiggling and jumping, doing all kinds of screwy things, started sticking on me, and then just froze on me. I realized that the battery was nearly completely dead in wireless mouse and was why it was acting wierd.