Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes Q&A

Kirsten Hochberg: - Hi, I'm Kirsten Hochberg, Senior Specialist with CloroxPro's, Clinical and Scientific Affairs team, and today I'm here with Ben Walker, a CloroxPro partner. So Ben, we're bringing you here as we're right in the peak of cold and flu season when people are thinking about and more conscious about cleaning the surfaces around them. So there's one surface though, that everyone touches every single day that we almost never clean, and that's our electronics. So I'd really love to, to discuss the importance of sanitizing electronic equipment and touchscreens with you.

Ben Walker: - Hi Kirsten. Believe it or not, I've been guilty of forgetting to wipe down my own electronics, so I'm more than happy to chat with you about why we need to be cleaning these devices more frequently. To kick things off, I'd love to know how dirty electronics really are.

Kirsten Hochberg: - I love sharing this information just for the shock value because it's so much worse than you could think. So last year we conducted a study and a survey of office workers to see just how dirty their electronics, you know, their cell phones and laptops were. In our survey questions, we found that 52%, In our survey questions, we found that 52%, so roughly more than half of the adults admitted that they only cleaned their devices maybe once a month. 7% were willing to admit that they had never cleaned their device. So we already know that their habits are not the, these are not, these are devices that are not getting cleaned. So after hearing the survey, we decided to test their electronics for bacterial contamination. We found that every single device was contaminated with bacteria. On average, each one had more than 2000 colony forming units of bacteria. To put that into perspective, that's roughly 10 times more than a toilet seat. We also found 25% of the devices tested positive We also found 25% of the devices tested positive for staphylococcus bacteria, which can cause illness. They can be, it can be a really dangerous bacteria. The dirtiest device in that group was part of the 7% who said they'd never sanitized their device ever. And this device had 24,000 colony forming units of bacteria, which is a hundred times dirtier than a toilet seat.

Ben Walker: - Wow. Well, and we use laptops so frequently and after touching them, tend to go around and touch other surfaces around us like our desks, lights switches, conference room equipment, break room surfaces and more. So electronics may be the highest touch surface in an office and one of the largest contributors to contamination on every surface.

Kirsten Hochberg: - Yes. And as we're talking about, this is a surface that people don't really clean and everything else in a facility tends to get daily cleaning and disinfecting. So we also wanted to know, should we be daily cleaning and disinfecting our touchscreens, our laptops, our cell phones? So in the same study, after measuring the initial contamination, sanitizing their devices, we told everyone to take them home, use them normally, and then bring them back the next day. We wanted to see how much bacteria came back within one day of normal use. So cell phones were completely recontaminated within one day. So every after you sanitize within another, within one day, they're back to where they started with bacteria. Laptops were close, they were about half of their original amount of contamination after just one day. So we would expect that within two days, laptops would be just as contaminated as before they were sanitized. So this really does seem to justify daily cleaning and sanitizing of electronics. So with that in mind, in your experience, what is the biggest pain point when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing electronics?

Ben Walker: - It's a good question. You know, as we know, technology is indispensable for professional and educational spaces. Most cleaning teams are trained not to go in and touch electronic devices and personal spaces. And so a question of ownership comes up on who actually cleans these, do they get cleaned? And with that, there's an increased need for facilities to be equipped with high quality cleaning solutions for electronics because most of the time there aren't. Many electronic cleaning wipes don't sanitize. They just clean. And while traditional disinfecting wipes kill germs, they're made for larger surfaces and are often too wet, leaving drips, streaks, and you know, can goo up surfaces that could harm sensitive electronics.

Kirsten Hochberg: - I'm glad you brought that up because it does seem to be a big tension point of needing a wipe that can both clean and sanitize. And that's exactly why we created the Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes to bridge this critical gap. So these wipes are specifically engineered for electronics with an optimal amount of wetness to effectively clean and sanitize in one step without leaving those drips, streaks, or scratches. And when used as directed, these wipes will not damage screens. They won't cause screen deamination. It's a bleach free sanitizer That’s safe for screens, while still being tough on bacteria.

Ben Walker: - Helping reducing the spread of germs is especially important. But at the same time, for people and businesses alike, so is protecting our tech. Replacing a laptop or professionally cleaning a laptop can be expensive. So having solutions like Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes that are designed, that are designed for daily use and help users keep their devices clean without damaging them is key. Another aspect that I love is the fact that the product is in wipes form because they're intuitive and easy to use for people who are not trained custodians. It's more likely that people will sanitize their own electronic devices rather than have a professional custodian do so. And wipes are intuitive to use on laptops and tablets, making it a win-win for facility managers and building occupants alike.

Kirsten Hochberg: - Exactly. And in fact, I think the, the data bears that out that people are more likely to clean their own devices. And in fact, our most recent Clean Index Report, 55% And in fact, our most recent clean index report, 55% of people said that screens and electronics were among the most important items to be regularly cleaned. So with that, we're so glad to offer Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes to help clean and maintain and keep healthy shared spaces. So it makes it easier for facility managers to keep those high touch surfaces clean if people are dealing with their own devices and just helps both, you know, teachers, professionals who are working in spaces feel good about the cleanliness of their equipment. So thank you so much, Ben, for being here today, sharing your expertise. We always appreciate you sharing your insight on, on everything, including sanitizing electronics.

Ben Walker: - Thank you for having me, Kirsten. It's been great chatting with you as well as hearing more about CloroxPro solutions for electronics. Combating bacteria with Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes sounds like a great tool. And when combined with cleaning and disinfecting high touchpoint with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, these can really help shared spaces stay clean and healthy.