13 Best Practices for Properly Disinfecting and Maintaining Your POS Payment Terminals

How we minimize the spread of germs to remain healthy is top of mind for everyone these days. With a multitude of daily use from inputting PIN information to taking receipts, payment terminals require regular cleaning and disinfecting. However, if improperly done, the terminal can be damaged or destroyed. Below are safe and effective recommendations, provided by our partners, Ingenico Group and MagTek, to properly maintain your POS terminals and keep your patients and staff safe.

Guidelines for Cleaning Your Ingenico or MagTek Payment Terminals

Unplug all the wires, cables and power sources from the terminal prior to cleaning
Use a lint-free soft cloth that is very slightly soaked with soapy water to clean the outside of the terminal. Follow through with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth to remove any remaining/excess moisture
Ingenico noted that using USEPA-recommended disinfectant to clean the outside of their POS terminal is okay. Recommended cleaners: Sani-Cloth Germicidal disposal wipes or disposable cloths and Formula 409 or Fantastik antibacterial cleaner
Liquid cleaners should be sprayed into a lint free soft cloth and not directly on the terminal
According to Ingenico, although alcohol cleaning solutions (with at least isopropyl alcohol solution 70%) are recommended by the CDC for disinfecting surfaces, those solutions should not be used on these terminals. MegTek recommends using disinfecting wipes and/ or isopropyl alcohol wipes in concentrations between 70% and 90% –the higher the concentration the faster the cleaner will evaporate, which is better for protecting their terminals
Allow the terminals to dry completely before reconnecting power
Do not use solvents, detergents or abrasive products, which may damage the terminal’s plastic or electrical contacts
Do not clean the terminal’s electrical connections
Do not spray cleaners directly onto the terminals
For MagTek terminals, only clean the card path with approved cleaning cards to avoid damaging the read head
For Ingenico terminals, avoid excessive wiping of the terminal as it might cause damage
Do not put anything into the Ingenico terminal’s smart card reader slot and do not allow any moisture to enter terminal openings or use aerosol sprays on the terminals
Have hand sanitizer available to your patients and staff to use after a payment transaction

For complete instructions and details for maintaining Ingenico products: click here.

For MagTek’s protocols and recommendations: click here.