opinion
their shopping carts? It’s expected, and
it’s the first impression walking into the
store. But keeping a kiosk clean isn’t
just about creating a good impression.
Regular attention can also go a long way
to extending the life of the of the unit,
keeping it doing its job for years to come.
At the drawing board
The process of keeping a kiosk clean and
in good working order begins with the
design of the unit itself. Do enclosures
include keyed access panels that make
it easy for staff to clean the inside of the
enclosure while preventing unauthorised
people from tampering with the
inner workings? Are the PC and other
components planned in such a manner
that they’re easily accessible? Have the
designers taken into account where the
device will be located?
A kiosk located outdoors, near the
beach, will likely require more robust
filtration than one located in a doctor’s
office, while a self-order kiosk in a
fast-food restaurant might need filters
that protect the inner workings from
grease build-up, as well as front-facing
fluid ingression resistance (aka IP65).
If the kiosk will be located in a parking
garage, the enclosure itself might need to
incorporate a coating that will protect it
from car exhaust in addition to the day-
to-day dirt build-up.
Enclosures for outdoor kiosks will
also need to include robust gaskets
and seals to protect inner circuitry from
the elements, and to be designed in
a manner that prevents water from
pooling anywhere on the unit. And in
places where there’s specific cooling or
heating involved, there’s an air intake,
which means air filters will require regular
maintenance.
Different paint treatments for
enclosure colour will make a difference as
well. A textured paint will show a lot less
dirt than a stainless steel finish. Outdoor
units will also need to include a climate-
proof coating to protect it from humidity
and other environmental factors.
Out in the field
The real challenge in keeping a kiosk
clean, as you'd expect, comes after the
unit is placed into service.
Of course, the component that will need
the most attention is the touchscreen.
Depending on the use, the screen could
interact with hundreds of users a day.
Touchscreen cleanliness can be of critical
importance when deployed in healthcare
facilities, where many of the users may be
sick, or in an international airport, where
users may be coming from all around the
world.
A recent study conducted by
Insurancequotes.com tested samples
from a variety of surfaces at three
different major U.S. airports and found
that touchscreens harboured more than
twice as many colony-forming units of
bacteria and fungus as the toilet flush
button in an aeroplane toilet. Although
the study wasn’t large enough to draw
a scientific conclusion, it did indicate
that kiosk touchscreens require special
attention when it comes to cleanliness.
Still, deployers need to check and
see what the manufacturer recommends
when it comes to cleaning a touchscreen.
Many screens have an oleophobic
coating that’s resistant to fingerprints,
but some cleaning chemicals can remove
that coating. Fingers typically have a
certain amount of body oil; just look at
the screen of your mobile device for
proof. There are, however, a number
of antimicrobial wipes on the market
designed for cleaning touchscreens.
Before adopting any product
making antimicrobial claims, deployers
should seek out the Material Safety
Data Sheet (MSDS) for that product.
Most are available online, and the Kiosk
Industry website is also a good place
to obtain information about suitable
cleaning products.
If a deployer does use cleaning
products to clean a kiosk touchscreen,
most deployers recommending spraying
those chemicals on a cloth rather than
spraying them on the screen itself.
For the enclosure itself, in many
cases, water and mild soap are sufficient
for cleaning, taking care to ensure
air vents are free of debris. A small
handheld vacuum can be used to clean
dust build-up from the inside of the
enclosure (taking care not to damage
circuit boards). That’s also a good time
to check filters and replace them if
needed.
A best practice example would be
to adopt the same cleaning schedule
as your customer counter. In the
morning wipe the kiosk touchscreen with
something like Easy Screen and ideally
at the end of business wipe it again.
This should be done every day. Also, any
contact points, and while you are at it,
clean your mobile phone too!
Contracting the work
Unfortunately, in many businesses,
kiosk maintenance is close to the
bottom when it comes to the list of
priorities. As kiosks have become more
commonplace, though, a number of
companies have sprung up to provide
regular maintenance. For a deployer with
dozens or hundreds of kiosks, farming out
maintenance may be an option.
In addition to cleaning those kiosks
on a regular basis, technicians can
check fans, filters and other interior
components for dust build-up and check
connections to ensure they stay secure.
While hiring an outside company
to conduct kiosk cleaning and perform
preventive maintenance obviously comes
with a cost, it may be negligible compared
with costs of downtime and the impact of
having customers see a dirty unit. n
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