How to clean and disinfect your hardware

Today’s environment has us thinking differently about the cleanliness of our environments. In light of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it’s crucial to keep surfaces clean and disinfected to help prevent the spread of the virus. This includes door hardware. From the home to high-traffic places like hospitals and offices.

Cleaning and disinfecting products and surfaces

Start by cleaning your hardware to remove any dust, dirt or debris. This will help the disinfectant work effectively. Then, following the guidelines below, disinfect your hardware.

Importantly, do not use any abrasive or harsh cleaners, as this will break down the surface coating. Make sure to refer to the product’s manual for more information before using any cleaning products on your hardware. We also do not recommend applying cleaners or disinfectants to your door hardware in direct sunlight or elevated temperatures. Doing so can harm your hardware’s protective coating.

Recommended cleaning

We recommend starting with mild liquid detergent mixed with water.
Wipe surfaces gently with the mixture of mild liquid detergent and water.
With water only, wipe surfaces again to remove any detergent residue.
NOTE: Do not spray or immerse the hardware in liquid at any time.

Recommended disinfecting

To disinfect, we recommend following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines under “How to clean and disinfect,” which outline easy-to-prepare bleach or alcohol solutions for disinfecting your home or your building facility.

Wipe surfaces gently with disinfectant, and do not spray or immerse.
Per CDC guidelines, do not wipe the surfaces dry. Instead, allow them to air dry to give the disinfectant time to work effectively.

Customer safety is our top priority. We recommend implementing routine disinfecting practices, as described above, in addition to thorough handwashing and other guidelines outlined by the CDC and World Health Organization. Let’s keep each other safe.

Important information regarding antimicrobial coated surfaces
It’s true that many of our products—like locks, exits and accessories—are available with an antimicrobial coating, which is specifically formulated to inhibit the growth of bacteria by interrupting cell multiplication.

However, it’s important to understand that COVID-19 falls into the “virus” classification of infectious diseases. With this in mind, the antimicrobial coatings used are not proven to prevent it from spreading. These coatings, like others in the industry, use silver ions as an active ingredient. Silver ions are proven to be effective on inhibiting growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. However, they are not proven to kill these things or to be effective against viruses.

Action Lock & Key, Inc. makes no representations or guarantees, express or implied, as to the effectiveness of the antimicrobial coating in protecting against coronavirus.