de-germing electronics

[Miranda]

Can anyone help guide me to a product that is good/safe, for de-germing electronics?

I googled that such things do exists. But, am not sure where to continue my conquest from there.

Btw, meaning: cell phones, things w/lcd screens, electronics w/nooks & crannies, etc.

TYIA!
Miranda

[drdwin]

I know my "computer guys" use Windex on a soft cloth to clean fingerprints, sticky stuff etc from LCD screens, as far as my cell phone and any other electronics we have around I just use a Chlorox or Lysol wipes and just make sure it's not soaked. I also use those for the phone and keyboards. This practice did not come recommended to me - it's just what I have done and I've never had any problems with things malfunctioning - FWIW

[Maxxxie]

Alcohol will do the trick. Not the drinking kind You can get alcohol wipes at chemists or the local supermarket.

Max

[Tri Girl]

I'm a school librarian and wipe down our computers daily with a clorox wipe. Our IT guy said it wouldn't do any harm unless I got it drenched with liquid. I just do a quick swipe of the keyboard and mouse and on/off button.

[channlluv]

I shut down my machine and use rubbing alcohol on cotton squares and Q-tips to get in the creases. As long as it's not dripping, it's fine. It evaporates fast.

I just wipe the screen with a dampish cloth. I'm not sure what's really safe for the screen.

Roxy

[Miranda]

Thx for those thoughts. I was thinking a clorex wipe would work. But read some google thing it's not ideal for all things.

I was thinking about my cell phone. We have some flu-ish type yuck going on in the house. I've killed a couple phones lately. Just trying not to trash another one. Something like the phone is an easy place to pick up the bug.

Though I think what grosses me out the worst is our hand-scan time clock at work. I have never seen anyone clean it.

Normally I am not a germ-a-phob. But the swine flu has been in our area. With everyone's asthma at home, URIs are not a good thing for us in general.

[OakLeaf]

Good ideas generally. But I don't know why you'd have to disinfect your screen. Unless you're visiting those scratch-and-sniff websites.

I wouldn't worry about your cell phone as long as you're the only one who uses it. Office phones, definitely.

I'm getting paranoid about the swine flu too. We had to get seasonal flu shots at work, which to me is CRAZY since it could possibly increase our chances of getting swine flu, which is the only thing circulating right now.

I've been carrying one of those little 1-oz bottles of hand sanitizer and using it after I touch ANYTHING in a public place. I've been refilling the bottle from my big bottle at home, just about every day.

[drdwin]

I also keep Chlorox wipes in my car - germs can stay on paper for days and I especially use them when I go to the drive through at the bank or other drive throughs for that matter. I'm not a germaphobe either however when my mom got Lukemia 2 1/2 years ago and for a period of months had absolutely no immune system (couldn't even handle raw veggies no matter eat them) - we all became best friends with hand sanitizer and Chlorox / Lysol wipes. (FYI - since Chlorox wipes DO NOT contain bleach they are therefore great for incidental messes on carpets and furniture - they are especially good on rasberries and jello)

[VeloVT]

alcohol wipes.

[Miranda]

Thx for those replies thus far. The swine flu does have me concerned.

It was my sick DS who was using my cell for a moment. Long enough to get some URI crud on the keys/screen. Then it was back to me. The URIs just kill my asthma. Much less the kids.

Both kids get the regular flu shot. And the swine flu form came home from school. None have been given yet. I could not bring myself to sign it. DH was insistent that it's a no brainer. So, he had to sign it. It gives me a really bad vibe.

We are kinda walking freaks of nature with our immune systems in the fm. DS has/had some rare heart diseases that involves the immune system (almost died). And I never get any flu shot because I have a history of Guilian Barre Syndrome (also rare). Which, if you read up on the swine flu, that was the outbreak that occured post shots in the 1970s. Awful experience that still effects my health on-going today (mine was not related to the shot, btw).

So, that's what's making me try to take any extra step I can to de-germ stuff. It sounds like Chlorox wipes are a good bet for the electronics.

I have never used so much hand sanitizer in my life!

[OakLeaf]

Ha, I've got a really bad vibe about the seasonal flu shot. Why in the world are they pushing it so hard - using people's fear of swine flu to make them get shots for something much milder (and make their employers mandate it)? I'd have jumped on the swine flu shot in a minute if it were available. But now that I've had the seasonal flu shot, it seems to me it's an even worse idea to get two vaccines in rapid succession. Ugh.

[ny biker]

Well if you get the flumist form for both vaccines, you're not supposed to get them in rapid succession.

Everything I've read says they're just 2 different flu vaccines. The H1N1 vaccine is made the same way the seasonal vaccines are made every year, it's just for a different strain.

I have asthma so I get the seasonal flu shot every year. I got it for this year a couple of weeks ago. I'll get the H1N1 shot as soon as I can. I found out today that my gynecologist's office has it but only for pregnant women. If they're willing to give the shot to a non-pregnant patient with asthma, I'll go there to get it.

In them meantime I'm trying to avoid other people's germs as much as possible. I managed to ride Metro (DC subway) today without touching anything with my hands, although I had hand sanitizer in my pocket just in case. The local community college holds classes on several of the floors in the building where I work, and I stay away from the students as much as possible.

[Cataboo]

One of the ways that the flu mutates (the primary way) - is that the flu genome is in like 8 different cassettes... When you have one person infected with multiple flus, those flus can intermix their genome/cassettes to form new flus.

I think they're pushing so hard for the normal flu vaccine in addition to the swine flu in an attempt to minimize how much the swine flu can pick up genes from the usual flus... or vice versa... and to prevent other strains from being done.

I've heard it mentioned a couple of times that vaccination with the regular flu shot increases your susceptibility to the swine flu - and I don't understand that statement... how does it do that?

I don't think there's any reason to avoid the swine flu vaccine if you're not one that avoids the normal flu vaccine - same process, different antigens.

My sister's daughter came down with the swine flu last Sunday. She's in 3rd grade and has diabetes type I, so her immune system is somewhat compromised to begin with, and her blood sugar goes out of control during infections. Apparently the Thursday beforehand, 7 kids had been dismissed from her class from being sick & the teacher got sick, on the Friday afterwards, another 9 kids were sent home - the following MOnday there were 7kids in the class, 3 of which had to go home early. My sister & her husband both caught it. My sister's daughter had been complaining of her kidneys hurting and her sugar was bizarrely high, so when she developed a fever - my sister took her to the emergency room, and the 3 of them got tamiflu and her daughter got iv fluids and the rest of that to stabilize her sugar.

I got the regular flu shot a month or so back, and will get the swine one whenever it's possible - mostly to protect some sickly people that I come into contact regularly. I don't want to be the one carrying something that could be life threatening for them.

[Crankin]

I have never been concerned with germs until now...
I had the regular flu shot (CVS was the only place that had the non-Thimerisol kind, since I had an allergic reaction to it when it was in contact lens solution) for the first time in my life. I want a pneumonia shot, but can't find a place to get it without the preservative, so I might have to risk it. I can't find a place to get the H1N1 shot, either, despite the fact I have asthma, although not to the level Miranda has it. But, the only time I had the flu, I missed 5 days of work, had a 104 degree fever for 4 days, and then coughed for about 6 weeks afterwards. I had to stop teaching aerobics for 2 months. I had pneumonia, mildly, 5 years ago, after doing a weekend cycling tour in VT, in cold weather, with a little allergy/cold thing.
I work with psychiatrically impaired clients who have poor health habits. Using my hand sanitizer frequently and washing my hands, too. Most clients are not in the high risk age group, but still. So three days a week, I see them. Two days a week, I use the T to get into Cambridge. It's hard for me not to touch things! I carry hand sanitizer in my purse and use it frequently, like Oakleaf. When I get to my class, i use it again. My classmates are mostly in their 30's-50's, also not high risk. There has been quite a bit of H1N1 in the undergrad population at Lesley U., though.
A good friend of mine just recovered from it, but she is a teacher assistant.
I am most afraid of getting pneumonia after the flu...

[Miranda]

Appreciate everyone chiming in. Those are some stories. I can certainly relate. I did read the other threads about swine flu on here as well. That is an interesting comment about the regular flu shot, and swine flu... that one I need to find an answer too as well.