Though many positions are still working from home or in a hybrid environment, there are several that have been in the workplace throughout the entire pandemic. Among those are control room operators.
Many in 24/7 environments are wondering the best way to sanitize the components of their operations center. One of the biggest questions is how to sanitize your control room video wall.
Whether you have an LED or LCD video wall, all video walls can be disinfected. However, you must be sure to follow specific instructions so as not to damage the screens. Your control room video wall displays vital data so it’s important to make sure the visuals are not affected by improper cleaning.
There are a few important guidelines to keep in mind when cleaning your video wall.
What not to do when sanitizing your control room video wall:
- Do not spray cleaning solution directly onto the screens. Rather, spray onto a microfiber cloth first, and use the cloth to clean the display.
- Do not use any sort of bleach, which can degrade the displays.
- Do not use household cleaners: while these will disinfect, they may damage the screens enough to affect the viewing experience.
- Do not use liquid on LED display panels
LCD video wall cleaning tips:
When sanitizing your display wall, use a mixture of 30 parts distilled water to 70 parts isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Spray a microfiber cloth with the solution until just damp, then wipe from the top of the display to the bottom. Microfiber is a good material to be sure you don’t scratch the display. You can use this cleaning solution on a microfiber cloth to clean both the video wall displays and workstation monitors.
When cleaning LCD video walls, be careful around the tiled bezels. Do not get close to the edge of an LCD tile with any liquid, or else the liquid could get into the edge banding and behind the cover.
Before you clean any display, first make sure that the equipment is turned off.
Generally, there is no need to wipe the displays again to dry them. Because the mixture is mostly alcohol, it will quickly evaporate and should only take a few minutes to dry completely. However, in all cases, be sure that there is no alcohol dripping between the display screens of your video wall.
Special precautions necessary for sanitizing LED displays
With LED displays, you need to be more delicate. Be careful not to apply too much pressure with your cleaning methods or you may damage the pixels. You should not use any liquid at all on your LED display unless it has a screen coating. This is because an LED video wall is basically exposed pixels. Liquid can seep into the gaps between each pixel and damage the panel.
There are a few accepted methods of cleaning your LED video wall, all of which must be done delicately to make sure no damage is done to the pixels. You may use compressed air to clean your LED wall, with a few key instructions. The canister must be held at least 6 – 8” from the wall, and you must be sure not to focus pressure on any single point of the wall. Spray the compressed air using wide sweeping motions, never stopping in a single location.
You may also use a super-soft bristle brush on your LED video wall, though you must first be sure that it is free of any lint or dust. To be sure, first test a small and out of the way portion of the video wall to make sure that the brush does not leave behind any residue.
When cleaning your video wall with a brush or a vacuum with a bristle brush attachment, work from the top of the video wall downward using very light pressure. Brush horizontally or vertically, but never diagonally. Diagonal brushing has a higher likelihood of dislodging pixels.
For smaller spot cleaning or areas where a brush is not enough, you can try the gumball method. It’s important to start with a clean gumball, as any debris stuck to the ball could damage the LEDs. Apply light pressure while rocking the ball back and forth horizontally or vertically — again, never diagonally — then roll and lift the ball off the surface. If the debris has not been removed, try again with a clean area of the gum ball.
As a very last resort you can use alcohol to clean your LED video wall, but it is not recommended because it may cause discoloration. If you need to use alcohol, use a similar concentration as listed for LCDs above, and dampen a small portion of a lint-free cloth. Do not wipe the cloth across the surface of the LED wall. Gently dab the area that needs to be cleaned, then allow it to dry.
Conclusion
These tips will help you to effectively sanitize your video wall without doing damage to the display. While each manufacturer may have slight differences in what they recommend, these instructions can be safely applied to your LED and LCD displays.
We have also compiled tips on cleaning other high-touch areas of your command center, including the touch devices such as your video wall controller and the surface of console desks.
If you have further questions about sanitizing your control room or would like to get more information on updating or creating a mission critical space, contact Constant today. We offer video wall integration, console furniture, and project management. Our design and budget consultation is free.
About Constant:
Constant Technologies, Inc. provides AV integration for 24/7 video walls and custom operation center furniture. With 30+ years of experience, we can work with sensitive environments in the public and private sectors. Constant designs and installs projects of all scopes and sizes around the world. We also offer long-term service and support. We create solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics and functionality in mind.
