How to clean a chip credit card reader?
Cleaning a chip credit card reader is essential to ensure its effectiveness and longevity. Here’s a simple guide on how to do it:
- Switch off the Device: Start by turning off your chip credit card reader before cleaning it. This helps to protect the electronic components inside the machine.
- Use a Card Reader Cleaner: Card reader cleaners are typically shaped like credit cards but have a microfiber strip instead of a chip. Insert the cleaner into the reader slot, then remove it. Repeat this process several times to remove any dust or debris.
- Manual Cleaning: For stubborn dirt, use a can of compressed air to blow dust out of the card slot. Always hold the can upright to prevent the propellant from entering the machine and causing damage.
- Gentle Wiping: For the exterior of your reader, use a soft, lint-free cloth slightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol. Wipe the surface gently and avoid getting moisture in any openings.
- Dry Completely: Allow the card reader to dry completely before turning it back on. This prevents any moisture-related damage to the internal components.
Regularly cleaning your chip credit card reader can help to maintain its functionality and extend its lifespan. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines when cleaning your device to avoid causing any damage.
Waffletechnology® Cleaning Cards
Did you know Clean Team Company patented the dual-purpose cleaning card in 1996? The original patent by the Clean Team was later rebranded as KIcTeam.
Their Waffletechnology® brand remains the leading solution for cleaning card readers. In fact, Waffletechnology® by KICTeam is the king in cleaning card technology worldwide. Regular use of card cleaners can eliminate the frustration of card failure due to a dirty card reader.
Waffletechnology® cleaning cards prevent expensive maintenance and replacement costs and reduce failed transactions, saving you time and money while maximizing customer satisfaction. Your customers will appreciate your reliability. Cleaning cards are designed to give you maximum use from your company’s card reader.
You can place your bet on Waffletechnology® cleaning cards since they are engineered to flexibly assimilate dirt from the raised platform on both top and bottom surfaces.
The cleaning platforms are loaded with springs increasing the pressure significantly to the internal components as the card passes through the mechanism.
When the cleaning pressure is increased, the platforms spring up on the surface to clean the adjourned sensors and thoroughly clean the leading and trailing characters surrounding the optical lenses.
Flat cleaning cards cannot clean the optical lenses perfectly since they do not touch the recessed sensors, and at best, they can only come into contact with a tip if the convex tip. The engineering behind the Waffletechnology® cleaning card is designed not to be flat, thus thoroughly cleaning all the sensors.
Who should use Cleaning Cards?
Due to environmental conditions and an increased number of user transactions, devices gather a lot of dust, paper flash, oils, dirt, and small sand particles that can cause your appliances to underperform or fail.
Waffletechnology® works hand in hand with OEM to design products to clean their devices, such as:
- Card readers
- Check scanners
- Thermal printers
- Currency counters
- MICR or check readers
- Bill acceptors
Benefits of cleaning cards
There are many card readers today, such as EMV smart cards, which can be chip readers or pin readers, credit card reads and debit card readers, mobile payment methods, and security control access doors to homes or lodging door locks. The use of cleaning cards once a week helps avoid card malfunction. If you don’t clean a card reader, then there are risks:
- Increased customer embarrassment because the reader fails to read the card properly.
- An increased number of slower transactions and long lines will frustrate your customers; this can cause your customers to look for better same services in other places.
- Increased transaction fees and fraud due to manual entry.
- Higher cost for maintenance services or exchange of your device
- Poor first impression to your customers.
Clean Thermal Printers
Thermal printers can accumulate paper flash and label residue with each use. This can cause more errors on your print material as well as jams. Using a Waffletechnology® cleaning card to clean the print head and platen rollers regularly increases the life of your printer and reduces downtime. A thermal printer’s lifespan can be reduced if not kept up and can cause the printing of faded receipts or poor barcode prints. It can cause wasted labor and self-troubleshooting attempts.
Clean Currency Counter Machines
Did you know that money is dirty? Currency leaves oil and soil particles in the device during normal operation. The accumulating dirt can cause rollers to slip and the sensors to fail.
It is wise to use Waffletechnology® cleaning cards to clean the device quickly and effectively. High hidden service costs can be prevented with proper cleaning.
Bill acceptors determines paper currency by use optical lenses and magnetic sensors. There are many models bill acceptors such as banknotes acceptors, self-checkouts, payment kiosk, bill validators, ATM deposit and counterfeit detectors. Not cleaning your bill acceptor can cause customers to lose confidence in your machines and high cost of service expenses.
Where to get cleaning cards?
Regular use of cleaning cards using Waffletechnology® will result in increased sales, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profits. The benefits of regular maintenance using a cleaning card outweigh the costs.
Not sure if it’s what you need? Con act us. Harmony Lab & Safety Supplies is your source for cleaning cards, niche wipes, and disinfectants to properly clean your thermal printer and card readers. We have well over a decade of experience providing the highest customer satisfaction.