Cleaning Makey Makey
Cleaning and Loaning Out Kits
We've been getting a lot of questions about cleaning Makey Makey lately, so we wanted to share this post on keeping your kits clean! This post is for those of you who want to clean your Makey Makey kits between users, or if you are loaning out kits. Here are some suggestions for keeping it clean!
(As information around this is constantly changing, check with librarian authorities ALA for current guidelines on loaning materials. )
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that a solution of at least 70% isopropyl alcohol should be an effective disinfecting agent for use on household hard surfaces. To ensure you do not damage the circuit board while cleaning, electronics experts often recommend that you use at least 90% isopropyl alcohol. Please keep in mind that it is good practice to clean Makey Makey kits between users, but make sure to never soak your circuit boards!
See the CDC website for more recommendations on routine cleaning and disinfection of households.
Keeping Alligator Clips Clean!
Everybody knows that we love alligator clipping to everyday objects here at Makey Makey. But what do you do when you open your Makey Makey box to discover somebody didn't clean that banana goo off the alligator clips? (EW!)
Here's some fun hacks to keep your alligator clips clean and shiny!
Use a Paper Clip
1) Don't put the alligator clip in the banana! While you can actually plug onto the stem of a banana and still conduct lovely music, you could also just alligator clip onto a regular ole office paper clip and poke the paperclip into your banana or Play-Doh instead!
Brush your Teeth
2) We know sometimes that you might have had too much fun with your last Makey Makey project and you forgot to clean your alligator clips before storing them. Don't worry, you can just use a little soap and water and an old toothbrush to get those alligator teeth shiny again!
