Cleaning and hygiene
How to Clean Restaurant Pagers (and What Cracks Them)
The wipes most kitchens already use are the ones that ruin pagers. LRS says ammonium chloride, found in hand sanitisers and common disinfectant wipes, causes hairline cracks in the polycarbonate casing.
Clean a pager safely
- 1
Use a soft, lint-free cloth and an isopropyl alcohol cleaner
One with no chloride or chlorine derivatives.
- 2
Wet the cloth, not the pager
Never submerge a pager in any liquid.
- 3
Wipe it down as often as use demands
Busy counters: after each guest.
- 4
Let it dry, then put it back on charge
LRS's steps put the pager back on charge only once it is dry.
Not sure about a product? LRS will review a cleaner's ingredient list and safety data sheet and tell you if it is approved.
What is your pager fleet costing you each year?
The numbers below are rough estimates. Change them to what you actually pay.
Estimated yearly cost
$570
$180 hardware + $390 staff time
With Bzz, guests scan a QR code and their own phone becomes the pager: a live place-in-line page in the browser that alerts them when it is their turn. There are no pagers to charge, pair or replace.
Free plan to start. Busier venues move to a paid plan, see pricing.
By Michael Estephanous, Head of Customer Success · Updated
What to keep away from pagers
Anything containing ammonium chloride: LRS names hand sanitisers and Clorox wipes. These weaken the plastic, make it brittle and cause hairline cracks.
LRS does not cover cracking caused by unapproved cleaners, or damage from submerging equipment, under its warranty.
Other brands
We could not find cleaning guidance in the JTECH or Retekess documentation we reviewed. Coaster pagers are generally polycarbonate too, so the isopropyl-only rule is the safe default, but check with your supplier before using anything else.
Symptom → likely fix
- Hairline cracks in the casing
- Usually ammonium-chloride cleaners. Switch to isopropyl alcohol only.
- Pager stopped charging after cleaning
- Let it dry fully, then wipe the contacts with isopropyl alcohol and reseat it.
- Pager dead after a soak
- Submerging damages it and isn't covered by LRS's warranty.
Pagers drop out in some parts of the room? Estimate how far your system really reaches with the pager range checker.
Sources
Cleaning rules are LRS's published guidance. Bzz is not affiliated with any pager maker.