by Kimberley Heit

Created on: May 04, 2008

Fingerprints on the screen, food spills over the keyboard, pet hair and ordinary use all lead to grime building up on your computer. If you want your computer to operate efficiently and last for many years it is important that you keep it clean. Don't wait until the keys of your keyboard are sticking or your DVD drive won't play a DVD. Take action now with the following recommendations on computer cleaning.

GENERAL TIPS:

-Don't spray liquids at your computer as the liquid could get inside and damage electrical components.

-Disconnect the power before giving your computer a clean.

-The soft brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner is ideal for cleaning the outside of your computer tower, the back and sides of your computer monitor (not the screen itself), the keyboard, the area around your computer and additional devices like printers and faxes.

-You can remove additional surface grime with a slightly dampened cloth. Take care when using any cleaners on your computer. Rubbing alcohol or mild detergents can often be used, the exception to this is if you have a LCD monitor.

-Choose an appropriate cleaning cloth. It should be soft and lint free. The type of cloth you would use to clean your sunglasses or prescription glasses is suitable. This is typically a micro fiber cloth. Don't use items like paper towels or toilet paper to clean your computer.

KEYBOARD CLEANING:

When grime builds up in your keyboard it can reduce its function, making it harder to type. For example keys can stick. After vacuuming your keyboard and wiping away any sticky marks an extra step which can help keep your keyboard in tip top shape is to use a can of compressed air. The long fine nozzle gets between and under the keys dislodging grime from these hard to reach areas.

CD/DVD DRIVE CLEANING:

A dirty disk drive may not play CDs or DVDs. You can clean the CD or DVD tray by firstly ejecting it as you would do when attempting to insert a CD/DVD. Without applying too much weight, clean the drive with a slightly dampened cloth. Ensure the drive is 100% dry before you close it back up. There are also special discs on the market aimed at cleaning drives. They operate in a similar manner to the video tape that cleans your video recorder through cleaning the heads.

COMPUTER TOWER/CASE CLEANING:

It is important to clean the outside of your computer tower because if the air vents become clogged your computer may overheat. So pay particular attention to ensuring the vents are free of dust and grime.

To get the

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