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 best lifespan out of your computer it is wise to clean out the inside of the tower once or twice a year. This should only be performed as a dry clean, for example gentle dusting. Generally the tower is easy to open with thumb screws to unscrew, however if you don't know your way around the inside of a computer it may be wise to get a technician to perform this task so that you don't disturb wires and other electrical components inside your computer. A professional will use a specialized computer vacuum cleaner and a can of compressed air.
MOUSE CLEANING:
A dirty mouse will not slide easily across the mouse pad; it will react to commands in a jerky manner. Every so often you should open up the bottom of your mouse and clean out the rollers. The cover over the bottom of your mouse is generally easy to remove, most have arrows demonstrating which way you should rotate the cover to open it.
It is also a sensible idea to clean your mouse pad.
MONITOR CLEANING:
If you have a glass monitor you can clean it with ordinary household cleaners like glass cleaner, however if you have a LCD monitor you will need to take more care.
LCD monitors are more vulnerable to scratching and dead pixels. Dead pixels are black marks on the screen that don't light up and display the picture. They are permanent marks on the screen which can affect your viewing.
To avoid scratching and dead pixels adhere to the following recommendations when cleaning your LCD monitor:
-Do not use chemical cleaners on your LCD monitor- Avoid cleaning products which contain any of the following ingredients; acetone, toluene, ammonia or ethyl acid. These ingredients could cause your LCD monitor to yellow. Don't use cleaners which have alcohol in them. The alcohol can have a drying effect which can lead to the screen drying and cracking.
-Simply dampening your cloth with a little water will remove dust and light marks if there are more stubborn marks you can use a gentle, non alcohol based detergent. You can buy a specialized cleaner specifically designed for cleaning your LCD monitor from computer stores and large discount department stores. Or a simple home made cleaner that you can make up is half water half white vinegar.
-When cleaning your LCD monitor move the cloth over the screen with a wide palm. Use a gentle touch as pressing hard or poking the screen with your fingertips can result in dead pixels. Follow the same sort of technique as when you try and clean a mirror to achieve a streak free finish. Wipe from left to right and start at the top and work your way down.