by Le Grand Chef

Created on: February 25, 2009

Cleaning up your PC (personal computer) isn't much different than spring cleaning your home. Keeping your PC clean is about as important to the longevity of the electronic components inside, as keeping your house clean is to your health.

It's true that the cost of a computer is dropping all the time. Some may even say that they are becoming disposable items. While this may be true to someone with money to throw around, most people would prefer to keep their hard earned dollars in their own pockets and doing a quick clean now and agin is a step towards keeping your computer out of the landfill longer.

The part of your PC that gets the dirtiest is the keyboard. Greasy fingerprint, dust between the keys and food particles all make for a disgusting breeding ground for bacterial and a collector for allergens. To clean a keyboard the first thing you should do is diconect it from your computer. Unplug the board if it is wired or work on it when the computer is off if it is wireless.

Under the keys there are sensitive electronic touch pads. Never spray a cleaner on the board to clean the keys. If liquids run past the keys you can short your keyboard out which means you will be buying a new one. You are better off to take a widow cleaner and spray it on a soft lint free cloth. Before cleaning the whole board check it on a corner of the keyboard surface and a seldom used key to make sure there is no chemical reaction between the two. When you are sure your finish is safe from harm, wipe the cloth across the keys in multiple directions. Work the cloth gently between the keys and get all the sticky deposits off. Now it looks clean it's time to really make sure it is clean inside as well as out. You can purchase a can of compressed air at most electronic stores or use a small workshop compressor. If using a compressor keep the spray nozzle at leas six inches from the board at all times. Turn your board upside down and begin to blow the spaces between the keys. Work in one direction first and then the other. Work left to right across the board and then top to bottom. You might want to wear a pair of safety glasses as often the amount of debris that comes from behind the keys is astounding. When no more particles fall free of the board, turn it over and pull out any hairs that are still sticking out of the board. Give it a last wipe with a clean cloth and move on.

Your monitor is nothing more than a large TV set. There are two types of screens available. Glass screens on older

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