by Duncan Kelly

Created on: April 03, 2009

Those black, grimy and greasy looking keys on your keyboard kind of put you off using the computer. You sometimes wonder how septic the mouse is too. But the computer is easy to clean.

DON'T BE WET

Take a soft cloth and wet it. Put a small amount, say about half a teaspoon, of the household cleaner that you use to wipe counter tops with (I use Handy Andy, an ammonia based detergent in my country), onto the cloth and squeeze the cloth to get the detergent evenly distributed. Then wet it again under the faucet and then wring it out so that it is just damp. You don't want any running water or suds when you clean the computer.

CUT THE POWER

Switch the mains power to the computer off and preferably unplug the computer from the wall outlet. Remember, water is quite a good conductor of electricity. Also remember that the inside of the computer screen still has 27,000 volts on it, even when unplugged from the wall, so do not let any water get into the back of the screen.

KEEP IT GENTLE

Softly rub the keys of the keyboard with your damp cloth. Wrap the cloth round your finger so that you can concentrate on one key at a time. Change the cloth area used often. The small amount of detergent left in the cloth should clean off the grime nicely. Then clean in between the keys and the frame of the keyboard, being careful not to make running liquid (which could run between the keys and onto the contacts.) Clean your mouse in the same way as the keyboard. Then make a loose ball of the cloth and clean the front of the computer screen. You can then wipe off the dampness with a tissue if you wish, to get it super clean. Then also wipe the outside of the screen, and the back cover. The outside of your printer can also be cleaned in the same way. The outside of the computer case can also be cleaned with the cloth loosly balled.

GETTING THE DUST BUNNIES

Because the inside of your screen has such high voltages, a static charge is present while the computer is in use, which attracts dust. This also applies to the inside of the computer itself, especially the power supply (where the fan usually is.) The best solution here is to use an air blower, and blow the dust out through the air vents that are present. Be advised; quite a lot of dust can come billowing out, so if possible, it may be better to take these units outside to do the blowing. Otherwise you will find your desk covered in dust bunnies afterwards. You can also use a 2 inch paint brush to dust off the fan at the back of the computer, as it often gets caked with dust.

YOUR MOUSE HAS DIRTY FEET.

Under your mouse are little pads that it slides on. These often get caked with a layer of grime, which cuases the mouse to have excessive drag when you try and slide it. You can scape this off with a blunt knife or a plastic ruler - it comes off like those scratch cards you get in competitions. Then also give it a clean with the cloth.

ONE MORE THING

When you've plugged the computer back in and switched it on again, open the CD/DVD drawer and blow into it with the air blower. This is just to get any dust out that may have gone into it, as a DVD drive does not like dust on it's inside lenses.

Now your computer should look a lot more appealing!

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