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Cleaning Your Computer

Maybe you’ve noticed dust building up on your desktop, laptop, monitors, and keyboard. These do get dusty and dirty over time. Keyboards tend to collect grime and debris between the keys over time. Laptops have your hands all over them daily. As we all know our hands are covered in oil and laptops just take so much abuse. With the screen off look at how dirty your laptop monitor is. Also, too much dust can cause electronics to overheat.

Neglecting the regular cleaning of your computer can lead to accumulated dust and debris, which may cause overheating and potential damage to its components. It’s bound to happen—dust will settle in your system. We recommend cleaning your computer a couple of times a year to extend your PC’s lifespan and keep it looking sharp. And don’t forget to tidy up your Operating System periodically. For more tips on that topic, check out this blog 6 Quick Tips to Clean Up Your PC.

Before We Start:

• Power down your PC’s and monitors and disconnect the power cables. This is for your and their safety. Safety first!
• It’s smart to relocate the PC’s, monitors, and keyboards to an area with good airflow—cleaning can get messy. You don’t want this dust to get all over everything else in your house.
• For desktop PCs, remove the side panel for better interior access.
• With laptops, you can usually detach the bottom cover to reach the internals more easily.

Items You’ll Need:

• Compressed air or an air compressor.
• Rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth.
• Possibly a screwdriver and a brush.
• If you’re dealing with stubborn stickers, and things like that consider using an adhesive remover like Goo Gone.

What to Avoid:

• Steer clear of harsh chemicals like ammonia or ethyl in cleaning products, when cleaning your computer. This include those found in solutions like Windex.
• Never apply any chemical or spray directly to your monitor or computer. Instead, dampen a cloth, rag, or soft paper towel with the solution before wiping down your device.

Cleaning Steps:

1. Use compressed air or an air compressor to dust off your desktop, laptop, monitor, and keyboard.
   • Important Note: Be careful with fan blades such as the CPU fan or power supply fan. Air pressure can damage them if it causes the fans to spin.
2. A brush might come in handy to sweep debris from between the keys of your keyboard or laptop. Do this before you start wiping down the device.
3. A bit of rubbing alcohol on a microfiber cloth can be used to clean the surfaces of your desktop, laptop, monitors, and keyboards. If your keys are particularly grimy, a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol can target the areas around the buttons.
   • How Do I Clean A Computer Screen: Never use items like Windex on your screens or chemicals like that. Spray rubbing alcohol into a microfiber cloth and wipe the screen off. This may take a few attempts depending on how dirty the monitor is. Once you have the screen cleaned you can then wipe down the rest of the monitor. 
4. To remove old stickers, warm them with a hairdryer to loosen the adhesive, making them easier to peel off. Goo Gone is also effective for this job.

Conclusion:

Regularly cleaning your computer, laptop, monitor, and keyboard not only enhances its look but also clears out dust from critical components like cooling fans. Next time your device gathers dust, use these straightforward tips for a safe and thorough clean-up. If you have any questions about this article, please email us. If the task of cleaning your computer seems daunting and messy, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance.

Do you need help with your businesses IT?  Cynxt can help!  We provide IT Solutions that will provide you a peace of mind. Contact Us today or call (256) 456-5858 to schedule an appointment. We are located at the Shoals Business Incubator in Florence, AL. Let us help you keep your digital life running smoothly!