Is Your PC Hiding a Dirty Little Secret From You?
I’ll admit – I don’t clean my PC as often as I should. Every so often I turn the keyboard upside down and shake out the crumbs – I tend to eat lunch at my desk. But that’s as far as the cleaning goes. Perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch to call it cleaning!
Computers are a magnet to dirt; the electromagnetic field generated by your PC actually attracts dirt. They suck in dust from the air and cover the components with it. The result is overheating and poor performance, data loss, or even system breakdowns.
Have a look at your PC now. I know it might mean that you need to crawl underneath the desk, but it will be worth it. The fan at the back will almost certainly be clogged with dirt, dust and if like us you have dogs in the office, hairs as well. If you’ve never cleaned your PC before I think you’ll be surprised by what you find. PC’s are not indestructible. Dust, skin oil, hair, etc. can do a lot of harm to sensitive electrical components.
Cleaning your PC can also prevent the spread of germs. I remember seeing a report about a year or so ago that said your PC keyboard was actually dirtier than a toilet seat. In fact in the US researchers have linked the spread of MRSA in hospitals to the keyboards used by nurses and doctors.
Now that I’ve completely put you off having your lunch, let me give you a few tips on cleaning your computer…
- Turn off your computer first.
- Open the cover. You may need to use a small screw driver. Once you take the cover off you will probably see large amounts of dust and, if you have pets, hairballs!
- Blow out all the dust and debris with an Air Duster. An Air Duster is an aerosol spray can of air. (Who would ever have thought that there would be a use for air in a can!) You can use a low power vacuum, but if you do be very careful to avoid damaging the components. Never spray any cleaning fluids or solvents into the PC.
- Put the cover back on your PC. It will run cooler now.
- Use the Air Duster to clean out your keyboard. You may need to give it a bit of help with a soft brush. If any of the keys are loose they may pop off, but it’s easy just to push them back on until you hear them click home.
- Next wipe off the screen with a soft lint free cloth. Don’t rub too hard as some screens are easily damaged. You can use a very very small amount of a product like Windowlene on the cloth for stubborn marks, but the pre impregnated wipes are better.
- Finally turn your mouse over and if it has a tracker ball remove it, clean the ball thoroughly and make sure there is no fluff or dirt within the mouse. Then reassemble it. If you have an optical mouse just make sure that the optical area is clear of dust and dirt.
Happy cleaning…
Jim Simpson
Managing Director
Ziptech Services
08451 233942
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Jim Simpson
Managing Director
Ziptech Services
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