Bits'n'Bytes

As heard on CJCD

Episode 19

Cleaning your computer's hardware is an important part of maintaining your system. Not only is a cleaner machine more esthetically pleasing to the eye, your machine will run cooler if it's dust free. This should make your system's components last a lot longer.

A thorough cleaning can also - believe it or not - lower the number of sick days in your house or office. I know many of you spray and disinfect doorknobs and telephones during cold season, but many of you forget how "hands on" a computer is. The keyboard and mouse can both be germ carriers and many people may share different workstations. This can pass the cold around an entire office in a single day.

To clean your keyboard and mouse, I turn off your system and unplug it, then spray a cleaning agent (I like Windex) onto a rag. I wipe all the surface area of both to clean away any dirt or grime. Next, I put rubbing alcohol onto another rag and wipe the surface again to disinfect it. I usually try to do this later in the day so both the keyboard and mouse can completely dry overnight. And for those of you who are going to call and ask - although I don't recommend it, yes, you can put your keyboard in the dishwasher. Don't use any detergent at all, don't let it steam dry at the end of the cycle and don't plug the keyboard in again for at least three days. Detergent will damage the electronic components, steam drying may melt parts of the keyboard and three days allows any little pockets of water inside to evaporate.

For the inside of your system, buy a can of compressed air and occasionally take the side off your computer and blow it out. If you have a lot of dust buildup, I recommend having your vacuum running beside you. As the dust billows out of the insides, use the vacuum nozzle to suck it out of the air. Don't put the vacuum nozzle inside the computer. You can blow out the back of a monitor the same way. Again, make sure everything is turned off before you start moving all that dust around. The static created can damage your computer if it's running when you do this.

Stay tuned next week for some tips on keeping the data on your laptop safer.

I’m Computer Dave, thanks for your time.