COMPUTER HARDWARE CLEANING
CASE CLEANING
Procedure: The plastic case that houses the PC components can be cleaned with a lint free cloth that has been slightly dampened with water. For stubborn stains, add a little household detergent to the cloth. It is recommended that you never use a solvent cleaner on plastics.
Make sure all vents and air holes are hair and lint free by rubbing a cloth over the holes and vents. It is also helpful to take a vacuum around each of the hole, vents, and crevices on the computer.
CD-ROM CLEANING
Procedure: To clean the CD-ROM drive we recommend purchasing a CD-ROM cleaner from your local retailer such as a local Radio Shack. Using a CD-ROM cleaner should sufficiently clean the CD-ROM laser from dust, dirt, and hair. Also see below CD cleaning recommendation for steps on cleaning each of your CDs.
CD CLEANING
Note: Only Clean If They Don't Work.
Procedure: Cleaning CDs should be done with a CD cleaning kit, however can also be done with a normal clean cotton cloth. When doing this with a clean cotton cloth, wipe against the tracks, starting from the middle of the CD and wiping towards the outer side of the CD. Never wipe with the tracks doing so may put more scratches on the CD. It is recommended when cleaning a CD that water is used. However, if the substance on a CD cannot be removed using water, pure alcohol can also be used.
FLOPPY DRIVE CLEANING
Clean as needed when more that one disk does not work.
Procedures: The floppy drive can be cleaned two different ways. The first method of cleaning a floppy drive and our recommended method is to purchase a kit at your local retail store designed to clean the read/write heads on your floppy drive.
The second method of cleaning the floppy drive is only recommended for experienced computer users. Open the floppy drive casing and physically swab the read/write heads with a lint-free foam swap soaked in pure alcohol, free-on, or trichoroethane. When performing these steps be extremely careful when cleaning the heads to ensure that you do not lock them out of alignment causing the floppy drive to not work. To help prevent the heads from becoming out of alignment use a dabbing motion lightly putting the swab on the head and removing it, do not perform a side-to-side motion with the swab.
HARD DISK DRIVE CLEANING
Why?
While hard drives cannot be cleaned physically they can be cleaned with various utilities on the computer to help it running fast and more efficiently. Utilizing these utilities will prevent the hard drive from slowing down. These include deleting unused files and defragging your hard drive.
KEYBOARD CLEANING
Why?
Dirt, dust and hair can build up causing the keyboard to not function properly.
Procedure: Many people clean the keyboard by turning it upside down and shaking. A more effective method is to use compressed air. Compressed air is pressurized air contained in a can with a very long nozzle. Simply aim the air between the keys and blow away all of the dust and debris that has gathered there. A vacuum cleaner can also be used, but make sure the keyboard doesn't have loose "pop off" keys that could possibly be sucked up by the vacuum.
Why?
If the keyboard has anything spilt into it, not taking the proper steps can cause the keyboard to be destroyed.
Procedure: The following are a few recommendations to help prevent a keyboard from becoming bad once a substance has been spilt within it. First, turn the computer off immediately. Once the computer is turned off quickly flip the keyboard over helping to prevent the substance from penetrating circuits. While the keyboard is upside shake the keyboard on a surface you do not mind getting wet or that can be cleaned up later. While still upside down use a cloth to help clean out what can be reached. Once the keyboard has been cleaned the best it can, leave the keyboard upside down for at least one night. The longer it can be left without plugged in the better. If a keyboard does not work after having a substance spilt into it, it is recommended that it be replaced.
Why?
A keyboard that is used by multiple people such as students or different employees may need to be disinfected to help the spread of germs.
Procedure: Turn off the computer. Spray a disinfectant onto a cloth or damp a cloth with alcohol and rub each of the keys on the keyboard. As mentioned in our general cleaning tips never spray any type of liquid onto the keyboard.
LCD CLEANING
Why?
Dirt, dust, and finger prints can cause the computer screen to be difficult to read.
Procedure: Unlike a computer monitor the LCD is not made of glass therefore requires special cleaning procedures.
When cleaning the LCD screen it is important to remember to not spray any liquids onto the LCD directly, do not use a paper towel as it may cause the LCD to become scratched.
To clean the LCD screen we recommend that you use a soft cotton cloth if a dry cloth does not completely clean the screen you can apply rubbing alcohol to the cloth and wipe the screen with the damp cloth. Rubbing alcohol is actually used to clean the LCD before it leaves the factory.
MONITOR CLEANING
Why?
Dirt, dust, and fingerprints can cause the computer screen to be difficult to read.
Procedure: The monitor screen can be cleaned with ordinary household glass cleaner. Be sure to remove power from the monitor and spray the cleaner onto a lint free cloth so the fluid doesn't leak into the electrical components inside the monitor. Vacuum off any dust that has settled on top of the monitor, and make sure no books or papers have been placed on the air vents. Obstructed monitor vents can cause the monitor to overheat or even catch on fire.
MOTHERBOARD CLEANING
Why?
Dust and especially particles of cigarette smoke can build up and corrode circuitry causing various problems such as computer lockups.
Note: When inside the computer take the necessary ESD precautions and try to avoid unplugging any cables or other connections.
Procedure: Our recommendation when cleaning the Motherboard from dust, dirt, or hair is to use compressed air. When using compressed air hold it in the up-right position otherwise it is possible chemicals may come out of the container that could damage or corrode the Motherboard or other component within the computer. Also ensure when using compressed air that you always blow the dust or dirt away from the motherboard, or out of the case.
Another good alternative to compressed air is to use a vacuum which can effectively remove the dust, dirt, and hair from the motherboard completely and prevent it from getting trapped within the case. When using the vacuum it is vital that you stay a couple inches away from the motherboard and all other components to help prevent contact as well as to help prevent anything from being sucked into the vacuum. Ensure that you do not remove any small components with the vacuum such as jumpers.
Tip: When cleaning the inside of the case also look at any fans and/or heat sinks. Dust, dirt, and hair often collect around these components the most.
MOUSE CLEANING
Why?
A dirty optical-mechanical mouse (mouse with a ball) can cause the mouse to be difficult to move as well as cause strange mouse movement.
Procedure: To clean the rollers of an optical-mechanical mouse you must first remove the bottom cover of the mouse. To do this examine the bottom of the mouse to see which direction the mouse cover should be rotated. As you can see in the below illustration the mouse cover must be moved counter clockwise. Place two fingers on the mouse cover and push the direction of the arrows.
Once the cover has rotated about an inch rotate the mouse into its normal position covering the bottom of the mouse with one hand and the bottom should fall off including the mouse ball. If this does not occur attempt to shake the mouse gently.
Once the bottom cover and the ball are removed you should be able to see three rollers located within the mouse. Use a cotton swab, your finger, and/or fingernail and move in a horizontal direction of the rollers. Usually there will be a small line of hair and or dirt in the middle of the roller, remove this dirt and or hair as much as possible.
Once you have removed as much dirt and hair as possible place the ball back within the mouse and place the cover back on.
If the mouse still appears to be having the same issue repeat the above process, if after several attempts the mouse is still having the same issue it could be a possibility your mouse may have other hardware issues and we recommend the replace your mouse.
Note: Cleaning your mouse pad with a damp cloth can also help improve a computers mouse movement.
Why?
To help keep a mouse clean and germ free it can be helpful to clean the mouse.
Procedure: Use a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol or warm water and rub the surface of the mouse and each of its buttons.
PRINTER CLEANING
Why?
Cleaning the outside of a printer can help keep the printers appearance looking good and in the case of a printer that is used by many different people keep the printer clean of germs.
Procedure: First make sure to turn off the printer before cleaning it. Dampen a cloth with water or rubbing alcohol and wipe the case and each of the buttons or knobs on the printer. As mentioned earlier never spray any liquid directly onto the printer.
Why?
With some printers it may be necessary to clean the inside of the printer to help keep the printer running smoothly.
Procedure: Because of numerous types of printers, different steps in cleaning printers, and printer manufacturers policies on cleaning the inside of the printer we recommend you obtain the printer cleaning steps from your printer manufacturer.
SCANNER CLEANING
Why?
Flatbed scanners commonly become dirty with dust, fingerprints, and hair. When a scanner is dirty the images may have distortions.
Procedure: Clean a flatbed scanners surface by spraying a window cleaner onto a paper towel or cotton cloth and wipe the glass until clean. As mentioned earlier never spray a liquid directly onto the component.
To clean the outside of the scanner the same towel or cotton cloth can be used.