The Verse - Volume 12
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Tech Tips - Want Your PC to Last? Keep It Clean!

The word today in business is "do more with less!"  That usually means making your equipment, including your PC last longer. Cleaning your PC may not be the most interesting or challenging way to pass the time, but it can improve performance and stretch the life of your equipment. Set up a schedule to clean your systems on a regular basis. This can mean fewer repairs and replacements and less downtime.

Even if your PC is in a sparkling clean office, it will accumulate dust—the arch-enemy of electronics. So while it doesn’t get the same attention as protecting your PC from a major virus outbreak, regularly cleaning PC equipment plays a big part in preserving your system. According to the editors of Tech Republic, the following seven steps are a great way to help keep your computer functioning at its best.

#1: Perform a periodic full system cleaning
Take the system apart and have a canister of canned air (available at any office supply store) ready to blow out dust . Remove all dust and clean the external and internal surfaces of the computer to get rid of dust and any other particles. Don’t neglect the power supply and CPU fan, which are especially prone to accumulating dust. If you do not have an electronics cleaning product, you can make a simple solution of 1:1 rubbing alcohol and water for external surfaces. Be sure to unplug the electronic components when introducing a solution and allow it to dry fully. As always, when working inside the case, make sure you dissipate static electricity.

#2: Clean the keyboard and mouse
Use a dust vacuum and the alcohol/water solution to clean these dust- and dirt-collecting components. The keyboard can become very unsightly and even send erroneous keystrokes if foreign particles become lodged between keys.

#3: Run a CD-ROM cleaner
As with audio systems, CD-ROM drives can be cleaned with special kits and/or discs. This is especially useful if you are in a dusty environment.

#4: Clean the display device
Use a cleaner on the surface of the display unit to remove fingerprints, dust, and/or other imperfections on the screen. Always spray the cleaner on a cloth to clean a monitor rather then spraying cleaner directly on the screen. If you’re cleaning an LCD, use a product designed for that purpose and don’t press too hard on the screen. It’s also a good idea to take the canned air to the vents on the top of monitor cases to get rid of accumulated dust and dirt.

#5: Clean the floppy drive with canned air
A good blast of air can remove dust collections inside floppy drives. Use covers/panels if your systems provide them to help keep dust out of the drives.

# 6: Run a cleaning tape
If your systems have tape drives, run the cleaning tape through to keep the tape heads clean.

# 7: Keep it covered
Use a keyboard, CPU, and monitor cover to keep dust out of systems when not in use. If a system is used only partly during the day and turned off most other times, plastic covers can keep dust and airborne particulate out. Just be careful not to cover up a powered-on system in a way that will block airflow, as this may cause thermal damage.

A little spit and polish will go a long way to making your PC last. So keep it clean!