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DEL.ICIO.USHow soap, water and a little air can save your PC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spring cleaning at my Aunt Vera’s house was a frightening event. The cat would move in with the neighbors, and relatives stayed away for fear they would be pressed into service.
I won’t be offended if you turn tail and run today. We’re going to talk about spring cleaning for your computer.
We aren’t going to reorganize the hard disk or clean out any files. I’m - honest to Aunt Vera - talking about real cleaning. And while running away from this chore may seem a sensible temptation, you’d be smart to stick around. At least two of these tips can help you avoid destroying your monitor and PC.
A good place to start is with that fancy new LCD screen you have. I’ve heard stories from some of you that scare me. Believe me when I say that using dishwasher detergent or a glass cleaner spray is bad news for LCD screens. Over time, the screen will turn yellow if you use the wrong stuff.
Pressing down on the screen can also ruin it. Treat it gently, like a newly hatched robin.
So what do you do? The smartest and easiest thing for most people is to buy a commercial cleaner made for LCD screens. Follow the directions on the bottle, use the supplied cloth or a soft lint-free cloth and wipe from top to bottom, not in a circular motion. Never use a paper towel. It will scratch the screen.
The active ingredients for commercial cleaners are water and isopropyl alcohol (you can find it at any drugstore). If you want to save money, just make a 50/50 mixture. It will work just as well as the expensive commercial products. You can either use a lint-free cloth to apply or add the ingredients to a small spray bottle. Don’t slop the stuff on the screen. Too little is much better than too much.
If you have an old-fashioned, tube-type monitor you can use the same mixture. But you’re also fine using glass cleaner in this case. After all, you’re cleaning glass.
Now we’re going to go after Aunt Vera’s worst enemy, the dreaded dust bunny. Dust in your house is an annoyance, but dust inside your computer can destroy it. Here’s why: A blanket of dust is a great insulator that holds in heat. That heat can eventually kill your computer.
Dust will accumulate even in a clean house. The fan-powered cooling system draws it into your computer. Static electricity charges inside make it stick.
Computers that sit on the floor are especially vulnerable, since dust settles toward the floor.
Cleaning out dust involves opening the case of your computer. If you aren’t sure how to do that, consult the manual or the manufacturer’s Web site. Just keep in mind the universal rule that applies to taking apart lawn mowers, nuclear reactors and computers: never try to force something open.
Once the computer is open, remember that a static electric charge can wreck things. So make sure you aren’t electrified by touching a metal part of the case before doing anything.
I usually use compressed air to blow away dust. You can find cans of clean compressed air at most computer or camera stores. There also are small commercial vacumn tools used by some, especially technicians. But compressed air works fine. Just hold the nozzle of the can at least 5 inches away from any component.
While you have the case open also check out the grating that protects the cooling fan. If dust clogs that grating, you’re losing out on cooling. So carefully clean that away. I say “carefully” because you don’t want to dent the grating itself or bend a fan blade.
With the cover off, I also spend a moment on two making sure that all the accessory cards, the video card and ethernet card for instance, are firmly seated. Heating and cooling inside your PC can cause expansion and contraction that moves these cards out of their slots. A few weeks ago, I fixed a coworker’s computer by simply reseating the ethernet card.
Now we come to the keyboard. Mine has had Mountain Dew spilled on it and pizza crumbs dropped into it. It’s fine to use a damp cloth to clean the surface of the keys. If you search on the Internet you’ll find complicated directions for taking a keyboard apart. You’ll even see several mentions of - I kid you not - placing a keyboard in the dishwasher (without the detergent) to clean it.
My advice? Don’t bother. I see brand new keyboards for $15 or so. While it is highly entertaining to take a keyboard apart, putting it back together can be thrilling in a bad way. Remember that a credit card is a fine computer tool.
You’re nearly done. Now just take a damp cloth and clean the outside of the computer’s case.
Will that make your computer run any better? Nope. But my Aunt Vera would be proud of you.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns
Comments
By Lisa
April 6, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this
Great reminder and great advice. Thanks!
By Greg
April 6, 2007 10:46 AM | Link to this
Don’t forget to clean your laptop too! I opened up the hatch and found a huge layer of dust clogging the exhaust. Once I removed that, I noticed that the fans didn’t turn on as often
By walter p. mazuchowski
April 6, 2007 8:00 PM | Link to this
Do i have to use a wireless router or can i use a card in my computer for wi-fi
By Joe
April 7, 2007 1:18 AM | Link to this
I’ve read that you should never spray compressed air into a computer fan, unless you’re holding the blades still with a pencil or something, because it can build up an electrical charge. Like a wee wind turbine.
By Jamie
April 7, 2007 1:43 AM | Link to this
Fine advice, Bill! I’d only like to add that while you’re Spring cleaning, pay attention to the dust collecting around all those cables on the floor behind the computer and under the desk. The dust that you don’t clean up from those areas will be inside your computer next month, drawn there by the cooling fans.
And Joe, who pointed out that you should hold the fan still while using compressed air… that’s absolutely true! The static charge can damage other components. And the force of the air blowing against the blades not only turns them, it pushes them out of alignment and out of balance. You can break a fan blade in an instant. And never oil one of these fans. The oil isn’t going into the sealed bearings where you thought it was needed, it’s collecting around the shaft and other areas where it will collect dust. Take care of your tech investment!
By Lettie Collins
April 8, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this
I just want to say that your weekly articles on computers and your tips are fantastic! I am a continuing education instructor with the local college in Franklin, NC and a student let me know about your articles. I use them almost every week, of course giving you credit, and tell them that they should read your articles weekly for great computer tips. Thank you so much for this information! Lettie Collins
By Snooky
April 8, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this
I really enjoy your articles,you and PC Mag keep me in the know. I’m not very computer savvy,but if I can read it I can do it.Sorry to say sometimes your not in our local paper and I get very upset, but now that I found this, I am a “happy camper”. You do an excellant service, especially for us “old foks”.