Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Once a week, haul out your vacuum cleaner and tackle the computer. Using the smallest attachment you can find, vacuum the living daylights out of
Your keyboard: Unplug the keyboard. Turn it upside down and shake it. Look for loose keys that might be consumed by the vacuum cleaner. If the keys are all hooked on, vacuum every nook and cranny. Turn the keyboard upside down again and repeat once or twice. Finally, shoot compressed air into all the corners and then vacuum again.
Your monitor: If you have a traditional big monitor, turn it off. All those holes in the case should be vacuumed to get rid of the dust. Bonus points if you can get at the dust inside. No, don't open up the casing. Sheesh. You could get electrocuted. (LCD/flat panel monitors don't need vacuuming.)
The computer itself: Shut down Windows and turn off the power. Then vacuum every single place you can reach. Use your hand to block the largest air intakes so you get maximum suck where you need it most. Finally, stick your finger in the diskette drive, push the little flap back or up (depending on the kind of drive), and vacuum like crazy.
Peripherals: Turn off your printer, scanner, modem, DSL box, UPS, power distribution bar, network hub, external drives, and everything else, and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.
After you vacuum, pull out a cleaning rag and wipe off the plastic case on your computer, the back of the monitor, printer, the outside of your scanner, the tray on your CD drive, and any other plastic that's literally sitting around gathering dust. Don't use any cleaners. If some gunk is stuck to a piece of hardware, use a little water and rub gently. If it's still stuck, add a bit of soap and rub gently.
If it's still stuck, get a universal solvent like Goo Gone. You aren't supposed to use solvents on plastic cases, but if you're trying to get off tape residue, you don't have much choice. If you use a solvent, make sure you're in a well-ventilated area, and that Aunt Mildred doesn't haul out a cigarette while you're in the middle of cleaning.
Your keyboard: Unplug the keyboard. Turn it upside down and shake it. Look for loose keys that might be consumed by the vacuum cleaner. If the keys are all hooked on, vacuum every nook and cranny. Turn the keyboard upside down again and repeat once or twice. Finally, shoot compressed air into all the corners and then vacuum again.
Your monitor: If you have a traditional big monitor, turn it off. All those holes in the case should be vacuumed to get rid of the dust. Bonus points if you can get at the dust inside. No, don't open up the casing. Sheesh. You could get electrocuted. (LCD/flat panel monitors don't need vacuuming.)
The computer itself: Shut down Windows and turn off the power. Then vacuum every single place you can reach. Use your hand to block the largest air intakes so you get maximum suck where you need it most. Finally, stick your finger in the diskette drive, push the little flap back or up (depending on the kind of drive), and vacuum like crazy.
Peripherals: Turn off your printer, scanner, modem, DSL box, UPS, power distribution bar, network hub, external drives, and everything else, and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.
After you vacuum, pull out a cleaning rag and wipe off the plastic case on your computer, the back of the monitor, printer, the outside of your scanner, the tray on your CD drive, and any other plastic that's literally sitting around gathering dust. Don't use any cleaners. If some gunk is stuck to a piece of hardware, use a little water and rub gently. If it's still stuck, add a bit of soap and rub gently.
If it's still stuck, get a universal solvent like Goo Gone. You aren't supposed to use solvents on plastic cases, but if you're trying to get off tape residue, you don't have much choice. If you use a solvent, make sure you're in a well-ventilated area, and that Aunt Mildred doesn't haul out a cigarette while you're in the middle of cleaning.
