Jan 13

Fight Computer Grime
Sun Review January 13, 2001

You clean your house, so why wouldn't you clean your computer too? Computers are just like any electrical equipment - they can attract grime and dust in a hurry. When dust settles inside your computer, the electrical path is compromised and performance can suffer. A little seasonal cleaning can keep your computer running smoothly.

You will need the following supplies before you tackle this project: a small screwdriver, slightly soapy water (a drop of mild detergent in a cup of water), a can of compressed air with a straw, clean lint-free cloths, household glass cleaner, cotton swabs (the longer, the better) and denatured alcohol. Before you begin: Unplug everything and disconnect all cords. Move the computer away from the electrical outlet and let the machine cool for ten minutes.

Let's start with the keyboard. Turn it upside down and tap it sharply to get any crumbs or debris out. You can also use compressed air to blow out the debris. If it's really dirty, you can pop off the keys and use a contact cleaner. Write down the locations of the keys (or take a photo) so you can put them back in the right places. Use a thin screwdriver or butter knife to gently pry up the rectangular keycaps - don't try to remove the space bar, Shift, Enter or any other oversize keys because it can be difficult to replace them. Use compressed air to remove hair, dust and other loose materials. If you find built-up gunk, use a mild household cleaner on a cotton swab to clean it up. Gently but firmly press each keycap back in place, following the layout of your diagram or photo.

It's easy to clean your mouse with a little bit of denatured alcohol and a cotton swab. Gunk gets on the ball, which passes it on to your rollers. This makes the mouse jittery. Pop out the ball, wash it in warm soapy water, and dry it thoroughly. Use the cotton swab and alcohol to scrape away the grunge that's built up on the horizontal and vertical rollers. If your mouse frequently gets dirty, you might consider replacing it with an optical mouse that does not have any moving parts and won't need to be cleaned as often.

Monitors should be cleaned fairly frequently because they tend to attract dust. Check your monitor's manual to see if the screen has an anti-glare coating that you shouldn't use glass cleaner on. If you can't use glass cleaner, try a product such as Kleer Screen which also leaves an antistatic layer.

You can clean your computer by vacuuming it. To do that, you need to turn it off, unplug it, and open up the case, very gingerly. Use a data vacuum - a tool specifically designed for cleaning computers. Suck up as much dust as possible without knocking the cables or touching any of the components. If some of dirt won't come out, a little compressed air may dislodge it. Be very careful, and only use quick pumps of compressed air. Vacuum again afterward; if you just use compressed air, you're only blowing dust from one area to another. Make sure all the cards and connectors are connected properly. If you're nervous about opening the computer, you should bring it in to have it cleaned professionally.

CDs may need cleaning as well - if a CD looks dirty, skips or won't play at all, use some gentle soap, water, a soft lint-free cloth and a soft touch. Clean the disc from the center out, and not parallel to the data grooves. Do not use any harsh household cleaners. If your CD is badly scratched, you may want to use a product called the Wipe Out! CD Repair kit (www.cdrepair.com, $14.99US) to remove those scratches.