Spring is time to start clean in so many ways; don’t forget your electronic tools and toys in your cleaning rituals. While you don’t ever want to use your regular vacuum on sensitive electronics or run your keyboard through the dishwasher, there are some tools that you can use safely. Microfiber cloths are great for dusting and canned air is invaluable for blowing out the debris.

Keyboards

We really do not want to know what is on that keyboard that we touch probably hundreds of times a day. Cleaning a regular keyboard is relatively easy. First, turn off your computer and detach the keyboard cable, then turn the keyboard over and shake to dislodge loose particles.  Depending on how long it has been since you did this, you may need a broom to clean up that mess! If you are cleaning a laptop keyboard, skip the shaking part and use canned air to blow out particles.  You can clean the keys with a cotton swab moistened with isopropyl alcohol – use as little liquid as possible. And never spray or pour liquid onto the keyboard or any other component.

Monitor screens and other small electronics

Finger prints on your screen making it hard to read your document? You have to be very careful when cleaning today’s monitor screens.  Do not use window cleaner or even the little spray bottle you use for your glasses. Use a lint-free microfiber cloth to gently wipe away dust weekly and you’ll have less to do when it’s time for spring cleaning.  For smudges that will not come off with a gentle dusting, you can VERY lightly dampen a 100% cotton or microfiber cloth with a small amount of water to again GENTLY wipe away the smudge. Always, always, always dampen the cloth itself, not the monitor and use light pressure, never scrub at a spot on the screen. For really tough smudges you can use a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar – again remembering to moisten the cloth, not the device.

This is also a good time to clean  out old files – be careful though – you don’t want to delete something you actually need. An easy step that may help the performance of your computer is to clear your browser cache. In Internet Explorer, click on Tools >> Delete Browsing History. In Firefox, it’s Tools >> Clear Recent History >> Select Cache.

Happy Spring!