“Keyboards were swabbed and those swabs sent off for analysis by a microbiologist. Frighteningly, several keyboards were highly contaminated, and at least one was removed on the scientist’s advice as it harbored four times the amount of harmful bacteria compared to a toilet seat, used as a reference point.”  This quote, taken from the article Study: keyboards make excellent homes for nasty bacteria is a sobering “call to arms” for PC users everywhere.  We spend countless hours on our computers and the majority of that time is spent “communicating” with our PC via the keyboard and mouse.  Ironically, these user input devices are often the last to receive any maintenance or cleaning.

A recent article on lifehacker.com titled Give Your Computer and Peripherals a Spring Cleaning provides some great information on cleaning the internal and external components of personal computers.  I urge all readers to read the original blog post but have provided a “checklist” of items, taken from the article, for those of you looking for the highlights.  CAUTION: Before you get started with any PC cleaning project, be sure to back up your data and power down your computer and external devices.  Don’t be scared, just be cautious.

Interior Cleaning

Dust = Damage

TIP 1: The inside of your tower/desktop should be cleaned every 6 months or yearly.  For pet owners and smokers, you might want to do this every 3 months.

• Dust, pet hair and other random particles are attracted to your PC (especially if it is lower to the ground) and cake up on the internal components.
• They act as insulator and cause the internal temperature to rise.
• The higher the temperature, the more the internal components must work and the sooner they will give out.

TIP 2: Canned air is a great tool for removing unwanted dust.

• Never blow canned air directly into fans, as it can cause the fans to “over-spin” and may keep them from working properly
• You can hold a fan in place, using a paper clip, while using canned air

TIP 3: A damp cloth can be used on fan blades to remove dust and buildup.

BONUS: To help prevent dust from entering your computer, there are “computer dust covers” available from companies like Dirt Bag, Inc.  I haven’t used these myself, but the idea seems solid and the entry price is not bad at all. ($20 and under)

DON’T DO THIS!

Peripherals (External Components)

TIP 1: Electrostatic cloths are perfect for cleaning the outside of towers, printers, scanners, etc.

• Remember that static electricity is one of your PC’s worst enemies

TIP 2: A very lightly dampened cloth works great on monitors, scanner beds, web cams and other “glass” surfaces

• Microfiber or 100% cotton cloths only.  You don’t want to scratch these peripherals
• NO paper napkins or paper towels!

TIP 3: Disinfecting/Sanitizing wipes are great for keyboards and mice

• Do this frequently!!!!!!!!!!!

TIP 4: Old mascara brushes can help clean between keys.

BONUS: A new product called CyberClean helps remove dust and crumbs from places like keyboards and buttons.  I haven’t used this product either, but have seen it in stores like Walgreens and Canadian Tire (that one’s for our friends north of the U.S.).