Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

Top Tips for PC Hygiene

PCs, like furniture, collect dust and grime--but unlike a chair or desk, your computer can malfunction if not cleaned periodically. Here's how.

Kirk Steers

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

Improve Your View

CRT monitors are dust magnets, literally. Electrical fields emanating from the monitor attract dust particles like a flower attracts bees. Fortunately, cleaning is easy. Unplug your monitor and clean the screen gently with a soft, clean cotton cloth moistened with water. Never spray anything directly on the monitor. To dry the screen, use another clean, dry cotton cloth.

Monitor manufacturers say you should never use any chemicals (glass cleaners included) on your screen. The most important thing is to avoid ammonia, a component of most cleaners. The water-only method works very well, but if you really want to get a cleaning solution, buy a specific monitor cleaner based on your manufacturer's recommendations. Be sure to check your monitor's documentation first; if your monitor has an antiglare surface or other delicate coating, it may require special cleaning procedures.

To remove dust on the outside of the monitor case, use the soft brush attachment and your vacuum cleaner. (Make sure your monitor is unplugged.) Pay particular attention to gently brushing and cleaning the cooling vents. Avoid blowing dust into the monitor's case. If you find dirt marks on the case that won't vacuum away, wipe it with a cloth very slightly moistened with plain water. If that doesn't get the mark off, try the same amount of moisture with a bit of liquid dish detergent added. Avoid using kitchen cleansers on the plastics used in your monitor case.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Print 65% more pages than with refilled inks. Trust Original HP Inks. Hit Print Reliably.

Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

Focus on Personal Productivitysponsored by Microsoft

  • Personal Finance 2.0 These free and fee-based Web services not only aggregate data from your online bank accounts, they give you tools for managing your money.
  • High-Tech Travel Tips Plenty of stories provide advice for elite mobile professionals. But what about you, the unproductive traveler?

People who read this also read:

  • 2007 Microsoft Office Suites Comparison This paper compares and contrasts four suites of the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Standard 2007, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007. This paper is intended to help organizations understand the applications and capabilities offered, and to identify the suite that best fits their needs.
  • Windows Vista Migration: The Business Proposition It's not so much a matter of "if" but "when" for most organizations regarding migration to Windows Vista. Laying the groundwork now for this migration can yield higher ROI than waiting until later. This Computerworld Technology Briefing explains it all.

PC World's Marketplace