Maintaining a clean computer is crucial, even if it’s kept away from carpets and off the floor. Dust, dirt, and even food particles have a sneaky way of finding their way inside your computer. To extend your computer’s lifespan and optimize its performance, a deep clean every 3-6 months is highly recommended. Neglecting this chore leads to dust buildup – which is a sure way to heat-caused system crashes. By regularly removing accumulated grime, you’ll enhance airflow and prevent the dust from acting as an insulating layer. So, roll up your sleeves, grab some cleaning tools, and give your computer the thorough cleaning it deserves!
What You’ll Need
- A few microfiber cleaning cloths (one for each part of the computer)
- A can of compressed air
- Q-tips
- Water or isopropyl alcohol
- A couple of hours
Keyboard
We will being this guide with your keyboard.
- Unplug your keyboard and lift it up and turn it upside down.
- Gently to try to loosen any dirt trapped by tapping on the backside of the board, or by shaking it.
This is a good start to clearing your keyboard, but it might not get all the grime and dirt out. So if this doesn’t completely clean it, then you need to clean it further. Most keyboards allow you to take off the keycaps. Just remember to take a picture of where the keys go back!
- Keep your keyboard unplugged.
- Gently wiggle each key out if you have a mechanical keyboard. The keys are bigger and more spaced out which makes them easier to grip.
- If your keyboard has flat keys, which is usually found in membrane keyboards, then you will need to start by pressing a single key down. This will allow you to get grip on the key adjacent, so gently grip that key with either your nail, or a butter knife. Please take caution, don’t damage the key by being too rough and don’t accidentally hurt yourself if you are using a butter knife.
- If you have one, using a can of compressed air is an easy way to blow dirt off. Otherwise, you can blow it using your lungs.
- Grab your cotton swab and use this to get into the spot where the key clicks in to. Use the can or yourself here too.
- Finish by wiping down each cap with either a water damp cloth, or a bit of isopropyl alcohol as you put them back into place.
- Just be careful with the alcohol as if left on too long it can start to damage paint – just make sure to use a clean cloth to wipe it completely dry. Give your keyboard a final test to make sure all caps are in the right place.
Mouse
Use a different wet wipe, or damp cloth and thoroughly rub any grime off your mouse. Don’t forget to clean the cable if your mouse is wired – a lot of gunk builds up and is often over looked on the cable.
Case
- To clean your case, start by removing everything around the case.
- Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the outside of your PC.
- Use a different damp microfiber and clean your screen too. Don’t use any household cleaners as these sprays may end up damaging your screen.
Now is the tricky bit. Do not attempt if you don’t know what you’re doing as this involves going into your computer.
- Open your case with a screwdriver – or however your case comes open.
- Use the air can to blow off any dust.
- Then you can use a cotton swab to rub off any dust that won’t come off. Please make sure you don’t use anything damp inside your case, even if the dirt is sticking on. Just stick at it with the swab and soon enough it will come off.
- Make sure to really clean the fans as they bring in the cold air to cool your computer down.
Put it all back together and voila! We can guarantee a faster, cooler and happier computer. Congrats on your nice, clean computer!
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By Sophie Wholer – 6th October 2022