Cleaning of computer hardware helps in increasing the life as well as efficiency of hardware products. On an average, we must clean computer thoroughly from a hardware perspective within every 11 months. However, this duration can also be decreased if the computer is placed in a dusty area. Let us discuss a few essentials which are to be used for safe hardware cleaning:
Cloth: Cloth submerged in alcohol or water can be used for cleaning computer hardware. We must avoid other solvents as they might be dangerous for internal circuits of the computer. However, dry cloth should be used to clean the components of computers like its cabinet, monitor or mouse, etc.
Vacuum: You can use vacuum to remove dirt, hair and other particles from the keyboard and other peripheral units as these are the most dangerous and are responsible for the corrosion of computer circuits. For this, you can use a portable vacuum as it generates less electricity as compared to standard vacuum. Compressed air vacuum is the best way to remove any sort of tiny particles from your computer system.
Swabs: Swabs such as cotton swabs and foam swabs can be used for cleaning those areas which are difficult to clean with cloth. These can be dipped in alcohol or even in water but take care that these are not too wet as they may damage the electrical circuitry of the system.
Let us discuss in brief about cleaning various hardware units of a computer:
CD Drive: For cleaning CD-ROM/DVD drive, we should use CD- ROM cleaner that can sufficiently remove dust, dirt and hair from the drive with the help of Laser. CDs and DVDs can be cleaned with a soft cloth. Cotton cloth will work efficiently as it will not leave any kind of scratches on the hardware.
Keyboard: For cleaning the keyboard, use compressed air mechanism. When air strikes the keys of keyboard in pressure, it removes all kinds of dust particles from it. However, it is recommended to clean keyboard after removing it from the CPU. Similarly, for cleaning the motherboard, we can use compressed air as it will remove the dust particles in a much safer way.
Mouse: You can use damp cloth to clean the mouse pad. For cleaning the mouse, you must remove the bottom cover and then remove the ball from the mouse. Clean thoroughly to remove the dirt and hair if any and then place the cover back on it.
Printer: For cleaning printer, we can use a cloth dipped in water or running alcohol to clean the case of the printer and its switches. Never use any other solvent or liquid to clean the printer.
Hence, by taking these few precautions, we can enhance the life of our computer peripherals.
