How to Clean Electronic Equipment

Cleaning electronic equipment is a task every user needs to take seriously to better maintain the integrity of the equipment. Dirty electronics can lead to early errors and a shortened lifespan of the unit. With a few pointers and ideas, cleaning electronic equipment can be simple.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soft cloth
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Screwdriver
• Compressed air
• Compact disc cleaning disc
• Ammonia-free glass cleaner
• Cotton swabs

1. Unplug any cables or power cords from the electronic equipment before working on them. Remove any component cables leading to other devices.

2. Wipe down the electronic equipment with a soft damp cloth starting at the top of the device and working downwards. Wipe away any accumulated dust, lint or dander.

3. Use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a soft cloth to remove fingerprints from any CDs or DVDs. Work from the center of the media outwards. Do not rub too hard or in a circular motion.

4. Clean a LCD television or computer monitor screen by wiping a damp cloth gently across the screen once all power is disconnected. Wipe down the ventilation area to remove any dust. Clean the base with the same cloth.

5. Open a computer case by removing the screws that hold the side in place. Blow dust and debris from the interior with a can of compressed air. Start at the power supply and blow through the rear ventilation fan. Continue to dust the motherboard, component slots and case.

6. Insert a compact disc cleaning disc into CD and DVD players to better clean up these electronic devices from the inside. This cleans the interior lenses, removing dust accumulation that can lead to early device failure.

7. Rub down an MP3 player with a soft cloth and a small amount of ammonia-free glass cleaner. Use a cotton swab to get into crevices and hard to reach areas that trap debris.

Tips & Warnings

• Never pour or spray fluids onto or into electronic devices. Always place the liquid on a soft cloth before applying.
• Move any electronic devices from high places to a more accessible area to clean them.
• Disconnect all power from electronic devices before cleaning to prevent serious injury or component damage.

[jack8019]

on 8/18/2008 For me use electric blower, to bloww the dust out, then use 1/2 inch bruss to clean the eage and narrow space, ofcause switch of the plug before you clen the electronic equiment

[CrankyGremlin]

on 8/11/2008 One word of warning regarding cleaning your PC. Be careful when cleaning your fans(extraction fan, CPU fan and power supply fan) as you can damage them if they rotate too fast. Rather use short bursts of air to clean these items oppose to one continuous stream.

[VickyWard]

on 8/11/2008 any specific advice for laptops?

[DiscountTickets]

on 8/9/2008 Yes your right, we all need to take care of our electronic items much better, I've always thought they needed to be clean, but never knew how. Thank you so much for this information in showing us how.

[Zarn]

on 8/9/2008 You need to be careful using compressed air on computer fans as you can overspeed them and damage the bearings thus shortening the life of the fan. Use a toothpick or very small screwdriver to keep the blades from spinning when blowing out dust. I prefer to vacuum the interior of copmuters so as to not blow dust into sensitive mechanisms such as dvd/cd ;oayers/recorders. Once ruined a good one that way. Just my 2 cents worth.