Owning a computer means you have to maintain it and maintaining your computer doesn’t have to be a cumbersome process.
If you follow our simple list of computer maintenance tips below you’ll find that maintaining your computer is really not as hard as it may appear. The bonus is that you’ll not only get better performance but you can prevent any future problems from happening.
How To Maintain Your Computer At Home
It’s a fact: a well-maintained computer lasts longer and performs more reliably. With a bit of regular maintenance, you can avoid costly repairs in the future. Let’s take a look at a couple of essential computer maintenance tips you can do at home.
1. Clean the exterior.
The outside of your computer can start to accumulate a fair bit of dust over time and this can become even more problematic around the various ports and vents.
Use a simple microfiber cleaning cloth and give the surface a good wipe and it should clean off the majority of the dust. For the portions of the outside that do not have any ports or vents, these can be cleaned with a little bit of water, but using isopropyl rubbing alcohol can be even better for removing grease stains.
2. Deep clean out the dust.
Dust buildup can cause overheating and slow down your computer’s performance. Cleaning a computer is not as easy as cleaning a desktop or laptop. You have to be careful not to damage any of the internal parts.
The best way to clean your computer is to use compressed air. This will blow any dust out of the case and keep it from getting into the fans. You can also use a vacuum cleaner on the vents, but be careful not to damage anything.
Don’t spray cleaning fluid directly onto your keyboard — it could damage it — just use a dampened cloth to clean off any spills.
Make sure you unplug your computer before cleaning it. Also, make sure there’s nothing plugged into any of the ports (USB, HDMI, etc.). If there is something connected, remove it first.
3. Clean out your keyboard.
Dust and debris can collect inside your keyboard over time and cause problems with typing accuracy and keystroke response time. Plus, fingertips contain a natural oil that can build up creating greasy stains on your keyboard over time.
You can also flip the keyboard upside down and use compressed air to clear out all the dust and small bits of debris that can get caught between the keys. Or even use a clean, soft brush to help dislodge any debris from between the keys.
For slightly more stubborn buildup, you can use a small amount of isopropyl or ethyl alcohol on a soft microfiber cloth to help remove some of this grease. This can also be useful for helping with sticky keys.
4. Clean your mouse.
From the mouse itself to the mouse pad and the equipment around it, your computer mouse is often something that can be overlooked when you think about cleaning your computer.
Depending on the type of mouse you have, what you need to clean your mouse and how you clean it can differ.
If you have an optical mouse, it requires no internal cleaning because it doesn’t contain any rotating parts; however, it can get sticky over time as dust collects near the light emitter. When this happens it can prevent the mouse from working properly.
If you have a mechanical mouse it can be susceptible to dust and particles that can accumulate inside it. If the mouse pointer does not move smoothly, the mouse may need to be cleaned.
Just remember that to clean your mouse make sure to unplug it from the USB or PS/2 port.
To clean your mouse, just moisten a cotton cloth with rubbing alcohol, and use it to clean the top and bottom of the mouse.
If you have a mechanical mouse, remove the tracking ball. Then clean the tracking ball and the inside of the mouse with a cotton cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol.
Allow everything to dry before reassembling and reconnecting the mouse.
For a quick cleaning, place your mouse on a clean sheet of paper and move the mouse back and forth and some of the dust particles should rub off onto the paper.
5. Clean Your Screen
Dirt, fingerprints, and dust can make your computer screen difficult to read; however, it’s easy to clean your screen.
There are monitor-cleaning kits you can buy, but they may damage your monitor if they’re designed for a different type of monitor. For example, a monitor cleaner that is designed for glass screens may not work with some non-glass LCD screens.
When in doubt, the safest method is simply to use a soft clean cloth moistened with water.
These are just some basic computer maintenance tips you can follow to aid in maintaining your computer. It will lead to overall better performance and will give your computer more durability.
For more advice on how to take the best care of your computer, the experts at IFIX Technology are happy to help. We specialize in computer and laptop repair, mobile phone repair, and even gaming console repair in Medicine Hat.
Call us today at (403) 526-6810 and we’ll help you get the best performance out of your machine.