Introduction
This might have never crossed your mind. If it has, you most likely did not go through with it by cleaning your laptop. Machines are just like humans. They have to be properly maintained and fueled. The same scenario applies to computers. If you do not properly maintain your computer, it would end up giving compound issues. Dust can cause serious problems to your PC’s cooling system. Let us know ‘How Often Should I Clean My PC?’.
How Often Should I Clean My PC?
When there is dust build up in your PC. It would hurt the cooling system. It would reduce the efficiency rate. This would reduce the expected useful life of some of its components. It is always advisable that you clean your PC every 6 months. Some regulations abide by general and safe cleaning of computers, laptops, and desktop.
Steps involved in Cleaning the PC
Find below a list of properly aligned stages that you can follow to help you ensure proper cleaning of your computer.
Stage 1: Disconnect
Ensure the computer is switched off, and disconnected from any electric outlet, and then open the PC. You should lose your PC with utmost care and concentration. To ensure you know where you removed what. Though it is not rocket science. If you have your screwdriver, then you are good to go.
Stage 2: Cleaning
You can make use of compressed air to clean the inner parts of the computer. You can use measured quantity at intervals. However, it is important that you ensure a safe distance from all the major components like the expansion card, motherboard, processor, and memory. The dust on the fan can be cleaned using compressed air. It is important that you are delicate, to prevent spoiling the blades.
When cleaning, you can remove the dust residue in the power supply. You need regulated compressed air. At a regulated level, it would help clean the power supply area. Some computers often have filters. You should ensure that the filter is properly clean. Here is a list of what can affect your PC’s cooling system.
Stage 3: Processor
Ensure that the processor is also adequately cleaned with short bursts of compressed air. Ensure the heat sink and processor is appropriately cleaned. The short bursts of compressed air would blow the dust residue out. However, if the quantity is much, you would have to loosen the fan and heat sink. Remember to wipe off the old thermal grease from the processor and heat sink. Then apply fresh thermal grease before coupling them together.
Why you should clean your computer?
When you properly clean your computer, you would also gain some benefits as the end user. Here are some of the benefits that you would enjoy from regularly cleaning your computer. However, you should be very careful when cleaning your computer. This would help prevent you from making any errors.
- Cleaning your computer would help improve the life span.
- It prevents your computer components from getting affected by dust.
- Regularly cleaning your computer would prevent residue from settling in.
- Regular cleaning would also help maintain your computer efficiency.
While cleaning your computer, you should be particular about some components. Here are some of the computer parts that you should be specific about when cleaning your computer.
Monitor
Another delicate part of the computer that you should ensure is constantly clean is the monitor. It always requires special and delicate attention. The screen is more delicate than the keyboard. Monitors have evolved over the years, and this has caused them to be more delicate. So, they require special cleaning. The technology for monitors has evolved from LED to Touch Screen and many more. The new improved features now make the computers very delicate.
Cleaning the Monitor
When you want to clean your monitor, there are some things that you should know. Never use harsh clothing or alcohol to wipe your monitor screen. Before you start, remove any connections to the monitor. Use a damp soft cloth to clean the screen. Do not wipe in whirls, this makes the screen look tacky.
Properly cleaning your monitor would remove any stains or fingerprints that might be on the screen. For tougher stains, you can make a soap solution and dab your soft napkin with a little to remove the stain. Before putting on your computer, ensure that the monitor is completely dry.
Keyboard
As mentioned earlier, your keyboard is a delicate part of your computer. So, proper attention should be paid to ensure that it is appropriately cleaned. Dust particles like spills, food crumbs, and body fluids can get stuck under your keyboard. When you want to clean your keyboard, you cannot just clean it with soap and water. Though, some keyboards are dishwasher safe. However, you should follow the manufacturer’s guidelines to the detail.
Cleaning your keyboard might not be an easy task. This is because it requires patience, care, and precision. When you want to clean your keyboard, here is a list of the some of items you would need. You would need cotton swabs, compressed air, isopropyl, and soft fiber cloth. If you need to do any intensive cleaning, you would need a thin blade to lift any required keys.
Cleaning the Keyboard
If you are using an external keyboard, the first step is to detach the keyboard from the computer. Turn it upside down, then give it a few shakes to remove the hidden dirt. If you are using a laptop, you should be gentle with your taps. You can then make use of the compressed air to flush out any debris that refuses to come out. However, be careful with the pressure applied.
This prevents you from causing more harm than good. You should spray randomly to ensure that it is evenly distributed. If the keyboard still requires additional cleaning or pressure. You can use cotton swabs because they would help remove tough stains without overly applying pressure. You can dampen the swab with isopropyl and wipe gently.
If you want to clean the keyboard extensively, you can use the blade to lift the key and remove it. You can wash it in a soap mixture. Then, you can wipe it off with tissue and leave it outside to dry. They must be absolutely dry before putting them back in place. When replacing the keys, extreme caution has to be taken. This would prevent you from making any mistakes with the keys. It is advisable that you take a picture of the keyboard before dismantling it.
Another common reason why people would have keyboard issues is if they have spilled liquid. If this ever happens, the first thing is to push the power button down so the computer manually shuts down. Tilt the computer or turn it upside to ensure that any water that is in it has been successfully removed. You can ensure you can wipe with a damp tissue before turning it on.
Cleaning the Insides
When you properly clean the outside of your computer. This makes it look neat, and reduces the dirt that escapes into the computer. However, you should closely monitor the insides of your computer. A lot of damage would have been done before you realize it. Electronic equipment always generates heat when they run.
This is why computers have internal fans. When the fans operate, there is a high chance that they would drag in unwanted dirt. It is natural for this to happen. However, you have to regularly clean the dust to ensure that it does not affect your PC and its efficiency. If your computer has fan filters, that would reveal if your fan requires to be cleaned.
Conclusion
When you want to clean your computer, you should ensure that you clean it thoroughly. This can never be overemphasized. It allows you to clean your keyboard, monitor, mouse, and any other component required. This would help keep your computer in top shape, and ensure that you do not have any issues with the system in the coming months. Below are some of the questions that computer users often ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I clean my computer?
Your computer must remain squeaky clean to prevent the dust from affecting its efficiency. To do this you can do a mini cleaning twice every 15 days. However, you should ensure that you do a thorough cleaning at least once every month. However, you should understand what the task entails before delving into it.
Can I clean my PC myself?
Cleaning the PC is not rocket science. However, there are instances where people have issues with it. You can always clean your PC yourself. However, if you want it to be professional. You can walk into any laptop store, they would get this done for a stipend.
Does dust affect your computer’s efficiency?
One of the things that affect the effectiveness and efficiency of your PC is dust. It affects the computer negatively. So, you have to devise a lasting solution to help combat this. Though dust inevitably gets into your computer. You have to ensure you properly maintain the PC. This would reduce the quantity of dirt in your PC. It reduces the dust particle in the system.
