Clean Mouse, Keyboard & Monitor

To clean your mouse:
Clean the ball with clear tape. Check the three rollers inside and scrape off any gunk with your fingernail or a straightened paperclip.

Hold it upside-down and shake out any big dust-bunnies, then re-assemble.

If you have a different type of mouse, see the instructions that came with it.

To clean your monitor:
Non-flat panel monitors: most office products stores carry sprays or wipes for this equipment. Never spray directly onto the monitor itself; spray onto a cloth and then wipe the cloth over the screen or monitor cabinet. Be sure your product is meant for your type of monitor.

Flat panel monitors: These monitors usually have plastic screens and other components, and can be damaged by cleaning products that use chemicals (benzene, thinner, ammonia, acetone), abrasives, or compressed air. Dell recommends lightly dampening a soft, clean cloth with water, and using that to clean the screen. The monitor cabinet can be cleaned with a cloth lightly dampened with a mild detergent.

To clean your keyboard:
Make sure your computer is turned off before you work on your keyboard.

You can use compressed air to blow debris out of your keyboard, or turn it upside-down and shake it gently. Do not disassemble it.

Cleaning materials such as pads or swabs that contain a cleaning liquid can be used on the keys and upper surface.

To clean your computer:
Dust in your computer clogs both the power supply and cooling fans. The fans have to work harder and may slow down or stop which can cause your computer to overheat and fail.

Power down your PC and unplug it from the outlet. Remove the case lid. With a can of compressed air, blow the dust from the power supply through the slits in the computer chassis from the inside out so the dust will exit the back. Use short bursts and keep the can upright and a few inches from the hardware. Next, blow the dust from the intake fan and each of the exhaust fans. Blow out any other dust you see that has collected inside the computer. Also, be sure to blow the dust from the air vents on the case lid.

Check all the plugs & cables to make sure the are securely fastened. Re-assemble the case lid and plug your computer back into the outlet.

This is a nice video tutorial on how to clean your computer hardware.

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