Odds are you invested quite a bit of money in buying your computer. Doesn’t it make sense that you should make it last? A computer that is not regularly cleaned can have its perform affected, and potentially damaged. Here are some cleaning tips to keep your computer in top working condition.
Get Rid of the Dust
Dust buildup in your computer can cause components to overheat and be damaged. Your fan can only do so much on its own, but it can’t function properly if dust buildup is slowing it down. Use a can of compressed air on your computer vents to clear them out and allow hot air to escape. You may have to open up the case to actually be able to clean the fan itself.
Keep your computer off the floor
When your computer is sitting on the floor, it is more prone to dust buildup, overheating, damage from being accidentally kicked, and damage from static electricity if you have a carpet. Make sure your computer also has plenty of space around it as well to allow the heated air to disperse properly. Don’t put it in enclosed areas like the cabinets that sometimes come built in with desks.
Keeping your keyboard clean and functioning properly
You would have to be some sort of ninja if you consistently eat at your computer and never get a single crumb lodged in your keyboard. So many of us do it, and our keyboards suffer for it. Keyboards are often not that expensive to replace, but why be so wasteful when you can avoid it by not eating at your computer? Even if you don’t eat at your desk, your keyboard and mouse can still be subject to dust and grime buildup. In this case you will want to get out that can of compressed air again, or try the new Cyber Clean compound. It’s a special “goo” that will pull off all sorts of grime from your keyboard.
Shut down your computer properly
Notice how your computer goes through a start up process when you turn it on? You computer also has a process for shutting down, unless you are just killing the power. Turning your computer off this way is very harmful. Make sure to put it through the proper shut down process by closing all open windows and selecting the shut down function.
Boost your startup speed
Ever feel like your computer takes to long to start up? It could be caused by too many programs being booted in your start up process, many of them unnecessary. Do you really need that video editor to boot up every time you turn on your computer? No, you don’t. Remove any unnecessary programs that may be slowing this process down, but be careful that you are not removing important functions!
How to clean your monitor
Think you can clean your monitor the same way you clean your house windows? Think again! Monitors take special care, using only soft cloths without cleaner to leave it streak free, or using special monitor cleaning wipes.
Optimizing your computer
Computers are not perfect. Over a given amount of time, files become fragmented, slowing your computer down and possibly causing other problems. To remedy this use a defragmentation program to put those files back in order.
Another way to keep your computer from being bogged down is to remove unused programs. It’s good practice to scan your list of installed programs periodically anyway, as unwanted programs can be installed without you noticing. Review your programs occasionally, and get rid of those unwanted shopping and search bar plugins that always seem to find their way into your program list. But again, be careful what you uninstall! Uninstalled programs can also leave leftover files, so find programs online like CCleaner that will clean up these unwanted leftovers.
Let your computer rest
It’s tempting to keep your desktop computer running all the time to avoid the time it takes for it to start back up, but this is not a good idea. Your computer needs a chance to stop its processes once in awhile. This also lets your computer install necessary upgrades to keep it running in top condition, not to mention saving you money on your energy bill.
Upgrading your computer’s memory
As you start to use up a good amount of storage on your computer, you may notice it running a bit slower than usual. One way to fix this is to increase the RAM of your computer, which allows it handle more memory access at a given time, or to increase your hard drive memory to allow for even more storage.