Cleaning and regular maintenance of your electronic devices will extend the life of your devices and prevent future problems. Here's how to clean and maintain the most popular electronic devices.

Computers

One of the biggest physical enemies of a computer is dust. Dust can cling to your keyboard, your monitor or LCD screen and it can get into the tiniest spaces of your computer and peripherals. In the worst case scenario, dust can even affect your computer performance by blocking the cooling source of your computer, which is your fan or fans, thereby raising the internal temperature of your computer components. This can cause components to malfunction, slow down their performance or cause instability.

To clean your computer screen, use a soft, preferrably lint free cotton cloth. If needed, you can use a little bit of rubbing alcohol on the cloth to clean fingerprints or other hard to remove material.

To clean outside of your computer, including your keyboard, printer, any external devices and outside of your computer case, you can use a USB or battery powered vacuum cleaner. Once all particles and dust are removed, you can use a cotton cloth to clean any smudges, fingerprints or other particles from the devices. To clean in between small areas, such as between keyboard keys, you can use a cotton swab.

To clean inside the computer, be sure to turn it off first, then remove the cover. Dust can be removed using a bottle of compressed air. This is the easiest and safest method for cleaning inside of your computer, including the motherboard, fan, hard drives, connectors etc. You can also use a battery powered mini vacuum to suck out dirt and dust. Be careful not to bump or move any cables or connections.

DVD Players

DVD players attract lots of dust. Dust them off weekly or several times per month with your duster or a soft cloth. To clean and maintain the internal electronics, you can purchase a DVD or CD player cleaning kit that includes a disc with a tiny brush attached which, when played, will clear dust from the laser inside the player.

Mice

Nowadays, most people use an optical mouse, instead of the old ball roller type. Due to this innovation, internal cleaning of mice is no longer needed. To keep your mouse in good working order, clean it with a soft cotton cloth once a month or so or as needed. If your mouse gets particularly dirty, you can clean it with a lightly moistened cloth.

Televisions

Whether you still have a large tube TV or you have a giant LCD, you need to clean it every once in a while to keep it in top condition.

For older tube TV's, these have glass screens, so you can clean them as you would a window, with a soft cloth and glass cleaner.

For modern LCD's, be especially gentle with them, do not press hard when cleaning. Clean them with a soft cloth that has been very lightly moistened with water and then use another dry cloth to dry immediately after cleaning. Do not use glass cleaner, soap, alcohol or any other type of cleaner, as you could damage the screen. Use only a tiny bit of water and dry immediately.

For a plasma TV, you can use a mild soap solution with a soft cloth, then dry with another soft cloth afterwards.

You'll also want to keep dust out of the vents of the TV by dusting around the TV frequently.

MP3 Players

One of the best ways to care for your MP3 player is to place the player right into a case and use clear screen protectors on the screen as soon as you unpackage it. Otherwise, you can clean the screen and the case with a soft cloth moistened with a touch of glass cleaner. Obviously, make sure the player is OFF before attempting to clean it. For smaller, hard to reach areas and buttons, these can be cleaned with cotton swabs. Since every MP3 player is different and may use different materials in production, be sure to consult your manual for specific cleaning instructions.

Cell Phones

Cell phones are one of the most used and abused devices we carry, often stuck into dirty pockets, purses loaded with other items and just generally thrown about. Since you put your face close to your phone so often, it also tends to be a breeding ground for many germs and bacteria. Due to this, cleaning your cell phone a couple times a month should be a priority.

To clean your cell phone, just use a bit of rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner with a soft cloth. This is the best way to kill germs and bacteria and remove any dirt and dust.

If this guide has helped you at all, please vote YES below! Thank you for reading!

Brand Names 4 Less