Every now and then when the daylight strikes my computer it reveals just how shabby it all looks. Fortunately my home office is in the basement, no-mans land, completely off-limits to all but my immediate family. Still, it has me thinking about the ins and outs of cleaning electronic equipment and the horror stories that I've heard while providing consulting services.

The worst story that comes to mind is from one of my clients, who we’ll call ACME. It happened sometime back in 1996, ACME had nearly 250 computer terminals and within one week nearly 60% of all the monitors failed completely, the ACME management was dumfounded. Fortunately Bob the Director of the computer department was working late one night when one of the cleaning staff from the newly contracted Cleaning Service let herself into Bob’s office were he was reviewing some paperwork. She promptly began dowsing the top of his monitor with an industrial grade cleaner from one of those pump spray bottles and rubbing it down. Well it took Bob less than a nanosecond (a very short time) to realize that he had solved the mystery. Cleaning solutions including many of those we find in our own homes contain very caustic chemicals, the types perfectly designed to eat the thinly plated circuit boards found in our monitors and computers.

So what is the proper way to clean your equipment you ask. Well there must be a hundred ways to do it safely and to that I’ll add my own.

The monitor should be completely powered off, I mean not just in sleep or low power mode, which is usually indicated by either a slowly flashing or a different colored light from the indicator when it’s on. Using a lightly dampened cloth (rigorously ringing this cloth should not produce any liquid) and this can include a bit of mild dish detergent, wipe down the plastic surfaces and then wipe off with a lightly dampened cloth not containing any detergent. To clean the screen you can apply a little glass cleaner to a lint-free cloth, not directly sprayed on the screen and wipe it down.

The computer case should be cleaned in exactly the same manner as the monitor. And if you’re feeling up to it you should clean inside the computer at least once a year. All that dust collecting on those heat-generating components is beginning to hinder the natural heat dissipation of those heat sensitive chips. To properly dust the insides of the computer you’ll need a can of pressured air that can be readily purchased from a computer or office supply store. You may need your owner’s manual to open the computer case but most often it requires the removal of 2 to 4 screws. This next step should not be performed inside your home but somewhere with good ventilation like in your opened garage or on the porch outside. Using the pressured air, aim at the inside of the computer from a distance of 12 inches or more on an angle to drive the dust off the components and out of the case. Don’t aim directly at the hard drive seals (the joint between the top and bottom half of the drive) and care should be taken around all drives, these include CD-ROM, floppy, high-density drives and so on. Do not aim the pressured air at the drive openings or you may damage the delicate heads within. Close the case.

Cleaning the keyboard:

The keyboard is usually the grungiest piece of all the equipment making it the most satisfying to clean. Some people including myself like to pop off every single key, soaking them in soapy water and replacing them once dry. This process is not for the faint of heart and it can create quite puzzle when restoring the letters without another keyboard laying around as a guide. A word of caution is required as there are many little pieces and care must be taken to not damage any of the clips during removal only proceed if you are willing to replace the keyboard in the event of a mishap.

But popping off every key is the only really good way to clean out all the crumbs from under the keys. This is due to the little shafts connected to the keys that slide up and down coming in contact with the pressure sensitive contacts beneath. This often provides an opening for a wayward crumb to fall through and gum up the works when blasting with pressured air. Shaking the keyboard upside down can cause the same effect by directing the crumbs and dirt to be captured by the underneath of the keys and then routing them into the shafts when the keyboard is turned over. If you don’t feel up to removing the keys and you can live with the crumbs then you can use a damp cloth to remove the grime from the keys and keyboard housing.

Cheap keyboards today cost about $20, so if your keyboard is not one of the fancier types with a satisfying tactile (key press) response then replacement is an excellent alternative.

Most computer mice have a roller ball housed underneath that rolls around on your mouse pad or tabletop. This ball picks up all kinds of dirt, dust and grease and deposits them on the internal rollers that the ball transmits its movement to. Turn the mouse upside down and release the ball retainer clip. The retainer is usually one of two types, either you rotate or slide it to release. Remove the ball and wipe the rollers using some type of sticky tape like masking or clear tape. The deposits may require a little abrasion with your fingernail to dislodge it. Do not blow or shake the dirt out as it can become lodged on the internal sensors that measure the roller movement, use the tape to remove the build up.

Wipe down the mouse housing, retainer clip and ball with a damp cloth. Return the ball to its socket and lock it into place with the retainer clip.

Now you now have a nice clean computer to work and play at and I have lowered the blinds to block the revealing sunlight.