Cleaning hardware

Introduction General cleaning tips Cleaning tools Case cleaning CD-ROM / other disc drive cleaning CD / DVD cleaning Floppy drive cleaning Hard Disk Drive cleaning Headphones cleaning Keyboard cleaning LCD cleaning Monitor cleaning Motherboard cleaning Mouse cleaning Printer cleaning Scanner cleaning

Scanner Cleaning

Why? Flatbed scanners commonly become dirty with dust, fingerprints, and hair. When a scanner is dirty, the images may have distortions. Procedure: Clean a flatbed scanner's surface by spraying a window cleaner onto a paper towel or cotton cloth and wipe the glass until clean. As mentioned earlier, never spray a liquid directly onto the component. To clean the outside of the scanner, the same towel or cotton cloth can be used.

Printer Cleaning

Why? Cleaning the outside of a printer can help keep the printer's appearance looking good; and in the case of a printer that is used by many different people, keep the printer clean of germs. Procedure: First, make sure to turn off the printer before cleaning it. Dampen a cloth with water or rubbing alcohol and wipe the case and each of the buttons or knobs on the printer. As mentioned earlier, never spray any liquid directly onto the printer. Why? With some printers it may be necessary to clean the inside of the printer to help keep the printer running smoothly. Procedure: Because of numerous types of printers, different steps in cleaning printers, and printer manufacturer policies on cleaning the inside of the printer, we recommend you obtain the printer cleaning steps from your printer manufacturer.

Mouse cleaning

Why? A dirty optical-mechanical mouse (mouse with a ball) can cause the mouse to be difficult to move as well as cause strange mouse movement. Procedure: To clean the rollers of an optical-mechanical mouse, you must first remove the bottom cover of the mouse. To do this, examine the bottom of the mouse to see which direction the mouse cover should be rotated. As you can see in the below illustration, the mouse cover must be moved counter clockwise. Place two fingers on the mouse cover and push the direction of the arrows. Once the cover has rotated about an inch, rotate the mouse into its normal position, covering the bottom of the mouse with one hand and the bottom should fall off including the mouse ball. If this does not occur, attempt to shake the mouse gently. Once the bottom cover and the ball are removed, you should be able to see three rollers located within the mouse. Use a cotton swab, your finger, and/or fingernail and move in a horizontal direction of the rollers. Usually, there will be a small line of hair and or dirt in the middle of the roller, remove this dirt and/or hair as much as possible. Once you have removed as much dirt and hair as possible, place the ball back within the mouse and place the cover back on. If the mouse still appears to be having the same issue, repeat the above process; if after several attempts the mouse is still having the same issues, it's likely that your mouse has other hardware issues and we recommend that it be replaced. Note: Cleaning your mouse pad with a damp cloth can also help improve a computer's mouse movement. Why? To help keep a mouse clean and germ free it can be helpful to clean the mouse. Procedure: Use a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol or warm water and rub the surface of the mouse and each of its buttons.

Motherboard cleaning

why? Dust and especially particles of cigarette smoke can build up and corrode circuitry causing various problems such as computer lockups Note:- When inside the computer take the necessary ESD precautions and try to avoid unplugging any cables or other connections. Procedure:- Our recommendation when cleaning the motherboard from dust, dirt, or hair is to use compressed air. When using compressed air, hold it in the up-right position; otherwise, it is possible chemicals may come out of the container that could damage or corrode the Motherboard or other component within the computer. Also, ensure when using compressed air that you always blow the dust or dirt away from the motherboard, or out of the case. Another good alternative to compressed air is to use a portable battery powered vacuum that can effectively remove the dust, dirt, and hair from the motherboard completely and prevent it from getting trapped within the case. However, do not use a standard electricity powered vacuum as it can cause a lot of static electricity that can damage the computer. When using the vacuum it is vital that you stay a couple inches away from the motherboard and all other components to help prevent contact as well as to help prevent anything from being sucked into the vacuum. Ensure that you do not remove any small components with the vacuum such as jumpers. Tip:-When cleaning the inside of the case also look at any fans and/or heat sinks. Dust, dirt, and hair collects around these components the most.

Monitor cleaning

Note: This section is for computer monitors if you have a LCD or flat-panel see our LCD cleaning section Why? Dirt, dust, and fingerprints can cause the computer screen to be difficult to read. Procedure: The glass monitor screen can be cleaned with ordinary household glass cleaner*. Be sure to remove power from the monitor and spray the cleaner onto a lint free-cloth so the fluid doesn't leak into the electrical components inside the monitor. Vacuum off any dust that has settled on top of the monitor, and make sure no books or papers have been placed on the air vents. Obstructed monitor vents can cause the monitor to overheat or even catch on fire. Premoistened Monitor Cleaning Rock LCD/Laptop Monito LCD-TFT Screen Monitor Warning: We suggest using a cloth dampened with water when cleaning monitor on a screen that is not made of glass or has any type of anti-glare protection on the screen. Using ordinary household glass cleaner on special screens, especially cleaners with ammonia can remove anti-glare protection and/or other special surfaces