Cleaning Our Gadgets

We are obsessed with cleanliness.  Our supermarkets groan under the weight of industrial cleaning products; one of my more popular articles dealt with natural ways to keep your house clean (http://www.gomestic.com/Homemaking/The-Natural-and-Cheap-Way-to-Keep-Your-House-Clean.340567 ).  And yet, many of us live and work surrounded by so much dirt that one study called the stuff surrounding us “potential reservoir for infectious agents” (http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0196655305000684 ).  I am referring, of course, to our electronic gadgets.

Let’s be honest: when was the last time you cleaned your keyboard—a device that’s dirtier than a toilet (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Germs/Story?id=4774746&page=1)?  And computer hardware isn’t the only thing that according to numerous studies we aren’t cleaning.  When was the last time you cleaned your laptop, desktop, mp3 player, or cell phone?  I know it’s been a while since I cleaned them—I remember to clean the keyboard when I spill something on it but for some reason I am always forgetting things like my Mp3 player and cell phone.

And yet, cleaning all these things is not hard; it just takes a bit of patience.  So, I compiled this (very incomplete list of cleaning tips) for my benefit as much as yours.

The Desktop Keyboard

Shut down your computer and unplug your keyboard.  Take a can of compressed air (you can get them at most computer and general supplies stores) and use it to blow the dirt from around and under the keys.  Put some isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud and clean the sides of the keys.  Then put the isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free cloth and wipe the surface of the keys.  Wipe the keyboard with a dry cloth and it should be good as new.

The Laptop Keyboard

Slightly dampen a lint-free cloth with water and wipe down the keyboard.  Then dampen some cotton swabs and try to get into the places where the cloth just could not reach.  It’ll be harder than with the desktop keyboard because the keys are closer together.  Sometimes, if you see things sticking out (hair for example) you might want to use tweezers.  Then put some rubbing alcohol on the cotton swab and try again.  It’s not perfect (and if anyone has ideas on how to do it better, please tell me!) but it’s better than nothing!

MP3 Cleaning

Wipe down your MP3s using a clean, soft, dry cloth.  Don’t use paper towels because you’ll just scratch the screen.  If you haven’t cleaned your MP3 for a while, try putting ammonia free glass cleaner on the soft cloth.  And don’t forget to wipe down the ear-buds and cords!

Cell Phone

Once a week wipe down your cell phone with a dry cloth.  If you spill something on it (like coffee, for example) turn the cell phone off, take out the battery and clean it with a cotton swapped dipped (but not dripping!) in isopropyl alcohol.  Try to get into all those little crevices.  It’s a pain but it’s better than getting a new cell phone!

There are many devices I have left out.  But then I could write a book.  There is another gadget everywhere I look: printer, mouse, scanner, fluorescent tubes, computer case, computer screen, the television screen, the DVD player.  I (like you perhaps) am surrounded by modern gadgets that need to be cleaned regularly.

Hopefully the tips above will help.