Are you one of those who cannot seem to live a day without their precious computer? If so, you’d better make it an effort to properly maintain your unit in top working condition. If you do not take care of your computer properly, there are many unfortunate things that might happen to your computer such as a hardware malfunction may occur – maybe your cooling fans are making weird loud noises lately whenever you turn on your computer or it may have seemed to stop working altogether. You might also be one of those people whose computers will suddenly restart without warning or worse, the dreaded blue screen of death will pounce on you when you least expect it.
Computers may not have a life of their own, but they can still become “sick” (due to viruses, hardware failure, etc) if not properly taken care of, and if it gets worse, they may also be inevitably brought to the “hospital” (in this case, the service center for repairs). 🙂
Just like humans, the life expectancy and functionality of a computer deteriorates if not given the proper attention, maintenance and care. Nowadays, when almost everything we do is done digitally, a malfunctioning or broken computer is something that you never would want to happen anytime. In order to prevent this dilemma, you need to know some tips on how to keep your computer at home always clean and running well:
1. When it comes to computers, dust is your mortal enemy. One of the most essential things that you can do to help protect your computer is to always keep it away from dust and dirt. You can give your computer a good dusting by means of vacuuming it regularly and properly (use the blower function).
2. Never set your computer on top of a carpet. This is because carpets easily harbor and produce dust, dirt and bacteria as well as they are known to significantly produce lots of static electricity.
3. As far as your computer is concerned, smoke is also your mortal enemy. Cigarettes or anything that produces smoke can cause tar formation that can quickly coat fans and clog heat sinks, which in turn can cause your computer to overheat and wreak massive damage to other components. Similarly, using your computer next to an open fireplace or burning incense near your computer can cause serious damage as well. Smoke can really cause your computer to break down, so it is best to keep it away from all types of smoke.
4. LCD screens are prone to getting covered with dust, dirt, hair, pet dander, fingerprints and unknown matter. LCD screens are fragile, so you need to know how to properly clean it without damaging it yourself. The cheapest and safest way to clean your LCD screen is to use a very soft cotton cloth that is lightly dampened with water. You can also opt to buy special one-use wipes available in electronic shops. Never clean your LCD screen with any glass-cleaning products or other chemicals.
5. If you value your computer, then canned air is your best friend. Even if you frequently clean your computer unit, you can never keep it as clean as you would like it to be, as computers are filled with fans that eventually sucks in and blows out all the air in the room. Canned air contains compressed air that can be blown out of a straw at high speeds to effectively remove dust from your computer. Make sure that you do not blow the dust INTO the computer. Instead, remove the cover of your computer, and blow the dust away from it. After that, vacuum the surrounding area.
6. When you are assembling your own computer or you have a computer internal component that is in need of a replacement, invest in computer parts that are of very good or high quality as they are less likely to break down easily. Buying high-quality computer parts from a reputable company such as NMBtc.com ensures that you really get your money’s worth.
If you follow all of the guidelines listed above in taking care of your computer at home, you will be assured that your computer will be able to perform well and it may even serve you for a long time. Most computer users agree that the best way to make sure that your computer will run efficiently and smoothly for a long period of time is to simply exert some effort (and probably spend a few bucks) in maintaining your unit. Do not hesitate to spend a bit when maintenance time comes, as it is much better than having no choice but to be forced to buy a whole new computer, right?
I like to add one more thing here, always keep your computer at cold place as it helps to keep your system temperature low and increases the life of your system.
This is a very good guide for people who want to make sure that their computer is in tiptop condition.
“When it comes to computers, dust is your mortal enemy” I can’t more agree on this! Beware dust like a fire. I’m not a gamer but had a quite decent graphic card installed in my desktop. Card broke due to dust in radiator which caused overheating of GPU.
thanks for giving me trick for keeping my computer clean and safe/…thanks again
It is essential to properly maintain our computers, otherwise their performance would be affected. That is why we should buy parts that wear hard and remove the dust regularly.
Very Well Said…Dust is the mortal enemy…
Great tips to keep my PC clean. I would also benefit from an advice on how to look after my HP multifunction printer and make it more efficient. Any ideas?
Keeping you pc clean and well preserved will ensure maximum efficiency and less problems with your computer. Very nice guide, thanks a lot for sharing it.
Yea, I use those can of compressed air to blow away dust inside the computer, especially on the fan. It’s best to bring the computer outside of the house when doing this as you don’t want the dust that blown away from the computer but still remain in the house 🙂
Really nice advices to make the lifetime of our computers longer, although I usually forget to clean my laptop. Honestly, I often forget to close it as well.
Thanks for these fabulous tips!
These really help me in taking care of my computer.
Recently I bought new, and I know now these stuffs!
Very helpful…
Malwarebytes is a staple for me. I run it monthly to ensure my virus software has not missed anything and to clean up any spyware stuff. I also defrag my harddrive one a month. One last thing I do is to ensure when I install a freeware or shareware app that I do not let it install any toolbars in my browser. This is normally done by doing a custom install and deselecting any of those types of options.
There are some high-tech computer cases, which don’t let the dust in the inside of the machine. It could be very useful, because you don’t need to clean it every month…
nice tips for pc cleaning i will definitely do this in future.
well i am already aware of most of the above mentioned tips but the one about the LCD cleaning that we should not use any glass cleaning products is realy the good one as i own 3 to 4 LCD screens.
I do agree that PC needs air condition room to maintain its coldness.And for you to have a long span of usage of your personal computer of course love and care for it is the best way to achieve your goal which is to have a fast and long lasting PC at home.
Ahaha,
maryje, longer life span also depends on the quality or type of units you bought.
🙂
Just another life saving advice from Techpatio. Computer cleaning is very important in the life of a computer, sometimes it’s the root of hardware problems. So always take time to check the dust and dirt in your computer.
Thanks for these guidelines. Every two years or less, I have to invest a new computer because I’m staying near the beach. Any advice then how my computer last—I usually work outside to feel the soft breeze from the sea.
hi, your article is very grade, now i can clean my computer. thanks again, slmeal.com
do NOT sit your computer on carpet… awesome note. I opened a desktop I had sitting on the carpet under my desk a while back and boy was I surprise that thing never caught on fire or overheated!