1. Cleaning Your Computer Monitor
You probably use your monitor every day, which for some reason makes it even harder to notice when it starts to collect dust and grime.
Like most screens, your computer screen can be easily damaged, so you want to take things gently when cleaning. First, be sure to turn your monitor off. Then, take a microfiber cloth and gently wipe it down.
If you are running into some stubborn areas that won’t come clean, you can try adding a little -- just a little! -- bit of water to the cloth, but not to the screen directly.
2. Keeping Up With The Keys
Your monitor isn’t the only part of your computer that is collecting dust and grime -- just take a second and look down at your poor keyboard.
Compressed air is your best friend here, and it will help you get in between all those keys and crevices.
3. Fine Tuning Your TV
Ah. The television. The centerpiece of your living room. And if you are anything like us, once we see a speck of dirt or a smudge on it, it’s hard to UNSEE it until we get up and take care of it.
Most people are surprised to hear that you DON”T WANT TO USE glass cleaner on your TV screen. Instead, a microfiber cloth with water is the way to go. It’s even better if you can use the microfiber cloth that came with the screen -- there’s a reason many TV manufacturers include them!
4. Cleaning, Done Smarter
Sadly, smart speakers haven’t gotten to the point where they can clean themselves, at least not yet. That means you’ll still have to clean these devices yourself.
For products in the Google Home family, Google recommends a dry cloth, and also emphasizes not to use any chemicals on it. So, there go all of your normal cleaning supplies.
On the Alexa side of the family, things aren’t much different. Amazon suggests using a dry cloth, or even mentions the option of using a blow dryer at low speed.
5. Hi-Fi Cleanliness
You spent a lot of money on those stereo speakers, so you don’t want to ruin them when you try to clean them!
First, you need to figure out what the cabinet of your speaker is made out of and find an appropriate cleaner. If you want something basic and probably unlikely to harm your speaker, warm water and a mild detergent should be able to help you out.
For the speaker grills, you want to be even more careful. A good first stop is the product manual -- hopefully you still have that floating around or can find a copy online. Usually, fabric grills can be popped off and then cleaned with a vacuum hose dust brush attachment. If not, a lint roller or compressed air can also be used in a pinch.
6. Easy on the Ears
Your headphones probably don’t often make the “Remember to Clean” list, so we thought we’d throw out a happy reminder on behalf of ears everywhere.
You don’t want to get your headphones or earbuds wet, of course, so wipe them down with a lint-free cloth. A cotton ball gently dipped in rubbing alcohol can help if you really have some build up on them.
Just because it isn’t spring yet doesn’t mean you can’t get a jump start on cleaning! Keeping your electronics in tip top shape is important, so make sure to keep checking back for more tips and tricks throughout the year.