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Poll: How often do you clean your hardware (especially screen and keyboard) ?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Feb 16, 2014

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How often do you clean your hardware (especially screen and keyboard) ?".

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Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:02
Member (2006)
German to English
Other Feb 16, 2014

cleaning by doing
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:02
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Feb 16, 2014

Thanks for the reminder!

I try to clean my whole workstation area thoroughly about once a month. I also keep a little keyboard brush thingy handy to flick away accumulated dust etc, which my tech guy says is my PC's worst enemy

I'm more wary about trying to clean my screens, because I seem to remember the instructions saying that some cleaning products were unsuitable and when I try to clean them they usually look worse.
 
Noni Gilbert Riley
Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 18:02
Spanish to English
+ ...
Some time after it has started annoying me... Feb 16, 2014

I do turn the keyboard upside down and shake it regularly, but the screen can bug me for a while before I actually get round to cleaning it. Difficult combination this one: having a spare moment and being able to put my hands on the cleaning stuff.
 
Noura Tawil
Noura Tawil  Identity Verified
Syria
Local time: 19:02
Member (2013)
English to Arabic
depends.. Feb 16, 2014

Emmm.. Does blowing and removing dust with your bare hand count as "cleaning"???
 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:02
English to Spanish
+ ...
Cleaning screens and keyboards Feb 16, 2014

Remember when one had to clean the lint inside the trackball mouse? Oh, the days of yore!

If I'm in a hurry, I turn the keyboard upside down and shake it gently.

Cleaning flat screens is tricky: you shouldn't be using any solvent products and never spray anything on them.

The best screen cleaning is accomplished thus:

1) Use a microfiber rag to clean the lint and dust off the screen
2) Spray a mix of isopropyl alcohol and water on a diffe... See more
Remember when one had to clean the lint inside the trackball mouse? Oh, the days of yore!

If I'm in a hurry, I turn the keyboard upside down and shake it gently.

Cleaning flat screens is tricky: you shouldn't be using any solvent products and never spray anything on them.

The best screen cleaning is accomplished thus:

1) Use a microfiber rag to clean the lint and dust off the screen
2) Spray a mix of isopropyl alcohol and water on a different piece of clothing (microfiber or something similar, free of particles) and then gently rub the screen left to right first, then top to bottom.

That's it. Alcohol-based solutions evaporate and leave no residue.

If you have an e-reader or iPad, spend a few dollars on a screen protector. These protectors can take on different cleaning agents (I still recommend using something like a eyeglasses cleaning solution, because it's gentle on the materials).

Since I have a cat, I have to spray with dust aerosol my electronics, not just the keyboard. Make sure you spray compressed air (from air cans) into your computer cabinet, ventilation ducts on the back and in your laptop, to get rid of cobwebs and dust bunnies.

Why? Dust promotes static electricity and you could ruin electronics if you let it accumulate over components.

Read your hardware manual once in a while for other maintenance tips. ▲ Collapse
 
Allison Wright (X)
Allison Wright (X)  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:02
Quite often Feb 16, 2014

I am one of those clean hands and keyboard fanatics.
Clean hands keep the keyboard clean for quite a while.
I have no control over what lands on my laptop screen and second screen.
I clean them, much like Mario Chavez describes, when little bits of insect goo start to resemble full stops.
 


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Poll: How often do you clean your hardware (especially screen and keyboard) ?






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