As the weather gets warmer and the sunlight shines through the windows, the first thing you may see is a thick layer of dust everywhere you look. There’s a reason people get the urge to clean their house during the springtime. Oftentimes during this “Spring Cleaning,” our electronics get neglected. If you are wanting to declutter your devices both inside and out, we’ve got some great tips for you about how to clean computers.
Clean Computers: Why Should I Clean Out My Hard Drive?
An overfilled digital space can be just as harmful as an overfilled physical one. Clutter in your computer can cause the following:
- Slower processing
- Lack of space for new files
- Privacy concerns
If you want your computer to perform at it’s best so you can perform your best work, it’s best to clean out the clutter at least every few months.
What Can I Do to Clean Out My Hard Drive?
- Move your files to their proper places. If you are guilty of saving everything on your desktop for easy locating later, it could be slowing everything down. Organize your files into various folders within your hard drive, and make specific folders you can easily search.
- Back up whatever you can to a cloud base. Everything from documents to photos and videos can be stored in the cloud. It may be hard to upload personal things to a space that you can’t see, but these spaces are very secure.
- Delete duplicates and backed up files. Once you have everything backed up to the cloud, it’s time to delete them off of your hard drive space. There are several programs such as Google Photos that will store millions of your photos and videos where you can share them or download them again.
How Can I Clean the Outside of My Computer?
The outside components of your computer can become filled with dust and debris as well, which lowers the life span. When aspiring to clean computers including the physical parts of your computer, it’s important to use the right tools.
- Prepare your device. Make sure to turn off your device, but also unplug it to minimize the risk of electric shock when cleaning.
- Clean your screen. Only use a microfiber cloth when cleaning your screen. It may be tempting to use any cloth like a paper towel or tissue, but these can damage your screen. Also, avoid using solutions like window cleaner. Instead, mix one-part rubbing alcohol and one-part distilled water to dab on the cloth to clean off smudges.
- Clean out dust and debris. The keyboard, HDMI and USB drives are magnets for all the dust and debris. Using a compressed air can sprayer can blast out all that gunk without damaging your technology.
- Use your solution to wipe down the trackpad and other areas of the computer. Be sure to be careful around open ports, and never spray the solution directly onto the device.