Cleaning your computer and peripherals does more than just make them look nice, it helps keep the components in good working condition and extends the life of the machine. How often you have to clean it depends on the environment you provide for your computer. Ambient air quality, dust and pollution levels all play a part.

Here are some general guidelines for cleaning frequency:

• Every Five Months: Area with no smoke or pets (average office environment)
• Every Four Months: Area exposed to pets
• Every Three Months: Area exposed to smoke
• Every Two Months: Area exposed to smoke, pets or located near a kitchen
• Every Week or Month: Area exposed to industrial pollution (i.e. Machine Shop, Garage, Wood Shop, Factory, etc.)
• If children are using the computer, or it is located in a public area, it is important to clean the work surfaces weekly or even daily.

Remember: Always read the manufacture literature for care and cleaning of your equipment. If you don’t have this literature, you can usually find it on the manufactures websites. The following suggestions are only general guidelines for maintenance, and you should always follow the manufactures recommendations to avoid voiding warrantees. Whenever in doubt, contact a reputable service technician.

• Always turn off computers and components before cleaning
• Never spray or squirt any type of liquid onto any computer component, inside or out.
• If a spray is needed, spray the liquid onto a cloth and then use that cloth to wipe the component.

• Use a vacuum around the computer, on the outside case and on their keyboards

• NEVER use a conventional vacuum for the inside of your computer; static created can damage the internal components.
• Be cautious when using any type of cleaning solvents; some can damage the case.
• To damp cloths, always use water, isopropyl alcohol, or a highly diluted soap.
• When possible, use a clean, disposable duster such as “Swiffer Duster™”
• When cleaning, be careful not to accidentally adjust any knobs or controls.
• When cleaning the back of the computer, if anything is plugged in, make sure not to disconnect any of the plugs.

• When cleaning fans, especially the smaller fans hold the fan or place something in-between the fan blades to prevent it from spinning. Spraying compressed air into a fan or cleaning a fan with a vacuum may cause damage to some fans.

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Here are some household items that are useful for cleaning computers and other components.

Keep in mind that some components in your computer may only be able to be cleaned using a product designed for cleaning that component, or by a professional.

• Cloth: A cloth is probably the best tool used when rubbing down a component; although paper towels can be used with most hardware, we recommend using a dust free “micro-fibre” cloth when ever possible.

• Water or rubbing alcohol: It is best to use water or rubbing alcohol when moistening a cloth. Other solvents may damage plastics

• Low Voltage, Battery Powered Vacuum – Use this to suction off dust, dirt, hair, and other particles out of a computer nooks and crannies. Pay particular attention to the ventilation ports as over time, dust can restrict airflow and cause circuitry to overheat or corrode. Do not use a standard vacuum as it can generate a lot of static electricity that can damage your computer.

• Cotton swabs - Cotton swaps moistened with rubbing alcohol or water are excellent for hard to reach areas in your keyboard, mouse, and other locations.

• Foam swabs - Whenever possible, it is better to use lint-free swabs such as foam swabs.

• Disposable Dusters. These are a real godsend, and are convenient for keeping your computer really clean when used frequently. They require no liquid but will attract and trap dust and debris. The dusting pad can simply be thrown out. NEVER use a conventional duster (feather, synthetic, wool, etc.), as these actually deposit dust and make your system dirtier.

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Keeps the appearance of the computer looking new and helps ensure cooling ventilation to the computer. The case that houses your PC can be cleaned with a lint-free cloth that has been slightly dampened with water. For stubborn stains, add a little (very little) mild dish detergent to the cloth, and then repeat with cloth damped in water. It is recommended that you never use a solvent cleaner on plastics. Make sure all vents and air holes are hair and lint free by rubbing a cloth over the holes and vents. It is also helpful to take a vacuum around each of the hole, vents, and crevices on the computer. For this operation you may use standard vacuum when cleaning the outside vents of a computer; however, if you need to clean the inside of the computer, you must use a portable battery powered vacuum to prevent damage due to static electricity.

Remember: Cleaning your motherboard requires specialized equipment and a static free area. For cleaning inside the case, please consider hiring or consulting a professional service technician.

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A dirty CD-ROM drive or other disc drive can cause read errors with CD discs. These read errors could cause software installation issues or issues while running the program. To clean the CD-ROM drive we recommend purchasing a CD-ROM cleaner from your local retailer. Using a CD-ROM cleaner should sufficiently clean the CD-ROM laser from dust, dirt, and hair. Read your manual to ensure that this will not void your warranty.

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Dirty CDs can cause read errors or the CDs to not work at all. Cleaning CDs should be done with a CD cleaning kit but can also be done with a normal clean cotton cloth or shirt. When doing this with a clean cotton cloth or shirt, wipe from the middle of the CD towards the outer side of the CD. Never wipe in circles with the tracks (orbiting the centre), doing so may scratch the CD and render it unreadable. It is recommended when cleaning a CD that water is used. However, if the substance on a CD cannot be removed using water, pure alcohol can also be used. Additionally, always store your CD’s in their cases or in protective sleeves. This will keep them dust and scratch free.

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Dirty read/write heads on the floppy drive can cause errors during the reading and/or writing process. We recommended either purchasing a kit designed to clean the read/write heads on your floppy drive, or hiring a professional technician to clean these drives.

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Hard drives are sealed and do not need to be cleaned physically; they can be cleaned with various utilities on the computer to help it run fast and more efficiently. Utilizing these utilities will help your hard drive run optimally.

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General Cleaning:

• Dirt, dust and hair can build up causing the keyboard to not function properly. Additionally, keyboards can get very dirty especially if used by many people, kids or if they are located in a public space.
• First, turn it upside down and give it a good shake. This will remove any large particles, paperclips etc. Then use a can of pressurized air with a very long nozzle. Aim the air between the keys and blow away all of the dust and debris that has gathered there. A vacuum cleaner can also be used, but be sure the keyboard doesn't have loose "pop off" keys before attempting this, otherwise you may loose keys.

Cleaning after a Spill:

If the keyboard has something spilt into it, not taking the proper steps can cause the keyboard to be destroyed:

• Turn the computer off immediately
• Quickly flip the keyboard over helping to prevent the substance from penetrating circuits
• While the keyboard is upside down, shake the keyboard on a surface you do not mind getting wet or that can be cleaned up later.
• While still upside down, use a cloth to help clean out what can be reached. Once the keyboard has been cleaned the best it can, leave the keyboard upside down for at least one night.

If the substance was sugary, this may not be sufficient. If a keyboard does not work after having a substance spilt into it, it is recommended that it be replaced.

Disinfecting a Keyboard

• Because many people don’t have good hand washing and hygiene practices, a keyboard that is used by multiple people, such as students or different employees, should be disinfected to help avoid the spread of germs.

• To Disinfect, turn off the computer. Spray a disinfectant onto a cloth or damp a cloth with alcohol and rub each of the keys on the keyboard. Never spray any type of liquid onto the keyboard.

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Cleaning a laptop requires some special treatment. Follow the same steps as in the desktop section but be aware of these important exceptions:

• As always, it is recommended that the computer first be turned off and unplugged. With a laptop it is also important to remove the battery.

• When cleaning vents on the laptop, be aware of small fans. Air currents created by vacuums and compressed air can cause these fans to over spin, damaging or destroying the fan motor. To help prevent this issue place something in-between the fan blades such as slip of paper, or toothpick. Be careful to not insert any object too far, or to lose it inside the case.

• Cleaning a laptop keyboard is different from the standard computer keyboard. Don’t invert and shake the keyboard unless you have spilt something on the computer. Laptop keyboards are very fragile, therefore if using compressed air, do not insert the tube under the keys, keep it 1-2 inches above the surface of the keyboard and aim between the keys. Better yet use the slightly damp cloth you used to clean the exterior case of the laptop.

• Never invert or shake the laptop while it is running. When you shake a laptop, you are also shaking the hard drive. If you do spill liquid into the laptop, turn the laptop off, invert it with its screen open onto a towel, and get it to a service technician as soon as possible.

• When cleaning the touch pad use a slightly damp cloth, but don’t apply too much pressure. Never dig around the touch pad with a sharp object (such as a knife, screwdriver or paperclip), instead use a dry, soft toothbrush to gently flick debris out of cracks.

• Because of the internal complexity of a laptop, consult an authorized repair centre for anything beyond regular cleaning.

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Unlike a computer monitor, the LCD is not made of glass, therefore requires special cleaning procedures.

When cleaning the LCD screen, it is important to remember to not spray any liquids onto the LCD directly, do not use a paper towel as it may cause the LCD to become scratched.

To clean the LCD screen we recommend that you use a soft cotton cloth. If a dry cloth does not completely clean the screen you can apply rubbing alcohol to the cloth and wipe the screen with the damp cloth. Rubbing alcohol is actually used to clean the LCD before it leaves the factory.


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The monitor screen can be cleaned with ordinary household glass cleaner. Be sure to turn off power from the monitor and spray the cleaner onto a lint-free cloth so the fluid doesn't leak into the electrical components inside the monitor. Vacuum off any dust that has settled on top of the monitor, and make sure no books or papers have been placed on the air vents. Obstructed monitor vents can cause the monitor to overheat or even catch on fire.

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A dirty optical or mechanical mouse (mouse with a ball) can cause the mouse to be difficult to move as well as cause strange mouse movement. The best way to keep your mouse clean is to purchase a proper mouse pad, and regularly wipe it with a damp cloth to ensure that it is dust and grime free.

For a mechanical mouse you must remove the bottom cover of the mouse. To do this, examine the bottom of the mouse to see which direction the mouse cover should be rotated. Pressing in gently and rotating the cover in the direction of the arrows will remove most mouse covers. Once the bottom cover and the ball are removed, you should be able to see three rollers located within the mouse. Use a cotton swab, your finger, and/or fingernail and move in a horizontal direction of the rollers. Usually, there will be a small line of hair and or dirt in the middle of the roller, remove this dirt and/or hair as much as possible. Clean the ball with a damp cloth and replace it within the mouse. Close and lock the cover.

For an optical mouse, attempt to clean the lens area with compressed air or a vacuum. Do not touch the lens or the LCD prism. Damaging these components can permanently stop the mouse form working.


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Because of numerous types of printers, different steps in cleaning printers, and printer manufacturer policies on cleaning the inside of the printer, we recommend you consult your manufacturer’s instructions.


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Flatbed scanners can become dirty with dust, fingerprints, and hair. To clean the outside of the scanner, the same towel or cotton cloth that you used for cleaning your computer case can be used. To clean a flatbed scanner's surface, spray a window cleaner onto a paper towel or clean cotton cloth and wipe the glass until clean. Never spray a liquid directly onto the component.


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Computer Trends makes no representations about the suitability of the information contained in this document for any purpose. All such documents are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind.

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