Warm weather is finally here, and you know what that means. It’s time for spring cleaning! When we think of spring cleaning, we typically think about dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and generally turning our homes inside out. But with the amount that we use our electronics, they could use a thorough scrub. So today, we’re going to talk about how you can spring-clean your devices, both inside and out.
Exterior Device Cleaning
When cleaning, avoid abrasive materials such as paper and fabric towels. To wipe your electronics, go with a soft, lint-free cloth, like those used to clean eyeglasses.
Do not use liquids to clean your devices unless explicitly stated in the care manual. That includes water and liquid cleaners like bleach and other corrosive fluids. Getting liquid in any of your devices’ openings can cause damage, especially to the speakers, headphone jack, or charging port. It’s also best to avoid aerosol sprays like Lysol air freshener – however, aerosol air compressors, or ‘air in a can,’ can be an effective way to clear the dust out of your devices’ nooks and crannies.
If you need to use a gentle cleaner—ideally one formulated for use on electronics—do not spray it directly onto your device. Spray the cleanser onto your soft cloth and gently wipe the device. When you clean, disconnect all wires, cables, and external power sources to your device.
Suppose you feel the need to disinfect your phone or laptop. In that case, it is acceptable to use a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe or a Clorox Disinfecting Wipe to clean the non-porous exterior surfaces of your device.
Interior Device Cleaning
Scrubbing the inside of your devices is a little more complicated than merely spritzing and wiping. Before clearing out your desktop, start by backing up your data. You can back up everything or pick and choose what you want to keep. Depending on your preferences, you can then export your data to the cloud or save it to an external hard drive.
Once everything is secure and backed up, you can start organizing and decluttering. Having an overcrowded desktop can cause your computer to run slowly, so keeping everything neat and tidy is a good practice. The same goes for your email. Review your emails regularly, delete what you don’t need, and organize the rest into files and subfiles. Even if you accidentally delete something you still need, you can rest easy knowing that all your data is saved elsewhere.
Many devices run apps in the background, even if you don’t use them. You may not notice this happening, but it can cause your device to run slower. Learn how to prevent infrequently used apps from starting up when you use your device, and for even more efficiency, disable those you don’t use.
Your cleaning efforts, plus fast and reliable internet from S&T, will keep your devices running more quickly and smoothly all year long.
