Cleaning your electronics can be a daunting task. You just spent so much of your hard earned money on the device itself, warranty, screen protectors, and more; there’s no doubt you want to make sure you’re cleaning your electronics properly and safely. Thankfully, cleaning your electronics is not difficult. All you need is the right cleaning supplies, products and practices. Before we get started, here are the essential items you need on hand to clean your smartphone, computer and more:
o Microfiber cloth
o Cotton swabs
o 1 part isopropyl-alcohol, 1 part water mixture – 60% water, 40% alcohol
o Compressed air canister
Why is it Important to Clean Your Electronics?
Our electronics are usually the last thing we think about cleaning. But did you know our electronics (particularly our smartphones) are riddled with bacteria, germs and pathogens? A study conducted at an American high school found approximately “…17,000 bacterial gene copies…on the phones of high school students.” Sounds pretty gross, doesn’t it?
Things to Keep in Mind:
o Always check the manufacturer’s manual before cleaning your electronics – follow the cleaning instructions provided before anything else.
o Unplug your electronics and remove batteries (if possible) before cleaning.
o Never spray water or cleaner directly onto your electronics.
o Check to see if any of your products (mainly smartphones) have a fingerprint resistant coating – you can try a touchscreen safe spray or ditch the alcohol/water mixture and just stick with water.
Cleaning Your Phone or Tablet:
First, check to see what kind of coating you have on your phone/tablet or screen protector. If you’re unsure, just stick with water and your clean microfiber cloth to avoid damaging your device. Take a cotton swab and dip into some water (or alcohol/water mixture if it’s safe to do so) to get into small crevices and corners.
Cleaning Your Laptop & Desktop Computer:
Turn off your laptop and take out the battery. For desktop computers, simply power down and unplug. Flip your laptop or keyboard over the garbage can and give a gentle shake to remove large pieces of debris. Compressed air is a great product to have on hand to whisk remaining dirt and dust away. Next, spray your alcohol/water mixture onto your clean microfiber cloth and wipe your keyboard. Take another microfiber cloth for your screen – you only want to use water to avoid damage. Same as your smartphone, use cotton swabs to get into hard to reach corners. Feel free to repeat this process for game consoles and controllers as well.
Cleaning Your TV:
Ensure you only use a microfiber cloth dipped in water to clean your TV. Most TV’s have an anti-reflective coating that is easily damaged by harsh chemicals in many cleaners, even your alcohol-water mixture.
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