Spring Clean Your Computer
Warm weather and the freshness of spring brings with it the desire for a deep spring clean. Throw open the shutters and let that sunshine in!
Many of us are great at scouring the kitchen and bathrooms, cleaning gutters, and the like, but remembering to clean something like your computer can easily be forgotten.
With that in mind, we wanted to share with you our inside and out computer spring cleaning checklist to help keep you organized and running smoothly.
OUTSIDE
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- Coated in bacteria, snacks, and grime, this high-traffic area can always use a little bit of TLC.
- Shake it off – get all that loose debris off your keyboard by shaking it loose
- Clean the keys – dip a Q-tip in some rubbing alcohol or sanitizer and wipe everything down
- Remove the keys – carefully follow your device’s instruction manual to remove your keys, use compressed air to clean the base and wash the keytops individually
- Put everything back together and give it a final wipe with a lint-free cloth
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- Don’t use just anything to wipe sticky fingerprints and dust from your monitor. Note that disinfecting wipes can also damage your tech! instead invest in a great microfiber cloth and use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and distilled water to dab that screen clean.
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- Our bodies are covered in oils, it’s easy to leave this behind anytime you touch something. You can use the same technique illustrated above (re screen wash) to also clean any dirtied surfaces
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- Messy cords here, there, and everywhere? Invest in some inexpensive zip ties and people will start to think you have a background in high tech!
INSIDE
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- Nothing is worse than seeing a thousand shortcuts for things you never use littering your desktop. Take the time to go through these links and remove the ones you don’t need
Use Folders – But Make Sure They Make Sense
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- Don’t make a system of file organization that doesn’t make intuitive sense to you and your needs. Nothing is more painful than knowing the file you’re looking for is “somewhere” on your computer, but not being able to pinpoint where because your folder names are generic and vague
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- If you’re not backing up your data somewhere, you’re not planning for the future. Whether this is a data back up to the cloud, external hard drive, flash drives etc, make sure that you’re doing something, and doing it regularly
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- Running out of space? Your forgotten download and temporarily stored files could be contributing to the problem. Make sure you remember to purge these folders and free up that valuable real estate.
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- Did you know that you can review the devices on your Wifi Network through your router’s online interface? Don’t recognize a device? Block it.
Have some more great ideas for Tech Spring Cleaning? Leave them below!
Happy Cyber Cleaning!