How to Safety Clean Electronic Components
Cleaning electronic components properly leads to longer life spans of your equipment. This must be performed with care as to not damage the circuitry or trap even more dust or grime into the small spaces of the electronics. Note; some electronics have capacitors at the power source that holds the charge even after unplugged. To avoid electrocution, use caution.
Items Necessary:
- Clean cloth rag
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Screwdriver
- Compressed air can
- Glass cleaner
- Cotton swabs
- Toothpick
- Unplug the electronics power cord from the electrical outlet in order to ensure a safe working environment. Note that even some electronics have capacitors that hold a charge even after unplugged. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the look of the capacitor.
- Unplug the component cables from the units to make sure the wires are not damaged.
- Sweep the dry dust, lint, and cobwebs off of the unit with the cloth before applying any wet cleaners.
- Use a toothpick to gently remove dust and dirt from small crevices. You can even dampen the tip with the alcohol or glass cleaner to soften the tip, and to aid in removing tough grease.
- Spray keyboards and the inside of LCD television sets with the compressed air. Be careful to keep from breathing in the excessive dust.
- Wipe electrical components and circuitry very gently with a cotton swab dipped into a small amount of isopropyl alcohol. Be sure the swab is not too wet as this may damage the components.
- Clean the tips of the wired connections with alcohol; this will give the components better picture and sound quality.
- Open a desk computer with a screwdriver and remove the case. Use the compressed air to get dust out of hard to reach places. Never spray anything into the computer, and remember that the power box on a computer contains a capacitor that holds charge even when unplugged, which can cause fatal electrical shock.