How to clean your computer of dust and dirt.

That's right they do need to be cleaned, and I'm not talking about Windex on the monitor and digging out poppy seeds that dropped from your chin while eating a muffin, well maybe if you ate enough muffins over your keyboard it would get real gross.

Believe it or not your computer is mostly made up of electronic circuits, not magic like you may have been led to believe. Those circuits need to be kept cool and clean in order to work properly. Here are a few preventative maintenance tips to keep your machine operating in tip top shape for many years to come.

• Vacuum out any vents on your laptop especially if it has fans. Turn your laptop over and you will see what I mean. That fan is sucking in air from the outside to cool the processor running your computer; if it wasn't doing this your computer would overheat and fail. Simply take your vacuum cleaner and suck out all of the accumulated dust.
  
• While you're at it go over to your Wii and vacuum out its vent too. Game machines are computers with fans that accumulate dust. Cleaning out that vent will keep it from overheating and Mario Kart will thank you.
  
• Your desktop computer needs a little more work. Many of them have fans sucking in air to the case and to the power supply. Use your vacuum to suck out accumulated dust at any fan, open your computer's case to expose its electronics. You will find that a ton of dust and dirt has been sucked in. Dust can become a conductor and short out your circuits, it also reduces the capability of your computer to cool itself, vacuum out all dust and dirt you can see.
  
• If you own a wired or wireless keyboard your best bet for cleaning it is to power it down and again vacuum that sucker out, they make small vacuums for keyboards that you can try but you floor vacuum works too. If the keys are dirty then clean them with a small amount of alcohol and a cloth or some cotton swabs.
  
• Is your wired keyboard a filthy mess? Are ants crawling in and out? If you answered yes then here's how to get it really clean. Run it through the dishwasher, that's right the dishwasher. But DO NOT USE DETERGENT, detergent will leave residue inside that could short out circuits. Let your keyboard fully dry before plugging it back in, at least a couple of days. Shake it once in a while to see if any drops of water come out. You may be without the keyboard for a couple of days so plug in a spare if you have one.
  
  • NOTE: If you have a wireless keyboard that uses a battery and has an LCD you may not want to run it through the dishwasher. Batteries + Water = Bad News.
    
  • *HAZARD* you never want to get any piece of electrical equipment wet that has a battery installed or is plugged into an outlet. I could ruin your equipment, or ruin your life if it's plugged into the wall. You don't need that kind of bad hair day!
    

If you own a desktop computer you will suck in less dirt if it's not left on the floor while running, so move it on up to the desk, or place it in the nook that's made for it. Make sure the vents to your computer are not obstructed so air can flow. If you have a laptop get a small device that increases air flow by propping it up, and if it has a fan make sure to vacuum it out on a regular basis.

If you are unsure about how to open the case of your desktop computer then refer to its operating manual or simply use Google to find instructions on the web. Search for the model number and how to open the case, you will be surprised at how much information is out there on your machine.

Regular cleaning won't stop you from getting spyware but it will keep your hardware running for years.