Spring cleaning for gadgets

Fri Mar 7, 2008 11:22AM EST

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In addition to doing those other things you ought to take care of twice a year (like changing your toothbrush and replacing your furnace air filter), spring is a good time to clean your gadgets and computers to ensure they keep running well and looking good.

It doesn't have to take hours and hours. Here are some tips for cleaning your gear efficiently.

Blast it out
Anything you can physically open (primarily your desktop PCs) should be cleared of dust. Unplug your computer, remove the case, and take it outside. Get a can of compressed air and blow out all the dust bunnies, paying special attention to any fans in the case. Use quick, short bursts to avoid condensation.

Cleaning your laptop is especially important, as laptops have far less room for airflow and can overheat if they aren't kept free from dust. Use the compressed air's straw attachment to blow out the laptop's vents. Use it on your keyboard as well, to keep crumb buildup to a minimum.

Shine it up
I hate it when people touch my laptop screen or TV, because of the smudges their filthy fingerprints leave. Fingerprints can quickly turn from a mere annoyance to a permanent problem if they're left there for long, as the oils have an uncanny habit of setting in and eventually becoming impossible to remove. (Nothing will ruin your HDTV experience faster than a bunch of kids' handprints overlaying your video, forever.)

I've yet to find anything better than Purosol, which I've recommended in the past, for cleaning off LCD screens, but any store-bought LCD screen cleaner should work, as long as it's alcohol-free.

Don't forget to clean your camera displays and cell phone screen, too. Those touchscreens (like the iPhone's) can get especially nasty, riding around in your pocket all day.

Repair your media
Scratched CDs and DVDs can be mended. A variety of solutions are available on the market, but the cleaning-paste-and-towel method has always provided the best results for me.

Clean the surface of your CD with dish detergent and water. If scratches remain, use a commercial scratch repair kit that includes a thick paste that you rub into the media, and a microfiber cloth to wipe it clean.

I've never tried the motorized solutions that spin your disc around electronically while cleaning it, but users have reported mixed results on how well these really work. More expensive units seem to get better reviews, but maybe readers can offer feedback on their experiences with these devices in the comments below.

Comments on Spring cleaning for gadgets

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  • 6 Posted by mrsrbogart on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't have advice for spring cleaning you media and technology, but I just wanted to offer a warning to parents out there, as this happened to a friend of mine. If you are using the dusting cans to clean your computers, PLEASE

  • 7 Posted by mrsrbogart on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't have any advice for spring cleaning your media, just a little suggestion for parents out there, as this happened to a friend of mine. Parents, PLEASE keep the dusting cans out of reach of your children, just as you would any other poisonous household cleaner. Children as young as 9 are dying from inhaling this. It is called "dusting", and for children, they don't see it as wrong, as it is not taking a drug. The children inhale the content to get a 'buzz', but what happens is that the propellant R2 (which is heavier than air), fills your lungs and keeps the oxygen out, which is what creates the buzz. Eventually you don't have enough oxygen to get to your lungs and/or heart, so you die. Unfortunately, you don't have any warning signs as you would with other drug problems. I just want to let all parents know out there, so that they can protect their children! I would hate for any other family to suffer the tragic loss as my friend did!

  • 8 Posted by rrtc07@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    if you do have scratches on your cd/dvds unless they are really deep a light buffing will work, i volunteer at my local library and use a buffing machine its like a $1000 piece of equiptment and has different levels of cleaning, sometimes if you ask the library they'll put it on there machine for you its rare but get to know the staff first. i've seen all types of scratches and cracks and 99% of them come out. dvds are more apt to not playing with scratches than cds are. i hope this helps everyone out....

  • 9 Posted by ucrailco@verizon.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    I've used the SkipDr. crank-screw abrasive wheel system on some of my older game discs. If used IN CONJUNCTION WITH the paste polish system, (I compare the stuff to Car Wax) it works quite well, and has brought my Gran Turismo 2 discs back from the dead.

  • 10 Posted by butano18@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is also a good time to change batteries in smoke alarms, and clocks. If you have an emergency kit for disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes etc. it would be a good time to go through it and make sure batteries are fresh and none of the cans of your canned goods are bulging. It doesn't take that much time, and it's a weekend.

  • 11 Posted by jmjwboyce@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    As a former drywaller I can tell you that CD's on a job site have a short lifespan. Drywall dust is very abrasive and no matter how careful you are damage to the CD is inevitable. I've been using Meguiars plastic polish for years with great success. The #17 for heavy scratches and #10 for light ones. If I use the #17 I follow it up with the #10. Wash disc before and after. I buy mine at my auto parts store.

  • 12 Posted by rbbek@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    The SkipDr motorized and hand crank machines are great at restoring scratched discs. I've used both and have not had a disc I couldn't repair.

  • 13 Posted by lordan7174@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    Be sure to keep your duster cans locked up when you are not using them. While I was away from home, my daughter "huffed" my duster and almost died. Needless to say, she got hooked and started to shoplift the stuff.

  • 14 Posted by pjforest@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    Like B.Harris, I have children (four of them), so I constantly battle scratches on all disc media. I know all too well the pain of watching half a movie and having it freeze due to scratches or dirt. I've had success with taking DVDs to a video store and having them buff the scratches out. It costs $2 or $3 per disc, cheaper than replacing the disc. The only caveat; if the scratches are too deep, the disc cannot be repaired and is ruined. You can tell by holding the disc up to the light, label facing you. If you can see the scratch through the label, most likely it can't be repaired.

  • 15 Posted by david_shutek77 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I use windex to clean my cd's and dvd's. As for the motorized cleaners they work fairly well.

  • 16 Posted by twiga_riq on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    For cleaning and repair of CD's and DVD's, I use a hand-cranked device from digitalinnovations. It was very inexpensive and does a great job for both functions. I don't have kids around, but I use the A/V collections of our metropolitan library system. Every disk that goes into to one of my players first gets a good cleaning, and resurfacing when necessary.

  • 17 Posted by bettielewis@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    I know this sounds a little yukie... when I am in my car and my cd is skipping/missing... I spat on it and use my "spat" rag to clean it off and you would not believe how well it sounds after that. Yes, I've tried other stuff but my spat seems to work most effective. You know some people say that your own spat heals minor skin irritations. I've tried that too and it does stop itching...:-).

  • 19 Posted by zexp@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 11:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    I thought 50% water and 50% alcohol was a good screen cleaner. The article says no alcohol. What's the story here? Is there a screen cleaner that can be made at home?

  • 20 Posted by spiderfist@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    skip dr. skip dr. skip dr. .....maybe a run with the heavy scratch pad....but usually ... it does the trick.

  • 21 Posted by scifly1@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have tried every method mentioned including the manually operated kit that spins the disc while cleaning it. Maybe one out of ten gets cleaned/repaired enough to quickly make another copy. Unless it is a disc that I really, really want, I just toss it rather than waste the time.

  • 22 Posted by rorbincalendar on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    The information that Roqueist gave about "laser rot" or "CD rot" is inaccurate. Those effects have not been seen since the early days of cd making in the 1980s. There can be other issues but this is not one of them. It's best to make multiple copies of important data and scan them with something like Nero cd-dvd speed which will detect errors on the disc burn or chemical gaps. If you get a clean burn and store them in a dry room temperature area they could last 75-100 years.

  • 23 Posted by fluffythemagicelf on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just burn most of my CDs. The burning process takes the time to read what's under the scratches and unless your CD is seriously cracked then the burned copy should be skip free. CDs kept in my car tend to get pretty knocked around so I like to just use burned CDs in there so I always have the original copy safe in my house so I can make a new one if need be. Also, if my car were to be broken into and my CDs were stolen I wouldn't be losing hundreds of dollars of music.

  • 24 Posted by gmg0911 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have 4 boys and toothpaste works great! Cheap and effective.

  • 25 Posted by bobsieburg on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    Years ago I bought this gadget called Disk DR, one of my opperating software disks became un-readable due to scratch's, I tryed diffrent ways to fix the problem with no luck. This unit cane with two round disk,"1 is a spare" and on the outside edge is a very, supper fine emmery cloth of some sort. You put the scratched disk into gadget, use wetting solution that come's whith kit, close door and crank handle until you have cleaned up the disk.I worked everytime till the wheels lost there grit. Buy new disk's good to go again. Now I see some company out there is making one that is battery opperated, so no more hand cranking.

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