#227 Spring Cleaning: Screens, Keyboards, and Exterior Surfaces

Now that we’ve had a (brief) taste of Spring, it’s a good time to clean your devices and rid yourself of smudged screens and crumb-filled keyboards.

Cleaning Screens

Tools:

• Water in a mist spray bottle
• Microfiber terry cloth

No cleaning solutions necessary! Just spray water onto your microfiber cloth and wipe the screen until streaks disappear.  A microfiber cloth works better than paper towels and reusable cloths, which leave behind streaks and lint.

Cleaning Keyboards

Tools:

• Can of compressed air
• Anti-bacterial wipes or the water and cloth used to clean the screen

The first thing you will want to do is flip the keyboard upside down to shake out loose particles.  After everything is loosened up, use the can of compressed air to blow away dirt stuck in between the keys.  Once that is done, just wipe down the keys with either antibacterial wipes or a microfiber cloth with water sprayed onto it.

Cleaning Exterior Surfaces

Tools:

• Microfiber terry cloth
• iKlear or Zagg cleaning solutions

For dirt and grime that is stuck to the outside of your devices, you may need more than just water to clear it up.  Zagg and iKlear make quality cleaning solutions that are relatively cheap.  Once you have the solution, just apply it to a microfiber cloth and scrub away.  Q-tips are a good alternative to microfiber cloths for cleaning ports and hard to reach places.

For more detailed information, please see this article from the Wall Street Journal, which contains a great video with examples.