UBREAKIFIX Presents How to Properly Clean Your Electronics

By Heather Listhartke

One of the biggest frustrations with technology can be its natural ability to attract dust and grime. But when it comes to actually cleaning electronics, you might be wondering what type of cleaners should be used.

You might not realize, but when it comes to cleaning electronics, the high-end cleaners aren’t what’s best. In fact, the more minimalist you are, likely the better. When it comes to the internal components, most knowledgeable computer fixers, like the guys at UBREAKIFIX, stick with cans of compressed air to blow out dust and such. Sean Staggs, manager of UBREAKIFIX in Brentwood says that doing something as simple as using compressed air could have prevented the majority of the game console issues that they see regularly.

For those times that compressed air just won’t do the trick and you’re looking for something that will do a deeper, more thorough clean, Staggs recommends rubbing alcohol. You can use a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol to reach crevices on a keyboard and other hard to reach areas. Although you might be prone to grab water to clean your electronics, the additives and other things in it can cause damage to your computer. Rubbing alcohol, on the other hand, is one of the purest things out there and it doesn’t cause more damage. While this method works for internal cleaning, it doesn’t work to clean the screens

For those days you open your laptop and notice dozens of little fingerprints, grab a standard window cleaner. There’s no need for the specialized wiped, says Stagg. He suggests the Sprayway Glass Cleaner and reminds us to “never just spray the screen, but instead take a cloth with a small amount of the spray on it to clean the screen.’

Now that you know how to properly clean your electronics, try cleaning them on a regular basis to extend their life and keep them performing well. Besides using items that could harm your electronics to clean, Stagg says the most common mistake people make is NOT cleaning their devices. When dust accumulates in a laptop, PC or game console, it can insulate the components, which can “degrade performance and significantly shorten the device’s life” says Staggs.

This technology advice is brought to you with the help of UBREAKIFIX. From smartphones that have been run over by a car, to tablets that have taken a dive in a pool, UBREAKIFIX is prepared to face anything that comes their way. Every UBREAKIFIX technician goes through an intensive training process, and they maintain an environment of constant learning, so no device is too new, no technology too complicated.