How do I safely clean my computer?

[Corny]

Reverting the discoloring effect of nicotine on plastic? I believe that's hard - or impossible.

 

[Paws]

And I thought this would be about a Windows user wanting to clean up his hard drive.

 

[Corny]

TSwhat? More information/link?

 

[Corny]

That's doesn't sound like something that you should use on a computer .. does it work on plastic at all? I'd try that first and maybe (carefully!) on some hidden spot at the computer. You should not let it touch anything else than the plastic (IF it doesn't corrode the plastic right from start .. )

 

[justdoitinnj]

I use IPA to clean anything thats made of plastic....works great !

 

[mike_n_herrin]

i used windex on the white PC my dad had after he passed away. it was very very yellow and most of it came off. i just made sure the windex didn't drip INTO the computer. for example when i did the top i layed it on it's side so the winded would drip down onto the table and not down into the computer. same thing with the face. when i did the sides i left it standing up. or you could spray a cloth with windex and then wipe with that leaving the excess on the cloth and not dripping on the PC.

a keyboard if you have spare or can live without if for a day can be safely cleaned in a dishwasher on the top tray with no detergent and the heat dry turned OFF. but then you need to give it a day or 2 to air dry to make sure there is no water left inside before you plug it back in. i have a spare keyboard so this works out ok for me. if the sides of your computer come off i would think you could put them in the dish washer also since there are no electrical components on the sides of your case. that is if your sides are removable, not all sides on PCs are.

 

[purina]

^^^What OnionFrye said. Might need a toothbrush to get in some places.

My sister gave me some Oil eater Cleaner, Degreaser from Costco, which she used full stength and said was the only thing that she could find that worked, but it did it no better or quicker than dish soap when I tried it. The stuff from Costco works great on soiled cuffs and collars though.

 

[knobgoblin]

If its really really bad, full strength Ammonia (which is the main ingredient in Windex, though highly diluted), wiped with a cloth dampened with just water to rinse the Ammonia residue, followed with full strength Bleach. Never, ever, ever allow the bleach and ammonia to mix or the resulting fumes can kill you, dead. Use in an exremely well ventilated area, preferably outside in a good strong breeze!

 

[purina]

I used several drops of clear Ivory on a wet nylon scrub cloth slightly wrung out, then used a wrung out wet face cloth to rinse with.

My sister tried TSP and said it didn't work very well for her.

 

[AdmiraalW238]

Not having read any of the responses so far...my response to "I have an aging eMAC" would simply be to say throw it out the window.

Oh and did I forget to mention I hate MACs lol

 

[LaloGS]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, spray any liquid directly on a computer or keyboard. Use paper towels and spray the liquid onto the towels and wipe the computer surface let it stand for a moment, then wipe it off. This may need to be repeated depending how hard the dirt has set up. You can use one of those spray grease removers or all purpose kitchen cleaners. They do a pretty good job of cutting through those kinds of accumulations, but once it is clean of the dirt, do it again with Windex to remove any film left behind. After that a wipe down with pledge on a soft rag should bring back some of the luster.

Q-tips work on a keyboard. It won't come completely clean under the keys, but the same cleansers will make it look better. Also , get some canned air from a computer or camera store, and blow out the int under the keys.

Good luck. This process van take a while, but it works