Cleaning out your computer can sometimes be an arduous task.

When your computer slows down, it might be due to some clogging up. Most likely, it means your computer needs some internal cleaning. Similarly, your computer is susceptible to some dusts and might need external cleaning too.

Here a few easy ways to unclog and clean out your computer:

1. Do not rinse your computer under a running tap

This might sound like a simple enough task, but it can be tempting.

No?

Anyway, a good way of cleaning dirt off your computer hardware would be to first unplug it and then turn it off. Take a microfiber cloth, slightly dampen it with water and start scrubbing the surfaces. However, be careful not to let any liquids around the ports.

Clean the screen by first wiping it from corner to corner with a dry cloth. Now, dampen the cloth with a little bit of water and wipe gently, do not scrub. Do not use cleaning solutions. The cloth too should not be dripping wet.

An alcohol-dampened cloth will be great to clean the mouse with. Stickiness and dust can reduce the efficiency of your mouse. Make sure the batteries are removed or unplugged before commencing cleaning. You can quickly clean a mechanical mouse by placing it on a piece of paper and moving the mouse around on there. Some of the dust should just roll off by itself.

2. Be Careful with the Keyboard

Make sure your computer is still turned off when cleaning the keyboard. This is very important.

                           Viral video of how NOT to clean your computer

 

If one of the things you do close to your computer is eating or drinking, it means there is a high chance you have crumbs on or inside the keys of the keyboard.

First, you need to get the dust or crumbs out by using a can of compressed air or a small fan. A good example is the type used for brides at parties. Another hack would be to use a straw and blow air with your mouth on to the keyboard to get the crumbs out.

Next, take out a clean cloth, methylated spirit and cotton buds. Dampen the cloth with some methylated spirit. Run the cloth over the keys to make them shiny. Now, take the cotton bud, dip it in a little bit of the methylated spirit and run it between the keys.

3. Delete Window Files

You can now turn the computer on to do some internal cleaning. One good way to unclog your computer especially when it is slow is to delete files in Windows.

If you have Windows 10, you most likely have an excellent storage manager. Go to the settings app, click on system, then the storage. Here, you can check the folders taking up most of the space on the computer. That way, you can look through to delete huge files that you no longer have use of.

Usually your computer would come with some pre-installed programs that you’ve never used, or don’t need. Get rid of them using the Settings app, click on Apps & Features to find and delete the apps. You could also use the Disk Cleanup utility to erase temporary files. This will help improve the speed of your computer and system files by freeing up some space.

4. Clear Your Browser History

The internet sometimes can be very toxic, with so much junk flying into the computer while we surf. To clear your browser history, go to your web browser, open the preferences, and clear out your browser history. This will help free up space and make your browsing experience a lot faster.

5. Reboot

After doing all of these, it is time to get back to the starting point. Turn off the computer and restart to start afresh on a clean slate.

Just like clearing out your room or dropping an emotional baggage, having a clean laptop can be super therapeutic.