MaximumPC 2007 04

how (^2) ImprovIng your pc experIence, one step at a tIme
CLEAN YOUR KEYBOARD
Most avid computer users are intimately
familiar with the condition known as
keyboard crud—that coating of accu-
mulated dust, crumbs, spilled drinks,
and even animal fur that not only looks
disgusting but also impedes your key-
board’s performance. Well, you can eas-
ily clean that Petri dish of a peripheral by
running it through the dishwasher. We’ve
done it. It works. It won’t destroy your
keyboard (probably).
First, give your board a good shaking
to remove any loose debris. Use a Zip
tie to bundle up the keyboard’s cord, so
it doesn’t flop around in the wash. (We
don’t recommend using this technique
with wireless keyboards.) Place the key-
board on the top tray of the dishwasher,
with the keys facing down. Add just a
smidge of dishwasher soap—approxi-
mately one teaspoon. Make sure the dish-
washer’s heated dry cycle is disabled—it
could melt your keyboard. If you can’t
deactivate heat dry, try the gentle cycle
or make sure you stop the dishwasher
before drying starts. Once the board has
been washed, let it drain facedown on a
towel for a few days—shake it to ensure
no water remains inside. To speed up the
drying process, you can pop off the keys
and dry the parts manually.
INSTALL FILTERS
We’ve run this tip before, but it’s too
good not to share again. Installing filters
over your case’s intakes is quick, easy,
and painless. And, it’s the simplest way
to make sure you don’t have to clean out
your case again anytime soon.
To make your filters, you’ll want to
get some dry Swiffer pads or a similar
floor-dusting product. These cloths
attract and trap a ton of dust, aren’t
particularly expensive, and can be cut
to fit pretty much any size fan. Just trim
the Swiffer to cover the fan and the area
around it, then tape it down, leaving no
gaps for air to leak into.
In our before shot, you can see that
this keyboard was absolutely filthy.
After a run through the dishwasher and
a four-day drying, our keyboard looked
brand new, and worked well to boot!
If your case doesn’t come with fil-
ters, you can make some using a
Swiffer pad.
on the sticks and the area between the
slots a quick wipe. Then reinstall your
memory, put the board back in the sys-
tem, and reinstall your videocards.
If air moves over your memory, it
can get covered in dust. Wipe the
sticks with some rubbing alcohol to
clean them.