- Using compressed air, clean away any dust on the top of the monitor’s case.
Point the air stream to blow across the top of the monitor, not directly down
on it, to prevent dust from blowing into the monitor’s vents.
Never open and remove the cover of a monitor! There is an extremely high
voltage hazard inside every monitor, regardless of its size. - Use a soft cloth and either isopropyl alcohol or a general-purpose no-rinse
cleaner to clean the outside of the monitor case. The alcohol is probably a
better choice because it will not create a safety hazard if it’s inadvertently
dripped inside the case. - Use an antistatic cleaner or a Scotch-Brite HPEC for electronics cloth to clean
the glass of the monitor. Never use an ammonia-based glass cleaner on the
monitor glass. The monitor screen is coated with filtering chemicals to help
improve the image and reduce eyestrain. Using a harsh cleaner can remove
these coatings, harming the monitor and potentially harming you.
Never use water or a liquid cleaner to wash the monitor’s glass with the
power on. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity and if your hand
makes sufficient contact with the screen you could be the ground for the
electricity in the monitor. - Reconnect the monitor and test the video. If nothing displays, check the power
switch, the power cord, the video connection, and the brightness and contrast
settings, any of which could have been accidentally dislodged, moved, or turned
while you were cleaning the case.
Printer
The cleaning procedures and the supplies used vary by the type of printer in use. Laser
printers have completely different cleaning and maintenance requirements from inkjets
anddotmatrixprinters.Thissectiongivesageneraloverviewofthecleaningandpreven-
tive maintenance steps you can use for each type of printer. However, you should follow
the specific instructions provided by the manufacturer of your printer in the owner’s
manual or from the manufacturer’s Web site.
Laser Printer The general process for cleaning a laser printer (see Figure 22-9) follows.
However, because there are many different designs for how the laser toner and drum car-
tridgefitintoaprinter,theprocessusedforanyspecificprintermaybeslightlydifferent.
- Gather the tools you will need. To clean a laser printer thoroughly, you need to
have a laser cleaning kit for your make and model and a small vacuum cleaner
that is designed to handle laser printer toner. If the cleaning kit does not include
cleaning sheets, you should get a pack also.
Toner, as described in Chapter 17, is made up of ferrous oxide (iron) particles
that are coated with a plastic resin material. During the printer’s fusing
process, the plastic resin is melted to bond the toner to the paper. This greatChapter 22: PC Care and Maintenance^581