How to Preserve the Life of Your Electronics
How to Clean Electronics
We spend a lot of money on electronics in our home. Whether it's TV's, stereos, gaming systems, computers, or appliances most people slack off when it comes to taking care of them. Generally speaking, we purchase our new electronic, put it in our home and don't do much else with it other than use it. There are a few things that can be done that will extend the life of all your electronic devices by years if you do these simple but effective methods.
The absolute "killer" of all the above electronics is dust. First of all, make sure that all your heating/air conditioning ducts have filters where they come into the house itself. Most people just put one of those rectangle filter in their furnace, but don't think of the fact that air is still being forced into your home and with it dust particles. You can purchase these filters realatively cheap.
How to Remove Dust From Electronics
For your electronics such as TV's, DVD players, gaming consoles, stereos, and computers, the easiest and quickest way to get rid of the dust is to vacuum it off. Vacuum cleaners have several different attachments that you just put onto the hose of the vacuum. Just turn your electronic around and vacuum out the dust. Check the bottom as well because there are several electronics that have mini fans or slots on the bottom of them.
To remove dust from computers you can use the above "vacuum method." Or you can use an air compressor that has an attachment that looks like a needle. You'll be able to get into all the small crevices safely. It's also good to do this with your keyboard.
For appliances the vacumm works great as well, The biggest energy consuming appliance is the refrigerator. When dust gets around it and behind it, it has to pull even more electricity to run efficiantly. Pull out your refrigerator, pull off the panel that is on the bottom in the front. Use a long handled duster to remove any dust. Some fridges have coils on the back. If this is the case use the duster on them as well. When you put your refrigerator back, make sure to leave about 3 inches of space from the wall. A refrigerator needs space around it.
How to Clean Dryer and Stove
Your Dryer needs to be cleaned at least every 6 months. The reasoning for this, is that the dryer "creates" it's own dust in the form of lint. The quickest and easiest way to do this is purchase a lint trap cleaner. They are only a few dollars and will prevent build-up within your dryer which can cause your dryer to not work as efficiently. Also, make sure to vacuum around and behind your dryer as well.
For a stove, pull it out so you have access around it. In the back where there's all the small gaps and spaces, vacuum them all out. Make sure to clean the dust around the floor as well.