Q: Now that I’ve had my computer for a decent amount of time, I’ve grown concerned about how dirty some of the components are. I don’t really know what I should use to clean things like my monitor, and I was wondering if you could help me out.

A: If you don’t enroll your computer in regular maintenance, you could be shortening the life of the components. Dust and grime are everywhere, and they’ll take over your PC if you don’t seek to protect it. It’s not a good idea to just jump into the cleaning process all willy-nilly and start spraying various cleaning products all over your computer. By doing this, you’ll probably get some very unwelcome results. There are specific methods to follow when cleaning your computer, and it’s important to be aware of them.

This page will instruct you on how to safely clean your components. Not only are you given tips on how to go about cleaning the different parts of your computer setup, but you’re also given general recommendations on how often the cleaning process should take place.

Regular maintenance keeps the bed bugs… er, dust mites away.

Have a question or subject that you would like to see covered? Drop Brandon a line and maybe he can include it in a future edition of the Gnewbie Gnook! Also, don’t forget our forums (or, if you’re a Latin freak, “fora”) where Gnomies from all around the world congregate to help, be helped, and discuss issues that may or may not have anything to do with technology!