Cleaning your devices

Every soldier knows: Your performance on the battlefield depends on the condition of your equipment.
Not only the blood and brains of the fallen but also coke, beer,crisps, ashes, sweat and maybe even cum have a negative impact on your devices' operational capability. Keys start to stick, you lose grip and your mouse starts jerking. To put this to an end, here's the ultimate guide to clean your hardware!


Before proceeding make sure to pull the plugs to avoid damaging your devices (and/or yourself :P ) Reading this guide with a switched off monitor might turn out a little bit tricky though.


The monitor:
I guess all of you guys know how to clean a monitor. =) Just another hint: For CRTs use a window cleaner with ammonia (Ajax Glasrein for Germans). They are much better than those with alcohol and they remove even dried cum... I guess... Erm, - yes... *blush*
I have no idea how to clean an LCD, but if you use one you're probably a noob anyway.


The Keyboard:
Step 1: Remove all the keys by using something slim as a lever.
Step 2: Remove the upper part of the keyboard using a screwdriver or something similar:



Step 3: Put all the stuff in your dishwasher. Alternatively you can clean the keys yourself, but this tutorial is for the lazy ones.



For owners of cheap logitech keyboards with affixed letters this method is not recommended. Set your dishwasher to Bio-Mode, if supported.



Step 4: Under the "Space" and the right "Shift" key, you'll probably find some metal brackets. Clean them and then grease them again. You can use vaseline for this step:



Step 5: When the dishwasher is finished, mount everything and voila: Your keyboard is clean and looks like new.


The Mouse:
Step 1: Clean the case with a humid cloth.
Step 2: To remove the dirt in the gaps between buttons use a toothpic or a needle. Tilt your mouse so the dirt doesn't fall to the inside.
Step 3: Now the really important thing: To clean the sensor use a Qtip. Just breathe upon it (or wet it just a little bit with destilled water) and carefully clean the sensor by constantly rotating the Qtip. Do not use pressure. I can imagine that naphta or denaturated alcohol works too. But I wouldn't want to test it ;)

Step 4 (Optional): After cleaning the mouse I like to polish the bottom with silicon spray. Unlike vaseline it doesn't grease, so don't worry about dust and stuff sticking to your mouse.It makes the surface quite slippery and gives it a shiny look.





The Mousepad
If you use a clothpad, just put it in the washing mashine. No joke. I wouldn't set the temperature to more than 30°C, though. To remove dust, use a vacuum cleaner.
Glass, metal or plastic pads can be cleaned with simple water.



That's it! Now your gear is in a top condition and you can start owning again.
Happy fragging!