Extend The Life Of Your Electronics
Author: Mark Yarrobino
At our website, we get a lot of questions from customers who
want to learn how to properly care for their electronics in
order to extend their lifespan and maintain the quality of their
performance. So I thought I'd take a few minutes to pass along
some tips.
It probably shouldn't need to be said, but considering the
number of people who do absolutely nothing in the area of caring
for their possessions, I'll point out the obvious anyway: It's a
good idea to take care of your electronics. There I said it.
Even if you already have a manufacturer's warranty and an
extended warranty in place, it's still a good idea. The warranty
will cover you if the item breaks down, and of course anything
can break down, but wouldn't you like to minimize the chances of
that happening if you could?
OK, so hopefully you understand the importance of proper
maintenance. Now, maybe you're wondering how to do it. Well
below is a list to get you started.
First of all, keep them clear of dust. Dust is one of the great
killers of electronics. It gets inside the casing, attaches
itself to wires, motherboards and pretty much anything that
produces an electric pulse, then it fries them. Keep dust away.
There are right ways and wrong ways to clean off dust.
Dusting/Cleaning:
1. Use a damp, lint-free cloth and either water or a mild
cleaning agent. Don't use any harsh cleaning solvents because
they can do a lot of harm, especially to your expensive LCD or
plasma television screen.
2. In order to clean your plasma or LCD screen use a special
cleaner and anti-static cloth designed specifically for those
screens (which you can find at most electronics retailers).
Don't use regular glass cleaners.
3. Gently. Don't apply too much pressure or you might damage
your component, especially fragile TV screens.
4. Spray the cleaning solution onto the cloth first and then
wipe. Never spray it directly onto the item you're cleaning.
Electronics and liquids don't mix.
5. If you do spill liquid onto anything electronic, unplug it
immediately and have it looked at by a qualified professional
before you plug it back in.
6. Never use a vacuum to pick up dust. Vacuums create static
and can severely damage your electronics.
7. Get yourself a can of compressed air. They work great for
safely removing dust from your gadgets.
Your electronics are also very vulnerable to their environment.
Make sure that you store or display them properly. Here are some
storage tips.
Storage/Display:
1. Do not keep you electronics in an enclosed space. They
create a lot of heat when they are on, and they need proper
ventilation to keep from overheating.
2. Do not stack them directly on top of each other. You may
notice that many of your components have holes on the top and
back of their casings. Those holes provide ventilation for the
parts inside. If the ventilation holes are covered, the
component can overheat and break down.
3. Keep them out of direct sunlight. Once again, they can
overheat.
4. Keep them away from radiators or any other heaters.
5. Keep them away from damp or humid places. Get yourself a
dehumidifier if you need to.
Almost any user's manual that you have will include directions
for care of that specific item. Be sure to look through your
manuals to see if there are any special instructions that you
need to know about.
Well, there you go. While I don't consider this an exhaustive
list of everything you can do to care for your electronics, it
is a good review of the basics, and a good checklist for you to
follow.
If you follow the advice listed above, then most of your
electronics should stay healthy for a long time.
About The Author: Mark Yarrobino is the president of Maroon
Enterprises. One of their websites
(http://www.warrantydomain.com
providing top of the line warranties for electronics and
appliances at competitive prices.
