You might occasionally clear your desk and wipe it, but what are the chances that

you do the same for your laptop – honestly. Well, if you knew that one IT training

website found its computer keyboards were home to as many germs as a toilet

seat when they tested, and its laptop track pads had as many germs as paper

money, you might feel that your computer could probably do with a bit of a clean –

and here is how to do it!

Remember though, if you are inspired to clean up your computers make sure you turn them off and unplug any external keyboards or computer mice before you start.

The laptop case: once everything is powered down, take a damp cloth or sponge to the exteriors. Only use a diluted soap – nothing stronger – and make sure that you’re using as little liquid as possible on a wrung-out microfibre cloth or sponge. Five parts water to one part mild detergent is sufficient. Also, avoid using window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, abrasives, or cleaners containing hydrogen peroxide to clean a display screen, and don’t spray anything directly onto your device. After you’ve cleaned the outside of the laptop case with a damp cloth, wipe everything down again with a dry one to make sure you get rid of any excess liquid.

The screen: you want to be extra-careful while cleaning your screen so that you neither scratch nor damage it with liquid. Use a dry, microfibre cloth and if that doesn’t work try dampening it with just water. If necessary, you can buy specific screen-cleaning wipes or use that same diluted soap mixture as before. Again, if you’re going to use water, make sure to wring out as much liquid as you can from the sponge or cloth so that you don’t get your screen wet. (This will work for your TV screen as well.)

The keyboard: when it comes to the keyboard, you need to be very careful not to let water get under the keys. Use a can of compressed air or a small vacuum to get rid of any crumbs that might be stuck and hold your keyboard up at a 75° angle while you spray the compressed air inside, rotating the keyboard as you go to get the most crumbs to fall out. Then, use an alcohol-dampened cloth to clean any grease from the keyboard keys and use cotton buds or something similar to clean the areas between them. Again, you want to keep things as dry as possible.

The trackpad and mouse: again, you should tackle the trackpad with another damp, lint-free cloth, cleaning off any accumulated oils with alcohol or water. If your mouse has a sensor (rather than a ball), you can use compressed air to clean out any debris. Then, just wipe the exterior down just like the rest of your devices.