Nerd Chick Adventures: Spring clean your gadgets

When one thinks of spring cleaning, it's more likely your garage or closet that commands your attention than your earphones, keyboard and cellphone. Yet when it comes to germs and grime, it's difficult to imagine anything else that you touch on a daily basis that gets more dirt and so little cleaning attention. If the 10-or-so sneezes I'm treated to each day are any indication, spring has sprung. So take a few moments to give your gadgets and accessories some sanitizing love this season.

As I wipe baby drool and fingerprint smudges off my phone with the hem of my shirt, I'm reminded of the well-publicized statistic that cellphones harbor more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Yuck. Power off your device, remove your case and let's get cleaning.

As tempting as it is to take a sanitizing wipe to your gadgets - I admit, I've done it myself during cold and flu season - harsh chemicals and ammonia can damage the special coating on your phone or tablet's screen. Any glass surface, be it on your phone, monitor or tablet, is best cleaned with a little water and a microfiber cloth. Don't dunk your phone in water, of course; dampen a small portion of the microfiber cloth and use it to scrub fingerprints and debris from your screens, then polish with a dry section.

While there are cleaning solutions marketed as made for your electronics, the truth is that most are simply a solution of distilled water and rubbing alcohol. You could make a solution yourself with equal parts distilled water and rubbing alcohol, and store some in a travel hair spray bottle for when your screen gets really gnarly, but always try plain water first. Many screen manufacturers warn against the use of alcohol on their products so it's best to consult your owner's manual before use.

Better yet, consider picking up a few packs of Wireless Wipes ( http://ift.tt/1r29xD7, $2.95/pack of 10). According to the package, the product's creator developed a staph infection on his face that his doctor said was likely from his cellphone and decided it was high time to make it easier to sanitize mobile devices. The wipes are noncorrosive and come in scents like green tea cucumber and pomegranate citrus.

If you want to get more aggressive in your assault on germs, you could invest in a UV cleaner like the PhoneSoap universal charger and UV sanitizer for mobile devices ( www.phonesoap.com/, $59.95). Just place your phone or mobile device in the clamshell case and four minutes later your phone won't look any different but it will be bacteria-free. UV cleaners blast a range of UV rays at your device and, just like the UV cleaners used by your dentist or doctor, the rays kill off any bacteria harbored in its nooks and crannies.

These tips are all fine and good for the smudges on screens and surface germs, but what about the actual gunk trapped in the crevices of your handheld devices and computer keyboard? After wiping down the surface with a damp microfiber cloth, there's probably still some dirt and grime crammed in between the keys and in those tiny button spaces. The best tools in your arsenal to clean these areas are canned air, a baby toothbrush and Q-tips.

Use canned air to blow out crumbs and dust trapped between buttons or keys. Be careful not to blow dirt into air vents. Instead, direct your compressed air stream at an angle to dislodge debris without forcing it further into your device.

Use a baby toothbrush to gently dislodge stuck food or dirt from in between keys or out of small button or vent spaces. Use care to pick an extra soft brush and refrain from aggressive scrubbing so that you don't scratch the surface.

For really stuck-on or sticky goo, use a Q-tip dipped in the rubbing alcohol and distilled water solution mentioned earlier. Blot excess liquid before using it on your electronics. The alcohol will help the moisture evaporate more quickly from the surface.

Finally, take a look at your headphones. Ear buds are all fine and good for discreetly taking calls and listening to music, but they are also ear wax magnets. Blech. Headphone maker Bose recommends that you first remove any foam tips and clean them with warm soapy water. Make sure you let them dry before re-affixing them.

If there's debris on the mesh surface under foam tips, first try to clean them using a dry microfiber cloth. If gunk remains trapped in the mesh, dip the microfiber cloth in hydrogen peroxide until damp, not soaked. Wipe the headphones with the hydrogen peroxide and allow it to sit until the solution can soften any debris. Now use a dry baby toothbrush to gently clean debris from the headphones themselves, wiping clean with a dry part of the microfiber cloth.

Hopefully once your gadgets and accessories are sparkly clean you'll be inspired to keep them that way. Happy Spring!

Nerd Chick Adventures is written by Andrea Eldridge and Heather Neal from Nerds on Call, an on-site computer and laptop repair company in Redding. They can be reached at nerdchick@callnerds.com.

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