V-DAY: LOVE THYSELF FIRST!

Ruwandi Perera plans to gift herself a clean computer on Valentine’s Day

This may be the year to flip Valentine’s Day on its head. Instead of giving gifts only to that special someone, why not also do something valuable for yourself on V-day? Perhaps it’s time to think outside the box and expend your energy on an activity that you will truly appreciate throughout the year…

In 2000, the Institute for Business Technology (IBT) in the US declared the second Monday in February as ‘National Clean Out Your Computer Day.’ Actually, it would make a lot of sense for this to be a task for every second Monday each month. But since it falls on V-day this year, why not address a much needed chore and give yourself an enduring gift for Valentine’s Day?

Studies show that computer keyboards carry more germs than a toilet seat! While most of us use our own machines and do not share them with others, we can’t ignore the fact that our computers are full of dust, food crumbs, hair follicles and sundry microbes that don’t only make them revolting but also dampen their speed and productivity.

Computers need cleaning – both inside and out. So let’s start with the exterior, shall we?

Firstly, we’re thankful that we’ve moved on from desk­tops to laptops that are easier to clean and contain fewer germs. Secondly, cleaning your machine doesn’t require complicated tools: a microfibre cloth, cotton swabs, some 90-100 percent isopropyl alcohol and a silicone blower or rubber air pump dust clea­ner are all that’s needed.

Clean the keyboard area first by blowing short bursts of air from the blower, and push the dust and other particles from the centre of the keyboard to the sides. If you like, dab the cotton swabs with some iso­propyl alcohol and carefully clean the keys. Remember, laptop keys are much more delicate than their old desktop counterparts – so go easy!

Your screen comes next. Use only a microfibre cloth on your screen: gently run it across the screen in horizontal or vertical motions and you’re done. Don’t push too hard or make circular motions – go for wider movements.

Next, lightly run the microfibre cloth over the machine on all sides and use the blower for vents or hinges. Don’t forget your laptop case and charging cables. If you’re efficient, you should be able to do all this in less than 20 minutes.

Cleaning the interior of your computer is more important than doing the same to hard­ware. If you love storing things on the desktop or your OCD compels you to have backups of backups, set those feelings aside and opt for logical think­ing. If your computer has too many files, spam emails and unnecessary documents, it might be working at a slower speed than it should.

Sort out your desktop first – because the more cluttered it is, its performance in terms of clarity and speed will be severely compromised.

Create folders and rationalise your files. Don’t have too many items on your desktop either; use your documents folder for that. Delete any unnecessary documents or files, and unimportant videos and photos, which you’ve transferred from your phone ages ago.

Then tackle your emails, and delete all spam and other unnecessary promotional material. Check your programmes list, and delete anything that you haven’t used in the last year and may not need later.

Check if you’re running your programmes on outdated versions and update according­ly because older means slower speeds. If your computer has the option to run a disk clean­up, use it as this will help speed up your machine.

Having said this, do ensure that the important material is backed up properly and make use of your Google Drive or iCloud – chances are they’re not utilised to their full poten­tial and are used instead for photos or videos from yester­year. Also check your antivirus software, and ensure that it’s updated and up to speed.

Lastly, after ensuring that your machine is shinier and speedier than before, share the love! Allow your computer cleaning process to go viral and let it trend on social media feeds – the world is too advanced today for dirty laptops and slow machines!

Computers are the one tool most of us need to do our job – our singular work-related asset. So keeping it clean is not optional but mandatory. Dust, grime and other bacteria not only take away the shine from your machine, but also slow it down and cause it to heat faster. Regular cleaning prevents computers from overheating and reduces the need for repairs.

Observing National Clean Out Your Computer Day will be much more rewarding in the long run than receiving roses or chocolates!