How do you clean dirty monitors and UPS?

In my old apartment, I have a few monitors and a UPS. I have to move them to another apartment. The issue is these devices are very dirty and have lot of dust and all that. The other issue is there is mold in that apartment but I been using those monitors for years. There doesn't appear to be mold on the monitors though but that could be cleaned right?


How do I clean these 3 items safely before bringing it to another apartment? I would be putting all these 3 things on an older 4 foot folding table and then try to wipe it clean. The screens for the monitors are fine but the wires and cables are very dusty. I put the UPS on the floor so there is dust and it is definitely dirty. I got to assume there are mold spores there as well.


So you would wear nitrile gloves to clean it but what would you use to clean it? Sponge? Microfiber cloth? Bounty towels? Vinegar and water? 70% iso alcohol? Can't imagine you use soap and water right? What about wet ones or lysol wipes? I want to clean each of them and bring them to another apartment.

Okay so I went by to the apartment to check out my old monitors and the UPS.


The 2 monitors I have, the screen is a bit dusty. The side and the back especially however are very dusty. Even the cable cord for each is dusty as well. I do have a package of these walfort wet wipes for lens that you use on glasses but I had used these on my monitors previously without an issue below. I used 2 of these wipes to wipe the screen and also a bit of the side of the monitors where there is dust and it removed the dust. Now the back of these monitors have a ton of dust. Would using these wipes be a good idea instead? I notice it says these seem to be anti static which would work good for this situation? I still have maybe 8 of these wipes left. It seemed to do good job at cleaning my monitor screen which I have used previously before and remove a good amount of dust from the side of each monitor. So should I use more of these exact wipes for the back of the monitor where there is ton of dust there? It doesn't seem to leave much residue either. I also have some regular wet one wipes and I could buy lysol wipes. But don't do either of those?


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On to the UPS, there doesn't appear to be mold on it. However, it is extremely dusty especially the side areas on the left and right side where when I took a paper towel and wiped the side of it and basically pushed some dust inside it. That is not good right? So I took a paper towel and wiped some dust off but many of it went inside it. So I have to vacuum it or get a hair blowdryer for this? So those walfort wipes for lens wouldn't work for this scenario? The thing is I am going to bring all these things to a new apartment so I don't want to get the new apartment have dust or dirt etc. It seems like cleaning the monitors the back of it with lot of dust would be simple with these wipes but for the UPS, what should I do? Is there any risk bringing the UPS to another apartment if there is dust inside it? I mean the dust does stay inside it right? However, if you have fans or ac turned on, will the dust spread out of the UPS compartment into the apartment? Then again, it's only dust right?

I would blow as much dust as I can with air spray or air blower. I would then use a painter's brush to scrap any dirt that is stuck on the surfaces and blow once more. For cleaning you can use a wet cloth with water or glass cleaner. Wet the cloth, not the surface directly. I think you can also buy a special cleaning foam for the surfaces, but a wet cloth will do.

I do not have an air sprayer or air blower nor have any experience with any of that. I do recall a while back when I went to a computer shop to take a look at an old laptop of mine unrelated to these reasons, they would use a can of compressed air to clean my laptop a bit though I went there for another reason.


For what you described, that seemed very complicated for me here. Wouldn't those lens wipes from the link I posted work though for dust in back of monitor and dust on the cables of the monitor? It says anti static which seems good? I already used it on the side of the monitor and it removed a lot of dust. The back of these monitors have a lot of dust and I figure I would use 1-2 of these wipes for each monitor and it would wipe all the dust off. However, don't use it on either end of where you plug it to an outlet or the laptop right?


Now what about using it to wipe the UPS vents? Is that what it's called? I know that when I took a paper towel and wiped the area where there was dust, more dust went inside the vent. But is it fine bringing that UPS to a new apartment this way or it's bad as I'm bringing in a UPS with dust? I would have fan and Ac on so would the dust spread throughout the apartment even though the dust seems inside it?

You can clean with air spray (compressed air) the UPS and the back of the monitors externally. You don't have to open them unless you are experienced and know what you are doing. To clean the surface of the monitors you can use the wipes you described or any suitable lens cleaning wipes. I had a Polaroid spray for lens cleaning, so I could spray that on a cloth and clean the surface of the screen. Many could use glass cleaning liquid, but it could damage the special coatings of the screen, so I would rather use lens cleaning liquid or water. I think you can also buy special screen cleaning liquid.

i use a damp Jcloth with a small drop of antibacterial soap for my monitors.
cables can be cleaned the same way but you can use more antibacterial soap.
then use a clean towel to wipe to dry the screen and cables.

UPS i dont know about as i dont have one.

they may require this more then once if there is a lot of dust/dirt/grim.
i do this on a very regular basis for my all in computer screens and systems.

hope this helps and best of luck. Steve ..

The sanitizing liquid contains alcohol which must damage the plastic surfaces. I would avoid it.

What do you mean it contains alcohol? These walfort lens wipes doesn't seem to contain it? It is used for glasses and lens so using it monitor screen is fine and the back it seems.


But what you mean don't use it on plastic surfaces?


The thing is what about the UPS and the dust that is there though if I don't have air compressor or know how to do that if I buy one? Now is it fine to just bring the UPS with dust inside to the new apartment as it is?

newmann said:

I do not have an air sprayer or air blower nor have any experience with any of that

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What is meant by that is to use the canned/compressed air in aerosol cans one can get at automotive parts houses, hardware stores, stores like Wal*Mart or computer stores, don't need much training to use, just do it where the dust won't matter.

Berton said:

What is meant by that is to use the canned/compressed air in aerosol cans one can get at automotive parts houses, hardware stores, stores like Wal*Mart or computer stores, don't need much training to use, just do it where the dust won't matter.

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I have to check which ones are good here but any brand whether cheap or expensive is good?

You just spray it and that is all in the UPS? I saw online if you open the UPS up and use it, you have to take safety precautions but not if you don't do that? So if you spray it where the dust is... the dust comes out the other side? Again, I never used one before but noticed lot of people in computer shops do seem to have that.

Using canned air in devices can have dust going everywhere when it comes out, why I take computers outdoors to blow out before working on them.

Okay so if you use canned air, you never use it inside your apartment or house then? But computer stores do that though as they spray inside the computer store?


Now is it fine if I take the old UPS from old apartment to new one even if it has dust inside or that isn't a big deal? The thing is I have fans and AC on so would the dust come out of it and cause dust to come out? Then again, dust builds up a lot in people's desktop and UPS right?

newmann said:

But computer stores do that though as they spray inside the computer store?

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Never seen a shop do that but some do use a vacuum cleaner, I have one with the filter necessary for cleaning up printer toner spills.

Don't most shops when they do some cleaning even if customer goes for something else... the shop still have an air spray can though? Also when you check out youtube videos, it seems people who use it, use it inside the apartment or house?


But the bigger question here is... is it fine to bring a UPS to a new apartment if there is dust inside it? Or no harm in that? I mean, if you bring a desktop from old apartment to new one, well there could be ton of dust inside it but you don't notice it until you open it up? Or is it visible? I guess it depend if the cover is visible or not? With a UPS, it seem to be visible? But for a laptop, well if there's dust, it's inside anyway right? So any issue just bringing the UPS to new apartment as long as I clean the dust that is outside it and where I can wipe the dust off?

Right now I like opinion from others as well if it is fine to bring the UPS to new apartment even though there is dust inside it at the moment.

newmann said:

Right now I like opinion from others as well if it is fine to bring the UPS to new apartment even though there is dust inside it at the moment.

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I'll now defer to the request. My experience is not too extensive in the industry having bought my first computer in '92, retired 2 years later and got a new job in a computer store and building/repairing computers, been at it since but mostly fixing issues of clients as a freelance business.

Berton said:

I'll now defer to the request. My experience is not too extensive in the industry having bought my first computer in '92, retired 2 years later and got a new job in a computer store and building/repairing computers, been at it since but mostly fixing issues of clients as a freelance business.

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Okay. But would it be fine just to bring the UPS to the new apartment? Someone else said this in bold. That person say it's just dust and that is no big issue. So just wipe it with those walfort lens wipes in certain areas but in the vents where there is dust inside the UPS, just use paper towel?

Can someone tell me right now... is it fine to just bring the UPS from the old apartment to the new apartment with it still having dust inside the vents? I would wipe the UPS exterior with paper towel and those walfort lens wipes? I would only wipe the vent with paper towel?

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Yes!


It's just dusty, as long as there is no mold it's fine.

Dude, wipe it with anything you want. You're being incredibly weird about this, you can clean things with almost anything. I spray Windex directly on my TV and monitors, while they are on even.

I went to the old apartment and took lot of paper towel and wiped it. I used the walfort lens wipes on the cord and even near the interior of the cord where there was a lot of dust. That is fine right? I used it on the bottom of it as well.


Someone tells me if you have dust in your UPS, you have mold spores. Can anyone here confirm this? Are you saying if anyone has dust inside their equipment whether it's a UPS or desktop laptop where the inside is sort of visible from the sides, then you going to 100% have mold spores? Or you mean just in my situation because I said I think there might be mold in the UPS, then there is because there is dust? I had put the UPS in the old apartment on the floor as there wasn't enough space to put it on my older folding table. So when I put it on the folding table, it was dirty and I used walfort lens wipes and several paper towels. I didn't wet the paper towels


This is the one I have




If you click on the 360 degree picture of it and drag it around, notice how when you drag it to the side of each, there could be dust stuck in those things? I took a paper towel and just wiped any dust or paper stuck in it. However, in the picture... it doesn't appear the inside of the UPS is visible? When I was wiping multiple areas with a paper towel, I thought it was visible where dirt and other things went inside it?


I took it to the new apartment and just left it on the floor. There was a lot of dust around the cord as well especially the part of the cord that connects to the UPS so I used a walfort lens wipe on the cord and a paper towel from where the cord connects to the UPS. I think I might have used a bit of walfort lens wipe there as well. There is no issue with that right? I didn't connect the UPS to an outlet yet in the new apartment.


So will mold spores spread in general in the new apartment even without fans or AC turned on or if you turn it on, then spores will come out? Thing is lot of people desktop have dust though so those people have mold spores? Someone said as long as there is dust but no mold, then it's fine. But how you know if there is mold or not? You mean if it's visible? I did take some walfort lens wipes and even wiped the bottom of the UPS.


Is there a reason everyone says take it outside and use air to clean the interior? Then why do computer shops seem to do it on the inside then like when they open up your laptop and clean it with the compressed air? If you take a look at it, is it hard to open this UPS up? I don't even have a screwdriver or anything like that.


The thing that is confusing here is... is any dust I wiped earlier went inside the UPS? I thought if you wipe the dust, it either falls out or goes inside the UPS but the 360 degree picture shows there isn't anywhere for the dust to go inside the UPS from each of the sides?

No need to open the cover of the UPS or the monitors. Just blow as much dust as you can to unblock the air vents. With the vents as clean as possible, heat is better dissipated and the device doesn't overheat. Of course you do it outside unless you want to dust all your room. Services do it inside at dedicated areas and they clean them daily, or they also do it outside. Use either compressed air spray or air blower. Avoid using a vacuum cleaner because it may cause static electricity and damage the circuits. OK to do it once, but I would advise to use air, avoid the vacuum cleaner. Since heated dust may have stuck and hard to clean with just air, that's why I said to use a painter's brush to scrap it off. Needless to say the device much be switched off and disconnected from the power, just in case.

spapakons said:

No need to open the cover of the UPS or the monitors. Just blow as much dust as you can to unblock the air vents. With the vents as clean as possible, heat is better dissipated and the device doesn't overheat. Of course you do it outside unless you want to dust all your room. Services do it inside at dedicated areas and they clean them daily, or they also do it outside. Use either compressed air spray or air blower. Avoid using a vacuum cleaner because it may cause static electricity and damage the circuits. OK to do it once, but I would advise to use air, avoid the vacuum cleaner. Since heated dust may have stuck and hard to clean with just air, that's why I said to use a painter's brush to scrap it off. Needless to say the device much be switched off and disconnected from the power, just in case.

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Okay. Did you take a look at the 360 degree angle of it? So any dust you wipe off or blow away isn't going inside the UPS right? When I was cleaning the UPS with just paper towels, I had thought dust and things went inside it but there doesn't appear to be possible?