GeekSugar

Website of the Day: Get Rid of Things

GeekSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:24:39 -0700

I was sitting on my couch the other day and found myself staring at my bookshelf. Although some of you may think you can never have enough books, the truth is, I have more than enough books. In fact, I started cleaning out said bookshelf and have now narrowed down my library to just about half the amount of novels, instruction manuals, and reference titles than when I started. But the only problem? What the heck do I do with all these books that are now living in a box in the middle of my apartment?

According to Get Rid of Things I could use the paper for scrapbooking, paper maché, or I could even dye my own paper for crafts if I wanted to. Sure, I could sell the books online (if I had the time), but this sounds way more fun. And that's the cool thing about Get Rid of Things - it doesn't just state the obvious ways you can get rid of unwanted books, but you'll find useful tidbits on how to get rid of cellulite, weird smells, and your husband. Just please read that last one with caution.

Geek Tip: Empty Your Trash For Good

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:00:14 -0700

Spring cleaning your gadgets isn't confined to just their surfaces - your desktop and hard drive need to be spruced up as well (the better to keep you running, my dear).

And what does everyone do? We throw files into the trash, and then conscientiously empty the trash.

Even after you've emptied the virtual can, though, your deleted files still exist.

Want to get rid of them for good? Then use this feature (for Mac OS X Leopard only): Secure Empty Trash.

Just select Secure Empty Trash from the Finder menu, and when the pop-up asks you to confirm that you want the items in the trash permanently erased, click OK. Poof, they're gone.

Source

Your Keyboard and Mouse: The Germiest Things on Your Desk

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:00:41 -0700

Yuck! This month's Marie Claire pinpoints the dirtiest things on your desktop, and what were at the top of the list?

Your mouse, at 846 germs per square inch, and your keyboard, at 719.

It's not that shocking considering that these are the two things you constantly have your hands on all day (minus points if you, like me, ever eat at your desk). And if you ever sneeze or cough with your hand over your mouth while sitting at your computer, you can't always get up and wash your hands right away - but the polite move of covering your mouth just became a germ-spreader when you put that hand back on your mouse and keys.

Are you a little bit leery to click and type now? Bust out some baby wipes and use my other gadget cleaning tips and keep your area germ free!

10 Ways to Keep Your Gadgets Clean

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:01:53 -0700

Ever since Spring has sprung its way back into my heart, I've not only had the urge to clean out my closet, but I've decided it's high time I gave some TLC to my gadget goods. So starting this weekend, I'm going to get out the tape, Q-tips, Windex, and wipes and wipe away the gunk and grime invading my trusty devices. Over 81 percent of you are already keeping your gadgets sparkling clean (holla!), but for those of you who need to be brought up to gadget cleaning speed, here are 10 easy-peasy ways to get your gadgets gleaming.

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Do You Clean Your Gadgets?

GeekSugar — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:09:29 -0800

Yuuuuck is what I say to my iPhone screen every few days, at the buildup of fingerprints and smudges (that slick glass is illuminating for how much makeup comes off on your cell phones). I wipe it, buff it, and occasionally take a damp cloth to it, thinking about the germs.

But that's not all. You want to talk gross? Anyone else got a keyboard whose keys used to be pristine white? Yeah, not so much anymore (check out my tips for how to get it clean again). And thinking about sneezing and coughing in cold season while putting my hand that was politely covering my own mouth back onto my mouse and I get the automatic heeby jeebies. One large canister of wipes, please!

I've got to wipe and clean my gadgets regularly, otherwise my imagination runs wild with images of nasty little animated germs on the items I put to my face and in my hands. Writing this, I'm compelled to reach for another wipe as well!

What about you? Do you clean your gadgets regularly, or am I just a clean freak?

Source

Rustic Computer Brush Gets to the Root of Your Grimy Gadgets

GeekSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:30:28 -0800

Blame Apple for the profusion of roundish, white space-looking accessories - because of them I was struck by how "unusual" this Computer Brush ($32) looks, even though it really resembles traditional house-cleaning supplies.

One side of the bristles is stiff to get out crumbs and other ucky crap from your keyboard; the other side is soft, antistatic goat hair to dedustify your monitor. The promise of cleanliness is what piques my interest, but to be honest, it's the back-to-basics styling that has me sold.

Geek Tip: Keep Your Mouse Clean With Paper

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:30:42 -0700

So you managed to get the grit and grime off your keyboard with geeksugar's helpful keyboard cleaning tips! Now it's onto the next task: removing dirt from the bottom of your mouse - yummy!

Here's a very simple mouse cleaning tip I discovered on lifehacker from Amit Agarwal of Digital Inspiration. All you need is a white piece of paper to get started. Slowly drag the mouse from the top of the piece of paper to the bottom. Repeat sideways if any dirt still appears on paper. The paper should instantly move the dirt away from the pads on the bottom of the mouse! Get more great tips from Digital Inspiration.

Did You Really Wipe Your Hard Drive Clean?

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:00:15 -0700

Contrary to popular belief, magnets, degaussers, and other x-ray or magnetic techniques are not the answer to wiping your computer's hard drive clean. In fact, drilling, smashing, torching and other external damage doesn't do the trick either, as those aggression releasing techniques can still leave parts of the platters in decent shape to retrieve data through forensics. Of course, chances that someone will take to using forensics to get a hold of your hard drive are minimal (unless you're a criminal), but you can never be too safe.

German encryption technology specialist Pointsec recently tested hard drives bought on eBay to see if they still carried data and discovered that seven out of every 10 devices it tested still bore readable information. That study followed similar research published in 2003 that found only 12 of the 129 working computer hard drives they bought in secondhand stores and on the auction site eBay had been adequately cleansed of sensitive data from their previous owners.

Source

Don't Clean Your HDTV (Or Any TV) with Windex

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:00:24 -0700

The geeks at Gizmodo recently reminded us of something we hope everyone knows, but is clearly worth repeating. Don't clean your HDTV with Windex! In fact, the safest bet is to not clean anything with a screen with an alcohol-based cleanser or harsh solvent. Here's more:

That's what happened when some poor schmo sprayed Windex (or any other cleaner) directly onto his ~~flat-panel~~ DLP. The liquid drips down to the bottom of the screen and then creeps back up, sandwiching itself between the screen and the protective plastic. Yeah, fingerprints and smudges happen, but use a soft cloth to wipe 'em away.

Older direct view TV's - These can be cleaned with glass cleaner and a paper towel, but it's best not to make a habit of it. Newer tubes that may contain any special coatings, like an anti-glare coating, should be cleaned with a damp cotton cloth, says Techlore.

Plasma - You should clean the front of the TV with a soft, damp cloth. The use of a mild soap for heavy cleaning is acceptable.

LCD Flat Panel - Caution! Use a slightly damp soft cloth to clean the LCD screen and dry with a soft cloth. Do not use any cleaning solvents, such as glass cleaner or soaps, to clean the LCD screen and do not press hard on the screen as it will damage easily.

Geek tip - Next time you are at the drug or electronics store, pick up a Dust-Off Microfiber Cleaning Cloth for your computer and camera screens. They were designed to effectively clean sensitive surfaces without scratching. Any brand works.

How To Clean Your Keyboard

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:08:20 -0800

While cleaning your computer keyboards is largely instinctual, some of us - namely me! - forget to do it often enough and things can get very dirty. If your keyboard is in need of a thorough cleaning, all you need is three minutes, a little finesse, and some around-the-office supplies.

I've found the best options for cleaning your keyboard are a lint free cloth, Q-tips, cleaning fluid (isopropyl alcohol) or dust buster spray and clear tape. To start your cleaning process, shut down your computer and remove the main plug, unplug the keyboard, and hold it upside down to release any large dust and food clumps that have been caught in keys (pressing the keys is a good way to release it). If you have a can of compressed air blow out any junk from around and under the keys; if not, you can use a little vacuum to clean it out. I opt for using Q-tips with a couple of drops of cleaner on them to take off the soda spills.

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Take your cloth and dampen it with your cleaning fluid (don't put the liquid directly on the keyboard) and then give the surface of the keyboard a good wipe over. When you have finished give the keyboard a wipe over with the dry cloth/duster, you should now have a nice clean keyboard, to clean it more thoroughly follow the guide below. Do this once every two weeks.