There is nothing more important than keeping your A/V equipment neat freak clean—but just how you go about guaranteeing proper maintenance and cleaning takes place is something else entirely. When a consumer purchases expensive, high-tech electronic equipment there does come some personal responsibility in maintaining the upkeep for the long-term. This is just common sense. However, there is a precise and efficient way of cleaning you’re Home Theatre equipment, so let’s just take a look.
Effective Yet Non-Abrasive Cleaning Techniques for Your A/V Equipment
Cleaning your A/V system on a regular basis will practically guarantee you that it remains relatively dust free, even with pets residing in your home. Of course, if you do have furry friends you’ll want to clean more regularly than someone who doesn’t—just to remove excess pet hair and dust. This safeguards your priceless investment and minimises those headaches such as “overheating issues” due to excessive lint and hair settlement.
However, remember, the proper cleaning supplies are just as important as the act of the nit-picky cleaning itself. One of the most proficient in electronic cleaning supplies is the microfiber cloth. This handy little soft cloth is perfect for wiping off your television screens and speakers—nabbing lint and dust as easily as if you were just adjusting the sound. These are great in the respect that they are non-abrasive, so you never have to worry about any hair-line scratches or streaking either.
Properly Protecting Components of Your A/V Gear During Cleaning
Now, anyone with multiple A/V gadgets in their home understands that while cleaning regularly is extremely important in gaining longevity with electronic equipment—doing so the right way is certainly critical to proper care and maintenance in general. So obviously, if you have no idea how to remove grime from your A/V equipment safely and efficiently then you could certainly end up causing some internal damage to the circuitry.
There are always tips that you can follow to guarantee the perfect outcome and secure the lifespan of your A/V gear—after all, that is what anyone wants, right? Your home theatre system can be kept looking just like it did when you first brought it home if you follow the right techniques, so let’s take a little look at a few of them, shall we?
Tips for Proper Cleaning and Maintenance of A/V Equipment
For starters, it is important to understand just what a build-up of dirt, grime, overall lint and hair can do to your A/V equipment from a general perspective. These non-compatible agents can wreak havoc to the main components inside A/V gear; impairing the performance which is far worse than a concern of damaging some high-end finish. Overheating and faulty starts are some of the minor issues. So, to keep your home theatre system looking just like it did upon coming out of its box consider these tips:
- You should never begin cleaning A/V gear when it is turned to “on”, especially if you’re using any form of spray cleanser. So, for starters—make certain your switches are all in their off positions. A baby step, yes, but a most important one!
- When it comes to spray cleaners you should only use those which are stipulated to be for electronic equipment. While it appears to be common sense, many consumers often overlook this tiny fact and can create permanent issues with the internal features of A/V equipment. Utilising a soft cloth, and spraying the cleaner directly on that is the preferred method, rather than spraying onto the component itself.
- Following the manufacturer’s recommendations is the best means of safeguarding your precious A/V equipment for the long-term. Often a manufacturer will list what to use for cleaning, and often this is a very simplistic process. A damp cloth and microfiber buffing cloth might be all that is necessary.
- Clean the switches with soft brushes instead of any feather duster. Soft brushes can get in between the switches easily, picking up minuscule hair and lint in under 5 seconds. It is the perfect solution for tedious cleaning.
- When cleaning LCD television screens only use light dusting as the screen can be scratched with excessive back and forth movement. Furthermore, a damp cloth is better than spray cleaners too.
- Never utilise furniture polish or any form of spray that has alcohol or other harsh chemicals included. These can be abrasive to the finish of your A/V gear—once damaged it is rather difficult to correct.
These tips should definitely benefit you for some of your more ordinary A/V cleaning tasks. Of course, items such as Blu Ray players, or basic DVD players should be wiped down with just a microfiber or damp cloth and cleaning the dust from internal components is easily done with a lens cleaner disc that can be inserted into the tray or slot. For external dust removal around the components of some A/V items, utilising a cleaner such as: “dust-off,” or another compressed aerosol spray cleaner is perfect and definitely safe.
Utilising Specialty A/V Cleaners
When cleaning your A/V equipment, sometimes it is more feasible to purchase those products which have been uniquely designed for just this purpose. For instance, some cloths are already pre-dampened for wiping down stereo speakers and digital equipment in general. Those aerosol sprays that are dust busters are perfect for gaming consoles and outside components of electronics.
Now, if you do want your equipment to last for as long as possible, managing the maintenance on a weekly basis is the best option; especially when movement in your home creates a thin fall of dander and dust consistently. More often than not you’ll find that because most A/V equipment is black, dust shows more often. To improve the appearance and maintain your total satisfaction, resolving to clean these items once a week is more than ideal.
Most authentic cleaning products will provide satisfaction for the consumer if all instructions are followed accurately. In fact, for the most perfected cleaning regimen of A/V equipment the steps which have been outlined will allow you to have those optimal results each and every time.
