Most of us spend a good amount of time cleaning up our homes, our workspaces, and other areas the we frequent.

But, we never think about cleaning our computers. If your PC is getting sluggish, there’s a really good chance that you have to do some cleaning. And since it’s spring, why not take a bit of time one day to extend your spring-cleaning to your PC?

Here’s how to get it done.

Internal Cleaning

Sometimes, you have to clean up the inside of your PC. A dusty PC is never a good thing, so unplug your computer and let’s get started.

1. Unplug your PC completely – you don’t want to get shock.
2. Purchase and wear a ground bracelet, so that you aren’t carrying any kind of static charge to avoid an electrical shock.
3. Remove the case from your tower.
4. Use a vacuum (skip the brush attachment) to pick up any dust.
5. If you can’t get all of the dust with a vacuum, use a can of compressed air.
6. Make sure that all wires are connected properly (remove and reconnect loose wires).
7. Put the case back on.
8. Plug in your computer.

The whole process should only take approximately twenty minutes to complete. It’s worth doing this kind of computer cleanup once per month or once every two months. You will see a difference in the way that your PC works once you have removed all of that dust (and, believe me, PCs collect plenty of dust!).

Desktop Cleanup

If you’re like me, you probably have thousands of files sitting on your desktop. Let’s place those files into folders by creating folders on your desktop, moving each file into the right folder, and using those folders from now on. You can also defrag your computer to really speed things up.

How to Defrag Your Computer

Defragging is a lot simpler (and a lot less scary) that it seems. Just follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Find the defragging program icon.
3. Choose the ‘analysis’ button.
4. Follow the instructions.

Prior to defragging your computer, make sure that you have a steady source of power (otherwise, you won’t be able to finish the defragging process completely). After you’ve chosen the right steps as mentioned, simply leave your computer alone while it defrags. Once its done, you can reboot.

Note: it’s a good idea to back up any files or programs via the cloud or elsewhere prior to defragging (just in case).

See how simple that was? Between cleaning out the inside of your PC tower, putting files into folders, and defragging your system, your computer should run better, cooler, and faster. All of these cleaning steps are quick too, so you can really clean your computer on a regular basis. When it comes to spring cleaning, don’t just clean your home – make sure to clean out your computer too!

Do you need any help with defragging or cleaning your PC? Let us know below, and we’ll get back to you quickly.