How do you clean dirty monitors and UPS?

[paulyron]

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.   

[HanZie82]

Gloves + mask, and then put a lot of elbow grease in it.
First try and get most dust of with vacuum cleaner, then use said vacuum cleaner on blow setting to get rid of the last dust (outside ofcourse).
Then rub everything with some cleaning agent thats not to harsh. And just wipe it all off. Maybe even use a toothbrush for the hard to reach places.
Open up the UPS (im an electrician) and clean that too touroughly. including the fans and fan grills if any.

 

This is what i wouldve done.

The cleaning isnt hard, its just a lot of work if you want to do it right.

[emosun]

5 minutes ago, paulyron said:

How do I clean these 3 items safely before bringing it to another apartment

basic window cleaner or a slightly damp soapy rag. same way you'd clean glass really

[paulyron]

Just now, HanZie82 said:

Gloves + mask, and then put a lot of elbow grease in it.
First try and get most dust of with vacuum cleaner, then use said vacuum cleaner on blow setting to get rid of the last dust (outside ofcourse).
Then rub everything with some cleaning agent thats not to harsh. And just wipe it all off. Maybe even use a toothbrush for the hard to reach places.
Open up the UPS (im an electrician) and clean that too touroughly. including the fans and fan grills if any.

 

This is what i wouldve done.

The cleaning isnt hard, its just a lot of work if you want to do it right.

I don't have a vacuum cleaner.  Should a computer repair store have this service or who would I go to ask this?   How much would it cost if I were to bring each item to a computer shop for them to clean each?  Thing is only 1 of my monitors is expensive, it's a 32' 4k.  The other is a smaller one but I still use.  The UPS is old and has no battery but I use it as a surge protector.  

[emosun]

3 minutes ago, paulyron said:

Should a computer repair store have this service or who would I go to ask this?   How much would it cost if I were to bring each item to a computer shop for them to clean each? 

is there actual mold inside of the devices?

becuase if not then you don't have to clean the insides of the devices any more than a can of air duster

[Alan G]

Mold grows in damp places so it's not likely you have any on the devices you mention.  If you just need a surge protector, just buy a new one.  They are not that expensive compared to a UPS and you would not have to clean the UPS.

[Dedayog]

55 minutes ago, paulyron said:

I don't have a vacuum cleaner.  Should a computer repair store have this service or who would I go to ask this?   How much would it cost if I were to bring each item to a computer shop for them to clean each?  Thing is only 1 of my monitors is expensive, it's a 32' 4k.  The other is a smaller one but I still use.  The UPS is old and has no battery but I use it as a surge protector.  

Buy a vacuum cleaner.   

 

Look up mold remediation.  DO NOT bring moldy stuff to a shop.  No one needs your mold, for any reason.

 

Report the mold to the property manager, don't keep it quiet and let it spread.

 

The monitors can be cleaned with a Lysiol like agent or just a multisurface cleaner if no mold.

 

Honestly they probably need a blow out with a vacuum and a wipe down with some mild cleaner.  Have you never cleaned anything before?  Not sarcasm, honest question.

[DarkWaterSong]

4 minutes ago, Alan G said:

Mold grows in damp places so it's not likely you have any on the devices you mention.  If you just need a surge protector, just buy a new one.  They are not that expensive compared to a UPS and you would not have to clean the UPS.

Also UPS batteries degrade over time, so an older UPS may not be worthy of being salvaged.

[paulyron]

I don't have a vaccum cleaner or any of these things.  I don't even have a hair blowdryer at the moment.

 

 

I'm confused when people say soap and water and damp microfiber cloth.  Is that a good idea here?  What about wet one wipes or lysol wipes?

 

 

What about 70% iso alcohol?  Someone had suggested this for it.   The UPS is old and need new batteries.  I want to continue using it as a surge protector until I maybe buy a new batteries for it.  The thing is buying 2 new batteries for it probably would cost a good portion of buying a new UPS  

[Dedayog]

20 minutes ago, paulyron said:

I don't have a vaccum cleaner or any of these things.  I don't even have a hair blowdryer at the moment.

 

 

I'm confused when people say soap and water and damp microfiber cloth.  Is that a good idea here?  What about wet one wipes or lysol wipes?

 

 

What about 70% iso alcohol?  Someone had suggested this for it.   The UPS is old and need new batteries.  I want to continue using it as a surge protector until I maybe buy a new batteries for it.  The thing is buying 2 new batteries for it probably would cost a good portion of buying a new UPS  

What do you think a wet wipe contains?  Water and a detergent agent (a soap substance).

 

We're not saying throw them in the bathtub or dishwasher, but a wrung-out washcloth contains very little water.  WAter is a universal solvent, it will dissolve almost any substance short of oil.  Hence the soap. 

 

Really, just take a rag and a tiny bit of water and some elbow grease.  Cleaning is easier than you're making it.

[Alan G]

My universal glass/mirror cleaner is a little bit of Dawn detergent (US brand from Procter & Gamble, so I don't know what the equivalent is overseas) in water.  Use a microfiber cloth, wring it out, and use this to clean the surface.  Then, rinse it out with plain water, wring it and go over the surface to clear off any small amount of soap residue.

[paulyron]

On 6/27/2024 at 2:07 PM, emosun said:

is there actual mold inside of the devices?

becuase if not then you don't have to clean the insides of the devices any more than a can of air duster

I don't think there is mold in the devices.  I just went and took a look at it and there is a ton of dust though.

[paulyron]

On 6/27/2024 at 2:21 PM, Dedayog said:

Buy a vacuum cleaner.   

 

Look up mold remediation.  DO NOT bring moldy stuff to a shop.  No one needs your mold, for any reason.

 

Report the mold to the property manager, don't keep it quiet and let it spread.

 

The monitors can be cleaned with a Lysiol like agent or just a multisurface cleaner if no mold.

 

Honestly they probably need a blow out with a vacuum and a wipe down with some mild cleaner.  Have you never cleaned anything before?  Not sarcasm, honest question.

 

What about the walfort wipes for lens that I will post a few posts below?  I used it just recently at the old apartment and it seemed to clean the side of the monitors with a bit of dust well.  It also clean the monitor screen well as I used it previouslly for this.  I don't have a vacuum.

[paulyron]

On 6/27/2024 at 2:22 PM, DarkWaterSong said:

Also UPS batteries degrade over time, so an older UPS may not be worthy of being salvaged.

It degraded in about 3-4 years or so I believe.  The batteries are done and need replacement.  So I want to use it just as a surge protector as I did for a while.  I don't want to throw this UPS away though as I knew if I buy new batteries... I need to buy 2 batteries for this one, then it would work.

 

 

 

[paulyron]

On 6/28/2024 at 3:46 PM, Dedayog said:

What do you think a wet wipe contains?  Water and a detergent agent (a soap substance).

 

We're not saying throw them in the bathtub or dishwasher, but a wrung-out washcloth contains very little water.  WAter is a universal solvent, it will dissolve almost any substance short of oil.  Hence the soap. 

 

Really, just take a rag and a tiny bit of water and some elbow grease.  Cleaning is easier than you're making it.

Check my post just below.