It’s Fall cleaning time for your PC! Refresh your memory – Can’t remember how long has it been since the last time you cleaned your PC? Got rid of those old useless files? If you can’t remember, maybe it’s time to give your PC a little break and clean it

Don’t worry, there are other people who do not have the time set aside to clean their computer, but they do have the time to notice that their computer is slowing down. The regular cleaning of your computer and its parts, especially since most are in a restaurant environment, can keep your system running perfectly and help you determine which files are still important from the ones that needed to be rid of. This can also get your restaurant Point of Sale system up and running smoothly.

Below is some advice for fall cleaning:

1. Cleaning the mouse. You might not suspect it, but your mouse could hold many kind of harmful bacteria that may cause illness. Use a small amount of cleaning solution on a lint free cloth to clean your mouse every few weeks. If you or other users have been sick, you may want to do this more often..

2. Clean your keyboard. Keyboards collect a lot of extra dirt or germs from you – little crumbs the snacks you were munching on, dust from papers or folders going across the desk, and sometimes even dirty hands on the keyboard. Getting your keyboard cleaned is not hard as it seems, first turn off your computer, remove the plugs and take your keyboard to a trash can. Gently turn it upside down, to prevent it from falling to the ground, and lightly shake it or use compressed air to remove any dirt under the keys.

After you have cleared the dirt from around the keys, use cotton {swabs|buds} with a small amount of cleaning solution like isopropyl alcohol to clean in between the keys. Next use a lint free cloth with a little bit of cleaning solution to wipe the tops of all the keys. Finish up by wiping the entire keyboard with a dry cloth.

3. Cleaning your computer. This is the actual computer component that your monitor, keyboard and mouse plug in to , also called the CPU. These units can collect an astonishing amount of dust and debris, especially if they are placed on the floor. Did you just look down at your tower bewildered? If so, then it’s definitely time for a spring cleaning!

Using the same lint free and cleaning solution, start wiping down the outside vents and around the connections. You have to make sure you get as much dirt as you can off the vents. your PC is going to overheat.}

4. Dumping old files. Can you still remember how long has it been since you emptied the recycle bin? The recycle bin is where all deleted files go before they are permanently removed from your computers hard drive. To permanently remove all deleted files from the recycle bin, simply right click on the “trashcan” icon and select “Empty Recycle Bin”, then choose yes among the “yes or no” options. This will remove all your recycle bin’s content giving more free space on your hard drive.

5. Clear the cache. Another disk space hog can be temporary internet files that have never been deleted for ages! To simply delete temporary internet files within Microsoft Internet Explorer, open IE, click on Tools -> Internet Options. Under the Browsing History section, you can find the button “Delete…”. Click it and you will see several choices like Temporary Inter Files, Cookies, History, Form data and Passwords, which you can delete whenever you want.

Below is a brief description each choices under the Browsing History section:

Temporary Internet Files – Deleting this will remove all copies of the websites/webpages you’ve visited, images and media that are saved on your PC for {faster|quick} viewing.

Cookies – Also called the browser coockies, serves as the storage area where your web browser store bits of information. Deleting this will, remove all your website preferences such as login information.

History – Selecting this option will delete all websites you have visited.

Form Data – This will delete any saved information that you have typed into forms.

Password – This option contains all passwords that are automatically filled in when you log on to your online accounts. Deleting this will permanently remove all stored info from all websites you’ve visited in the past.

There’s also the Delete button that can clear all info of the choices above.

This should help starting the spring with a clean, healthy PC! regularly, especially if it is placed in an environment, like the restaurant kitchen, where dirts and spills are common.