Dusting Tips for Home Entertainment Systems

We covet our home entertainment systems, so shouldn't we keep them as clean and dust-free as we can? Dusting and cleaning your your TVs, DVD players, computers, phones and video game systems will help them look good and last longer. Take care to read any special care or cleaning instructions which came with your device.

Supplies for Cleaning Electronics

You need some basic supplies to maintain your precious home entertainment systems. Some basic cleaning tools include:

canned air
electrostatic cloth
cotton swabs
soft and dry cloth or microfiber cloth
rubbing alcohol or wipes
cable ties (to keep it all neat)

TVs

Check with the cleaning instructions that came with your TV for your screen type before wiping it with anything besides a clean, dry cloth.

Keep dust off a TV screen by rubbing an unscented fabric softener dryer sheet across the screen. Or buy an electrostatic dust cloth to clean TV screens.

Stereo Equipment

Wipe down the front of your stereo using a soft cloth. You can spray a glass cleaner on the cloth, but not directly on the equipment. Clean the more detailed areas including the buttons in the front and the back of the stereo with a small dry paintbrush. Remember to wipe down the cables with a dry cloth. While you're back there, vacuum up the dust bunnies and corral the stereo cords with some cable ties.

DVDs and Players

You can keep your family room as dust-free as you please. but if you stick a dusty DVD from the shelf or from the library into the player, your efforts will have been wasted. Hold a DVD by the edges and spray both sides using compressed air. Or wipe a soft and dry cloth along the surface, starting in the middle and working your way out.

Clean the disc tray and inside of the player (without taking it apart) with a burst of compressed air.

Remote Control

Wipe down a remote control with a cloth dampened with alcohol if you can pry it out of hubby's hands. Use cotton swabs to clean in between buttons and to remove grime.

Video Game Systems

Video game systems can be wiped down with an dry cloth. If you have a keyboard vacuum, use that. Otherwise, try a can of compressed air to clean dust from the ventilation holes.