Cleaning your PC, but not like that!

We all know that having good antivirus and antimalware is a great way to keep your computer in tip-top shape, but what about the physical tower or case for laptops?

First things first, if your computer has some grating, understand that it is there to allow the devices inside your machine to cool down, this means, make sure those grated areas stay clear!  This includes any gaming consoles, cable boxes, modems, routers, what have you.  If it's electronic and has a grate, that's one of the reasons this grate exists.  Think of these as the nose and mouth of your computer, if they are covered, it cannot breathe and it NEEDS to breathe!

Think of those grates as the holes in a box when you a bringing a new pet home from the store.  You wouldn't do that to your beloved hamster, would you?  Cover all those holes?  No.  So please don't do it to your PCs!

If your grating is on the bottom of your laptop, please do NOT operate your laptop on top of anything with a cushion.  So, don't put a pillow under it!  All that heat has to go somewhere, and since the pillow will trap that heat, your computer will not be able to breathe.
Ideally, you'd have a cooling pad for a device that has grates in the bottom to keep it from overheating.

Also a danger for devices with grates on the bottom, they can fill with all manner of gunk!  You should endeavor to vacuum or use forced air in those grates a few times a year to make sure that those airways are STAYING clear!  Remember, your device has a ton of stuff in it, all of that stuff can and will overheat if you don't give it air!  Yes, it's ok to vacuum your devices in most cases, especially if the dust bunnies have found a comfy roost!  

Make sure the device is off before you do this, however, because it'll move some of the fans within the device if you vacuum or use forced air.  This is the same concept as trying to push a car that is in gear; it will be more difficult to do so and it's not good to force anything to move faster than it's supposed to can also cause a device to overheat, and actually break the fan!

And that's your Tech Witch Tip for today!  Make sure you keep the airways clear!