Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

best way to deal with dust on your desk?

A

animatedude

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 27, 2010
1,143
88
i know this probably has been asked before but i couldn't find anything.

so yeah...what's the best way to deal with dust on your desk? any special products or something that i don't know about?:)
 
Really? Damp rag? Lemon Pledge? Any one of a kazillion furniture polishes out there. What does this have to do with Apple or Macs?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ignatius345
A clean desk is a happy desk. Slovenly work areas produce bad work and the people at the desk become smelly and sticky as well. Also, all this gets into and onto computer stuff.

This can all be solved with Windex, the world's best overall product. No oily or sticky film, a nice ammonia smell that wakes you up and keeps your nasal passages open, thus promoting good health.

Watch the movie My Fat Greek Wedding and learn all about Windex's many powers. Do not buy generic products that seem like Windex because they suck and likely do not have curative powers.

Squirt some on a cloth to clean your computer. I use a teeny amount of Dawn dishwashing soap on a damp cloth to clean the MBP screen and that works very well.
 
Swiffer Dusters are handy when tracking down and capturing dust bunnies ... especially when you want to avoid liquid cleaners.
 
BTW: if you go the Swiffer route and plan on dusting your computer equipment, it's probably best to go with the plain 'unscented' variety. God knows what kind of goo is in the Febreze and Lavender formulas :eek:
 
I find a damp (not sopping wet) cotton cloth works best then dry with a clean cotton towel. It removes the dust, costs practically nothing, leaves no residue like Pledge and similar products, quick and easy to work with, no oily over spray plus I have found that dust remains away just as long as if you used Pledge. I would use an old cotton towel and wash cloth as they have been laundered multiple times thus are less likely to leave lint after dusting. Don't use blends just 100% cotton as the synthetics may scratch plastic surfaces.

Swiffer's are okay. They are more expensive than a cloth and water as they need to be replaced often. I also found them to be less effective though quicker but are only useful on smooth surfaces. They grab any textured surface making dusting of many surfaces impossible.

Don't use the dusting attachment on a vacuum. It is not that effective unless you have a high end vacuum, sucks up objects you don't want to leave the surface and the bristles will scratch up any sleek and shiny plastic surface.

I would also dust computer screen first so that it will be completely dust free. As the cloths get used they will leave at least a tiny amount of dust after cleaning, this is unavoidable but the amount is so minuscule it can hardly be detected on shiny black surfaces.

If the screen is dirty and the water will not clean dampen another cloth with rubbing alcohol and apply to the screen then remove with your drying cloth. Do not use Windex, as I recall Windex can damage anti-glare coatings. Don't use paper towels for this either as they can scratch plastic as well. I think rubbing alcohol is what they use in those insanely priced LCD cleaning towelettes.
 
just leave the dust , cigarette ash and leftovers from the last pizza's , breadcrumbs or just rests from whatever you ate the last 6 month where they are ,garnish the lot with some empty and half empty beerbottles/ coke cans (depending what you prefer to drink) or some half empty cup's of coffee or tee , it brings such a nice homely feeling to the place and makes it look like you are actually working there ..just a thought :confused:


i personally use Mr.Sheen (multi surface polish) spray and a microfibre cloth , even perfect for bringing the apple alu keyboard to shine like new ;)
 
When things really get out of hand and there is real blood on your clothing, this is how you get it out:

1. Squirt the area with Windex and let it sit for a minute.

2. Tide HE, made for front-loaders, is next. Just the brand I know. Dab some on the blood with your fingers and rub it in and around.

3. Set the washer to COLD! And wash. Blood begone.

This works.
 
For some reason here in Boston this spring we had an insane amount of pollen in the air. With the windows in my office open before it got hot enough for AC I dealt with it everyday. I would literally have to clean my desk (it's white) every single day. I would see a yellow film across it and my wacom. If I put my arm down and lifted it up, it would be tainted yellow. So, I had a big problem. All I did was use a multi-surface cleaner and paper towels. I would spray the towels and not the desk. Be prepared to go through a lot of towels because they just smear once soaked and filled with dust.

A lot of those other dusters pick up a lot of dust but also put a lot back in the air meaning it will settle on your desk again in no time. Be diligent and use some sort of liquid with your towel.

YMMV
 
monokakata said:
Guy asks on a Mac forum . . . of course he has a high end vacuum.

You should see my $1,300 Electrolux kick the crap out of my dusty desk.
Click to expand...

I just bought a Kirby and found it did great with the dust then noticed the scratching plastic problem mentioned above with the dusting attachment. The POS I had before couldn't remove dust very well.
 
If it's a wooden desk, use Pledge. It'll leave it looking nice and shiny. If it's a glass desk, windex or any type of glass cleaner will work fine.

You seem more worried about keeping your desk clean than you do keeping your Mac clean :p. I wipe my Mac down every week or so with a paper towel dampened with water. If the screen gets really dirty though, I'll use windex instead of the water. I kept it so clean that the guy at the Apple Genius Bar asked me how old it was. He was shocked when I told him December :p.
 
I agree with the Windex route. I purchased a simple glass desk to highlight my iMac. Of course children don't go well with glass, but a quick clean and we are good. I suppose if I deviated from my no food at the computer rule things could quickly get out of hand...
 
i have a wooden Jonas desk from IKEA.
43773_PE139568_S3.jpg


i'm a very clean person but over here it gets dusty so fast.how often do you guys clean your display? is iKlear as good as i read? how often do you use that?
 
Piles of Paper

My approach is to keep the desk covered in piles of paper. That way, very little dust settles on the actual desk. And, if it does, I'll never see it. (Until I catch up on pushing the paper - or quit - whichever comes first.)

:)
 
If it's light, windex or furniture polish is fine.

But if it's a real problem, look into getting a good air purifier. It will help with the dust AND you won't be breathing any of it in either.
 
animatedude said:
i have a wooden Jonas desk from IKEA.
43773_PE139568_S3.jpg


i'm a very clean person but over here it gets dusty so fast.how often do you guys clean your display? is iKlear as good as i read? how often do you use that?
Click to expand...

iKlear is best for your computers etc, I wouldn't waste it on cleaning a desk. I personally use a slightly damp microfibre type cloth to clump the dust then turn it over and use the dry side to dry it and take it away. I hate cleaning my desk properly but it must be done throughly every few weeks otherwise its just grimy.
 
iKlear for grease on screens.

But for the desk go Green and just use water on a soft cloth.

Research shows the more chemical cleaners you use in your household the higher risk of cancer etc.
 
The iSuck keyboard vacuum from Apple! Some say it doesn't suck enough, but Jobs, in a 2 am email, cryptically says it does, but will release a less restrictive filter at a later date.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back