How Dust Affects Office Computers and What to Do About It

Did you know that over 60 per cent of the dust in a house comes from outside? Much of that dust comes in on shoes and rubs off on carpets and flooring. The same thing happens in an office environment, only on a much bigger scale. And that dust doesn't just cling to carpets and furniture. Dust can get into electronics too. That's bad news for your computers.

If dust gets into your office computers, eventually, that dust will begin to affect their performance. Dust can affect a computer's performance in three ways; read about it here and about two things you can do to prevent it.

Dust causes computers to overheat

Computers generate a lot of heat, especially when running multiple programs at the same time. But all computers have the ability to prevent the problem of overheating, which can affect a computer's performance. Computers cool themselves via air vents and an inner fan that works with sensors to regulate the temperature, especially when multiple programs are running.

But when dust builds up inside a computer over time, it affects the computer's ability to cool itself. Dust blocks the air filters, clogs the inner fans and smothers the electrical components. This causes a buildup of heat inside the computer. When a computer gets too hot it slows down and crashes more often.

In a worst-case scenario, overheating could damage a computer's internal components. You could even lose important data if dust causes your office computers to crash.

Dust damages computer circuit boards

When humidity is high, which it often is in Australia during summer, dust attracts moisture. It's no secret that moisture is the enemy of electrical components. If moist dust gets inside your office computers, it will begin to corrode their circuit boards. This will lead to your computers crashing intermittently, and eventually, you might have to repair or replace them.

Dust clogs USB ports

The USB ports of your computers are also important too. For instance, flash drives and memory sticks rely on computer USB ports to transfer information to and from your computers. If your USB ports are clogged with dust, they'll stop working, and thus interfere with your ability to share information.

Fortunately, you can avoid all of these problems by taking the following precautions and measures.

Hire a cleaning service to keep dust at bay

You can't stop staff members from bringing dust into your office. But you can stop dust from gathering on the floors and surfaces of your office. If dust is a problem, hire a commercial cleaning service that specializes in cleaning office spaces. To keep dust at a minimum, you'll need cleaners to vacuum your floors, clean the surfaces throughout your office and wipe down computer monitors.

It's also a good idea to have a cleaning service clean your ceiling tiles and the void above false ceiling tiles at least once a year.

Train your staff to care for their computers

Your staff members are also responsible for making sure that their computers don't suffer due to dust buildups. Supply each computer user with a can of air, which they can use to blow dust particles from their computer keyboard each day. And provide disinfectant wipes so that your staff members can wipe their keyboards and electronic equipment down before and after use.

Finally, encourage your staff members to keep their desks clutter-free. Clutter can sometimes get in the way of the air filters and interrupt the airflow within a computer. This could contribute to overheating issues.

As long as your hired cleaning service and staff members work together to keep dust to a minimum, your office computers should last longer and perform better.

Are you worried about the dust buildup in your office? Then you need the services of a commercial cleaning company like Comclean. With a team of over 60 cleaners, no job is too big. Call us today and we'll help keep your dust problems at bay.