If you’re like me and you get a little bit of macabre pleasure from things like picking at scabs or biting at hangnails, you are probably similarly amorous of those little cans of compressed air.  There’s something supremely satisfying about using them to clean your keyboards –waking sleeping dustbunnies with a surprise burst, sending bits of cracker and lint flying at incalculable speeds.  Good times, good times.

BUT, it’s not so much with the eco-friendly. Nor are many of the commercially-available computer cleaning supplies commonly available.  So how can you clean your keyboard, monitor and mouse in an environmentally friendly way?  These green computer cleaning products will give you a head start on a cleaner, greener computer.

Green Keys

Compressed Air cans are often the go-to product for keyboard cleaning, but they’re far from eco-friendly.  Most use some percentage of tetrafluoroethane or difluoroethane-  naughty little greenhouse gasses. You don’t have to miss the satisfied swoosh entirely, though.  There are two products that can help you clear out your system without heating up the planet.

Giotto’s Rocket-Air

Rocket-Air is a hand-squeezed air pump that delivers a strong, You-Powered blast.  No harmful gasses, and it’s good strength-building for those tired little typey-fingers.

ReAir Refillable Duster

ReAir is another DIY air product which also has the benefit of being refillable. It’s a tad less green as you can only refill it 50 times, and you’ll need a bicycle pump to refill and re-pressurize it after each use, but it’s a great option for a little more oompfh, or for those with pain in hands/joints.

Natural Cleaning

Shmutz on your spacebar from too many lunch hours at your desk? A common problem that has an equally common solution. Unplug, power down and get out your distilled white vinegar.  Take a damp white cloth (damp is essential to cut down on static cling) and spray or sprinkle it with vinegar.  Wipe down all surfaces, save for the monitor screen.  Let it dry thoroughly before you plug in!

A Green Clean Screen

Keeping your monitor clean is easier than most folks think.  First, turn them off, dampen a clean, lint-free soft cloth with WATER ONLY (alcohol-based cleaners will eventually dry and crack your screen.) Wipe down the surface gently. Be careful not to press too hard on LCD screens as you can damage them. Don’t spray water directly onto the screen — only onto the cloth. Special cloths are available for cleaning monitors, and may be a good investment. Never use paper towels, as they both leave dust and have elements that can scratch LCD monitors.

And there you have it! Easy, green and clean!