I guess it is time for a new spring cleaning tip. Caned air is great for cleaning out DVD drives, fan vents and keyboards (turn upside down and blow). Dust on screens and equipment surfaces has always been a pain.

Using rags and chemicals to clean electronic surfaces is a big no-no. Chemicals can ruin plastics, film left on surfaces can actually cause more buildup. Some cleaners will yellow or discolor monitor screens as well.

We have been using Swiffer dusting products for some time. They contain no chemicals, attract dust like crazy and are disposable. Yes I know, there is a green issue here. I have already contracted Proctor and Gambol on the subject of greening up this product. It is not recyclable and rivals old diapers on biodegradability. But, until something better comes along, this is a usable alternative.

A word of caution, the Swiffer floor products are junk. Handles fall apart, wet pads dry up before being used and STINK! The P&G FAQ page has this patronizing description of the contents of their wet mop products:

WetJet and Wet cloth ingredients
Published 05/07/2004 03:47 PM   |    Updated 10/10/2005 04:23 PM
What's in the solution?
Swiffer Wet Cloths and WetJet solutions are made of perfume and water-soluble cleaning ingredients commonly found in cleaning products everywhere.

Needless to say, we are sticking with our bucket and mop solution. At least we don't stink ourselves out of the lab and we know what chemicals are in play.

Tags: Electronics Cleaning, Dusting, Equipment Maintenance, Wet Mop Ingredients.

It is time to end the Anti-Virus (AV) madness. I am not sure why this is such a big secret, but... Microsoft provides a FREE, YES FREE anti virus for all of their desktop operating systems. Why Microsoft does not have it in their product as a standard feature? I will leave that question to the conspiracy theorists.

I suppose the bigger question is why is the Microsoft operating system so susceptible to attacks? Yes, Microsoft drones claim that it is market numbers, but if you follow their logic, and actually run the numbers, the results are still WAY out of whack.

Rant over.

If you are not locked into a specific Microsoft Based products, there are several alternatives. The 1st is Apple. They have made real progress into the home and business market in the last few years. A close 2nd is the Ubuntu project. If you are considering migrating to another platform, please give me a call.

Don't worry, I intend to continue supporting Microsoft products. After using Microsoft products for over 27 years, it is a hard habit to break. I look at it more like acquiring tools over the years. My collection has become quite extensive.

Tags: Anti-Virus, Virus, Free, Microsoft Security, System Protection, Ubuntu, Microsoft Seciruity Essentials, Apple, OS X