What I did after learning that dust is bad for electronic devices

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My very first post was about organizing my crafting supplies, and I will soon write a follow-up post about what I ended up doing, but first I wanted to write about something that my conversation for that post warned me about: Dust.

I even got sidetracked by my research to pursue more information about this. Here is a screenshot from that conversation:

This is part of a conversation I had about organizing my craft supplies
Screenshot

Fast forward less than one month and I awoke to the sound of glass breaking. Crystal, actually. I jumped up from my bed, ran towards the sound and saw one of my cats running the other way. I yelled at him, “What did you do?”, then saw. Although, upon reflection, I think that Perry was merely scared by the sound of the vase hitting the ground. I’m pretty sure Ghost was the culprit because she’s the only cat I’ve ever had that knocks things onto the ground.

I proceeded to clean up the mess, which happened right where I keep my Cameo cutting machine.

Where I keep my Sillhouette Cameo
This is where I keep my Silhouette Cameo. The crystal vase was on the counter above it, to the left, and the purple rose was in the vase. The flower was a gift from my daughter, a preserved rose, so at least that was okay.

After I cleaned up the broken shards from the vase, I absentmindedly ran my hand over the cover of the Cameo and was shocked to see that I had gathered up a lot of dust. Mind you, this was just three weeks after ChatGPT brought up the topic of dust. Look how much I saw after running my hand across the closed cover:

The amount of dust I found on my Silhouette cutting machine
Yuck! That’s a lot dust from just a month or so, and it’s getting into the cracks of my Silhouette Cameo cutting machine.

Seeing that dust, both on the Cameo and on my hand, brought to mind that ChatGPT had advised me to get a dust cover. This made me want to return to that topic and find out more. Basically, what I wanted to know at this point is why it’s important to protect my cutting machine from dust. Below is the conversation that I had.

Me: Why is it important to protect electronic devices from dust?

ChatGPT: Protecting electronic devices from dust is important for several reasons:

  1. Heat Dissipation: Dust can accumulate on the components and inside the vents of electronic devices, obstructing airflow and causing the device to overheat. Overheating can lead to reduced performance, component damage, and shortened lifespan.
  2. Electrical Shorts: Dust can be conductive, especially if it contains particles of metal. Accumulated dust can cause electrical shorts, leading to malfunctions or even permanent damage to the device.
  3. Mechanical Problems: In devices with moving parts, such as fans, dust can cause friction and blockages, leading to mechanical failure.
  4. Corrosion: Dust can attract and retain moisture, which can lead to corrosion of metal components and connections within the device.
  5. Aesthetic and Hygiene Issues: Dusty devices look unclean and can contribute to poor indoor air quality, potentially causing respiratory issues for people in the environment.

Regular cleaning and proper housing of electronic devices in dust-free environments can significantly extend their lifespan and maintain their performance.

Me: What is the best way to protect my devices from dust?

ChatGPT: To effectively protect your devices from dust, consider the following methods:

  1. Keep Devices in Clean Environments: Place your electronic devices in areas with minimal dust exposure. Avoid placing them near windows, doors, or vents where dust can easily enter.
  2. Use Dust Covers: When devices are not in use, cover them with dust covers. Specially designed covers are available for keyboards, monitors, printers, and other equipment.
  3. Regular Cleaning: Clean your devices regularly using a microfiber cloth and, for more stubborn dust, compressed air. Avoid using liquids unless they are specifically designed for electronics cleaning.
  4. Air Purifiers: Using an air purifier with a HEPA filter can help reduce the overall dust levels in the room, protecting your devices indirectly.
  5. Maintain Airflow: Ensure proper ventilation in the room and around the devices. Good airflow can help prevent dust from settling and also keeps the devices cool.
  6. Clean Surroundings: Regularly clean the area around your devices, including floors, shelves, and furniture, to minimize dust accumulation.
  7. Cable Management: Organize and manage cables to reduce dust traps. Use cable sleeves or ties to keep them together and off the ground.
  8. Avoid Carpeting: Carpets can hold a lot of dust. If possible, use hardwood, tile, or other non-carpeted flooring options in the area where you keep your electronics.
  9. Elevate Devices: Keep devices off the floor and on elevated surfaces. Dust tends to settle more on lower surfaces.

By following these practices, you can significantly reduce the amount of dust that accumulates on and inside your electronic devices, thereby enhancing their longevity and performance.

So, now I understand the importance of protecting my cutting machine from dust, but it also reminded me of my second post about surge protectors. I wrote about how a lightening strike fried thousands of dollars of electronic devices and I then bought quality surge protectors to prevent that from happening again.

More specifically, what came to mind was that each surge protector came with a bag of outlet plugs. I remember looking at the instructions to find out why I should use those and the instructions said nothing about them. I then went back to Amazon (where I bought them from) and searched through the reviews for anything that would explain the purpose of the plugs, because I now wondered if they were to protect unused outlets from dust. This is what I found, which I am paraphrasing because I can’t quote from a review:

The Tripp-Lite ISOBAR surge protectors come with plug covers to use to prevent dust from accumulating inside the unused inlets.

This was an “Ah ha!” moment for me. I have no idea why Tripp-Lite doesn’t explain the reason and importance of using the plug covers, but I will use them. Thank goodness I saved all of them from the boxes before I put the empty boxes in the recycling bin.

The bag of plug covers that came with all my Tripp-Lite surge protectors

I have added these plug covers to our surge protectors to help protect them from tiny dust particles from doing any kind of damage.

One of my Tripp-Lite ISOBAR surge protectors with the plug covers on the empty inlets

As for my Silhouette cutting machine for crafting, I didn’t feel the need to spend money on a dust cover. Instead, I simply placed a towel over it, which is easy to remove when I want to use the machine, and easy to put back on when I’m done. Is the towel stylish? Not really, although I like the color, which is the same color as my machine. Is it financially friendly? Absolutely, I simply took a towel that we already had and used that, instead of spending money on a dust cover, when the towel works just as well. Maybe someday I’ll get a dust cover, but for now, this will work perfectly.

My Silhouette Cameo now has a towel covering it to protect it from dust

What I Learned

My Silhouette Cameo 5 crafting machine and all of my new Tripp-Lite surge protectors are now as protected from dust as they can be, thanks to a single comment from ChatGPT that stayed in my memory. I learned that ChatGPT can be helpful in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

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