5 Easy Steps To Clean Your Gaming Station

We spend an extensive number of hours—sometimes even more than 15 each day—at our desks on a daily basis. Whether it’s for gaming or for work, you come into prolonged contact with your gaming equipment (ranging from your keyboard, chair and desk), which studies have shown to contain 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. 

Here are 4 simple steps to keep your gaming or work environment sanitized and clean, so you stay at the peak of health, all while doing what you love:

1. Declutter

Tidying up clutter on your desk is the first and possibly most important step to maintaining a clean gaming or work environment. 

That mountain of papers and sea of loose items lying around could be harboring dust, dirt, and bacteria, and may be a source for allergy reactions or cause the spread of illnesses. Not just that, research has also shown that the presence of clutter could negatively impact your mental and physical health.

Take some time to pick your setup apart—remove unnecessary objects from your desk, keep only what is required for you to be at maximum productivity.

2. Dust down

Your gaming equipment accumulates dust and grime more quickly than you may imagine. Yet a simple 5-minute routine every few days—a quick wipe down of your setup with a damp microfiber cloth—will do wonders. That includes your desk area, peripherals such as your keyboard, CPU, mouse and chair. 

Here are some tips and tricks to cleaning your battlestation:

Keyboard—A cotton bud fits perfectly in the gaps between each key. Give a good swipe through and you’ll be done in no time. 

Mouse—Apart from wiping the exterior casing of your mouse, grab a couple of toothpicks to reach and remove the gunk in between its crevices.

CPU—Easily rid of dust collected around your computer chassis and surrounding wires using a can of compressed air. Once done, clean all the exterior vents with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol.

Desk—Don’t skimp out on surfaces that are not visible. Use the same can of compressed air to dust down your table, before finishing off with aquick wipe the surface with a cleaning agent of your choice. Don’t forget the drawers and underside of your desk.

Chair—Should your chair be made of PU leather, simply wipe the leather with a microfiber cloth dampened with a little water and a little cleaner solution. If your chair is made of fabric, easily vacuum up the collected dust particles in a matter of seconds.

3. Disinfect

Now that your setup is dust-free, take another 5-10 minutes to thoroughly sanitize and wipe down everything using a microfiber cloth sprayed with disinfectant solution.

4. Keep your hands clean.

Your hands are the main vehicle carrying bacteria and viruses, so keep them clean. Wash them before/after eating, and a good scrub with soap after those long gaming sessions will go a long way in keeping yourself in the pink of health.

Observing good personal hygiene habits at your work or gaming station is also equally important. Avoid rubbing your eyes or touching your face, particularly if you’re using a shared computer or if you’re gaming/working in a shared space. A practical solution is keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes at your desk.

5. Keep your desk snack-free

Keep your meals away from your desk, where possible. Crumbs or food spills, especially those that may fall into the gaps of your keyboard or get trapped at your desk, will grow bacteria and attract ants and other unsanitary insects.

But if you absolutely must, give your desk a thorough wipe down after you’re done eating there. Make sure you also wash your hands before diving back into your game.