With the holidays approaching, there’s no better time
to enjoy watching movies
and TV shows on your home theater. But because today’s electronics are so
dependable, many take it for granted that nothing else needs to be done once
they’ve set up their home theater. But just as regularly vacuuming carpets and cleaning out the
refrigerator now and then makes for a better home, so too does taking care of
the various components and devices that make up your home theater so as to keep
them working in tip-top shape. So with the holidays approaching, here’s a few
tips on keeping your home theater working at its best.
Dusting Off The Components
Dust has a tendency to get everywhere, and most home theater components are not mounted on the wall but instead are on TV
stands and cabinets (a flat-panel TV being the exception since their lightweight
construction has made this more possible now than ever). Taking a anti-static
and soft cloth works well as you lightly dust off the components, keeping in
mind that removing the dust, not just moving it around is the goal here. A
feather duster that has been sprayed with an anti-dust misting can help here
too. Don’t even think about using a vacuum cleaner — just hand powered cleaning
will do the trick. And maybe it’s time to check with the manufacturer as to how
to best clean the speakers
so that their natural beauty can shine through.
Cleaning the LCD Panels
It’s obvious that a flat-panel TVs screen will acquire dust and other fine particles
over time, and that’s especially true when the area in which the TV is found is
heavily trafficked. Add to that a nearby open window or pets moving freely in
the area and there can end up being a fine layer over the screen that both
diffuses the image as well as decreases the amount of brightness. Cleaning the
TV screen doesn’t require a professional but it does require a proper cleaning kit (composed of a safe cleaning fluid and an even safer, soft chamois
cloth). The basic procedure is to spray the fluid on the cloth (not the screen)
and then move the cloth across the screen gently from one side to the other
(not rubbing it in a circle up and down). As the cloth is moved down from the
top of the screen to the bottom (with frequent reapplications of the fluid), it
will become evident just how much detriment is being removed. And don’t pass up
the opportunity to clean the LCD screens that are on other devices of your home
theater; the DVD player or Blu-ray player can benefit from a cleaning, as can other components
like the AV Receiver.
Checking the Cables
The advent of WiFi has meant the elimination of cables
having to go to the WiFi router, but there’s still plenty of cables found in a
home theater, such as the cables going from a cable box to the TV
and others. Spend a few minutes removing cables and using a condensed air can
to blow out the connections the cables were in, then reinsert the cables. It
also doesn’t hurt to wipe off the connections at the end of the cables first
too. And in the case of wiring that is going from an AV Receiver to speakers, there’s no reason not to remove, wipe off and then
reinsert the wires also.
