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Over the next few issues of Tech Tuesday, Curtis Patschke will discuss some preventative maintenance techniques for your home computers.

No matter how clean your home is, your computer should never sit on the floor. Because of the possibility of static charge build-up, you could damage the CPU from a static discharge. Vacuuming carpet will stir up dust that the internal fans can and will draw into the computer. If you are mopping and have an accident, water in the system will cause several permanent failures.

At the minimum, the computer should be a 4 to 6 inches off the floor. Make sure to keep the air vents in the front and back of most computers clear, adequate air flow is essential to keeping the computer cool. A large number of computers made today have an extra fan that pulls air from the side of the computer to keep the processor cooler.

Monitors also have small vents to allow the heat to naturally flow out the top of the monitor. The vents should be kept clear and not covered.

Laptops are not exempt from their need to be properly ventilated. Many laptops have fans and special cooling vents located around the device. If your computer slows down or suddenly stops while you are using it, make sure the vents are open. If you, like many of us, use a throw pillow to prop-up the device, make sure the pillow is not blocking the vents. Some laptops now even vent through the keyboards.

Proper ventilation is just one thing to keep your computer performing at its best.