Is dust bad for electronics?

How do I clean extremely dirty walls and prevent dust build up?

• I have been in the process of cleaning up my office as I have started a home based business. The biggest problems I have faced have mainly been with getting the door level, which is done, and now am trying to clean the walls. These walls are very dirty, as they were painted white, and you can definitely see the dust and dirt that has acquired. I have been scrubbing like crazy with things like simple green, mean green, Goo Gone, vinegar and water, tried a paste made of dawn dish soap and borax, and also have tried using baking soda since it is a mild abrasive. I use 2 separate buckets, one for cleaning and the other for my cloth to wipe down afterwards and have even used mild scotch brite pads on these walls. No matter what I seem to do, the next day it seems to be dirty again. One problem I have is that the crawlspace to the attic where the furnace is is in this room, but I applied weatherstripping and refastened everything there to seal it and also have sealed the window with plastic. The paint is not in bad shape except for where I spackled the screw holes from the previous tenants and so I am wondering if there are any other tips on keeping it clean. I have also used alcohol and water, but have considered trying a mixture of denatured alcohol and water, but do not know what it would do to the paint as I use it on electronics all the time. I also live in Kansas where it can get very dusty but I need to keep this clean as my clients will be coming at the end of the month for me to do their taxes and also bookkeeping. I have hired a housekeeper, but that is only 2 hours a week. Any cleaning tips would be great, on getting this cleaned. I am also concerned that maybe the ducts in the house may need cleaned even though I change filters every 1-2 months plus run a carbon air filter in the office and a humidifier when I am in here.

• Answer:

  Guess what. You're finished cleaning. Now it's time to paint over the rest. Run over it with a sander first, then use a top-quality primer. Get a recommendation from your local hardware store, then buy the primer and a roller. Apply a thin coat, wait at least 24 hours, apply a regular coat, wait 48 hours, then slap on a good quality paint. Your problem is now gone. [The primer is the real miracle worker here, so don't take shortcuts.] Keep in mind, though, that you shouldn't be painting in a dusty environment. You need to solve the dust problem first. After painting, have your housekeeper wipe down the walls with a damp cloth once a week (more or less) to make sure you don't have a future dust problem.