Everywhere we look these days, we’re undoubtedly surrounded by tech. From smartphones to keyboards to computers and everything in between, these devices can also be a haven for dust and dirt. Our CTRL ALT CLEAN review looks at a 3-in-1 Electronics Cleaner from Full Circle which offers up a low tech solution for keeping your high-tech devices cleaner.
Specifications
The CTRL ALT CLEAN 3-in-1 Electronics Cleaner has the following features and specifications:
- Keyboard brush, detail nib and microfiber screen cloth in one set
- The perfect size for your desktop or drawer
What’s in the box
- CTRL ALT CLEAN 3-in-1 Electronics Cleaner
Design
The CTRL ALT CLEAN 3-in-1 Electronics Cleaner has a pretty simple design. The main component consists of a rectangular white plastic piece which the main tool clips into and doubles as a handle. The main tool has a curved bamboo handle with the Full Circle logo printed on one side. On one end is a soft grey keyboard brush, on the other is a hard rubber grey detail nib.
On the underside of the white handle piece is a soft grey microfiber cloth which is attached by way of a coarser piece of fabric and a velcro strip on the underside of the handle. When removed, the microfibre cloth pieces feels like it has a cardboard type piece inside it to help keep it stiff.
Full Circle is quick to point out that the tool is made from earth-friendly materials, including the bamboo, recycled plastic, and reusable washable microfiber.
Performance
So how well does it clean? The brush end is nice and soft and works rather well for getting the dust out from in between keys, around trackpads, and even edges of a smartphone in a case. The harder detail nib works in some cases but, while the end is thin, angles out and is a bit thick for other uses. It also depends on the surface you’re using it against as to its effectiveness. On a mouse, for example, the detail nib worked fine when used in grooves set in hard plastic but not as well in grooves set in rubber or a softer material.
Perhaps the most useful component I found was the microfiber cloth. It’s a nice size and makes for a quick smartphone screen wipe or monitor wipe to remove dust and even fingerprints. On monitors, however, the dust tended to get stuck towards the edges of the screen where the bezels are but that easily brushed away with the brush on the tool.
While the CTRL ALT CLEAN looks useful, and don’t get me wrong, it is to an extent, I still found the “old” ways of using a compressed air can — especially on keyboards — the better solution. While the brush easily removes dust from between keys, it does appear to push it in under the keys which results in having you to blow it out. Anyone who’s used a keyboard for any length of time knows that a good blowing out is necessary to remove any dirt, dust, and crumbs from the inside and while doing so it also happens to blow off the dust on the surface of the keyboard as well. Then again, the CTRL ALT CLEAN is reusable and probably better for the environment as well.
As mentioned above, the microfiber cloth can also be removed and washed in cold water, hung to dry, and reused over and over again. During our testing, we did wash it a couple of times and it stood up pretty well to machine washing and being hung to dry.
Price/Value
Priced at $9.99USD, the CTRL ALT CLEAN is extremely reasonably priced given its performance. To be honest, while useful, it does come across more as a gift for the “tech geek that has everything,” something which is accurately reflected in the price which puts it in impulse buy territory.
Wrap-up
The CTRL ALT CLEAN 3-in-1 Electronics Cleaner is somewhat useful but is impulse buy priced, making it a decent little gift for the techie in your life who’s hard to buy for.