If you're the type of person who has a nice A/V system and wants to take good care of it, then cleaning it regularly — and correctly — is part of the equation. Fingerprints and smudges from children or pets, and other air-born particles from air fresheners, can leave annoying, sometimes stubborn marks to clean off your home theater system.

But if you don't know how to properly remove the grime, then you may end up damaging the finish, or even worse, the internal circuitry of some of your gear. Not to mention the dust and dirt that can build up inside of your components, impairing the audio/video performance and even shortening their lifespan. That's why we've come up with a few tips to help you keep your home theater system looking and performing like new.

While you read over our suggestions for each component, keep the following four guidelines in mind:

• Always turn off (and preferably unplug) components before cleaning them.
• Never spray cleaners directly on your components. When using cleaners, always apply them to a cloth instead.
• Don't use furniture polish or wax on your gear. Ever.
• Check your owner's manuals for cleaning instructions — the manufacturer's suggestions are often very helpful (and if they run counter to any of our suggestions, by all means follow the manual).

Taking care of your TV with dry clothes, soft brushes, or approved cleaning solutions, like the ones in this Sanus ELM101 kit, makes a big difference in picture quality.

Cleaning your television

Let's start with your TV. You have to be especially careful when cleaning the screen on an LCD. The thin, plastic coating can easily be damaged by normal household cleaners, like Windex, and leave smears and discoloring on the screen. To clean an LCD, plasma, or rear-projection TV:

1. Turn the television off before cleaning it; you may want to unplug it.
2. Use a soft, dry cloth to wipe the screen. Because LCD screens have a special coating that can suffer from too much wiping, try to keep screen contact to a minimum. Avoid using a damp cloth. (Never use alcohol, benzine, or thinner to clean the screen.)
3. To clean a non-LCD rear-projection TV's screen, you can follow the directions above using a cloth dampened with water.
4. The other portions of the television may be cleaned using a soft dry cloth, or, in the case of stubborn soiling, a cotton cloth dampened with water or a mild cleaner. Afterward, wipe the chassis again with a dry cloth.

As you can see, for television cleaning, the bottom line is simplicity. Wipe your TV down gently, and use the simplest possible agents (water or a non-alcohol cleaner) when absolutely necessary.