Kits are available to help keep the ba ll rolling and the points of contact clean. Tape drives are probably the most important of all the drives that need regular cleaning. If you do any amount of work that you consider important enough to store, then of all the cleaning kits, this is the one to have. Tapes are notorious for going bad over time, stretching with constant use, and for having data that doesn't get copied correctly because of dirty heads. If your data is important, you must keep the heads cleaned very regularly.
CDs can get a bit grimy over time as well.
If you have CDs that you use on a regular basis, there are CD cleaning kits that will clean the fingerprints and dust off, and have an anti-static ingredient as well. This will enable the CD laser to read the d ata correctly every time. As you would do with your personal vehicle, there are routine checks for your computer to keep from having something go wrong at exactly the most inopportune time. Checking your wiring and connectors will help to ensure that your system stays up and runn ing properly. These cables tend to go bad after a fe w years of use, and from being inside a very warm, and dry, cabinet.