Jonathan Takiff: Here are some high-tech Gizmos to tidy up your environment

SPRINGTIME brings out our best cleaning instincts. But in this high-tech world, there's a lot more to the job than getting out the old mop and pail.

This week, the Gizmo guy offers some new takes on the subject, with suggestions for scrubbing up your environment and precious electronics equipment.

CLEANING THE AIR: Is allergy season getting you down? A serious, multi-tasking home air cleaner like Sharp's new KC-C150YU ($499.99) will bring you relief.

Powerful enough for a living room or family room (up to 347 square feet) yet capable of running at "whisper quiet" volume, this stylishly slim, floor-standing device combines a triple filtering system with long-life (five-year) carbon and "True HEPA" filters that trap dust, pollen, mold spores and pet dander.

Sharp's unique "Plasmacluster" ion generator also freshens the air, while a new-to-Sharp humidification feature generates up to 50 percent relative humidity to reduce static and make the air more comfortable. A smaller-capacity (254 square feet) version, the $399.99 KC-C100U, is suitable for a study, bedroom or home office. Available at www.sharpusa.com.

CLEAN UP YOUR AIRWAVES: Too many high-tech products operating on the same frequency band can cause one to interfere with another. That proved the case in my house, with 2.4 GHz signals beaming to and from a DSL computer modem, JBL "On Air" wireless speakers and a Siemens cordless phone system.

As the phones were 10 years old and otherwise acting funky, I recently replaced them with a two-line AT&T (by V-Tech) cordless phone system (EP5962) operating in the 5.8 GHz frequency range. The speakers stopped humming and the phones stopped ringing in odd fashion.

As a bonus, the replacement cordless phones are loaded with cool features, including paging from handset to handset, a blinking light on each handset that alerts you to new messages, and a battery backup for the base station that guarantees continued operation during power outages.

A starter package with base station and one handset costs $179-$199; additional handsets are $79. Each phone requires a powered recharging base, though you'll reduce the hard wiring to phone jacks to just the one wire connected to the base station. FYI: The AT&T/V-Tech phone line is due for updating in June.

CLEAN UP THOSE CABLES: Is your satellite TV system or roof-mounted broadcast antenna no longer operating as well as it used to, with annoying picture breakup and noise? Send a tech up on the roof to check and, if necessary, replace the cable downlines.

After a decade baking in the sun, blowing in the wind and freezing in the winter, it's not uncommon for that cable's rubberized covering to crack and its insulation to tear, reducing the strength and stability of the signal being passed down the line. I just went through this ritual and the improvement in my DirecTV reception (especially with MPEG-4 high-def channels) has been like night and day.

CLEAN UP YOUR GEAR: Do you hear a crackling sound whenever you twist the volume control or tuning knob on your radio or receiver? The culprit is dust that's settled on the knob shaft.

All electronic gear sucks in dust. If a lot of crud has gotten in there, the components will also issue a foul odor and maybe overheat, causing premature product failure.

So while you're vacuuming around the house, don't forget to dust the electronics carefully, focusing especially on the exposed grill work where the grit gets in. (But do be careful you don't dislodge cables. A disconnected speaker wire can blow out a receiver.)

For hard-to-get spots, use a small, hand-held vacuum like the Dirt Devil Detailer ($20-$40).

CLEAN OUT THAT COMPUTER: Every time you visit a Web site, tracking "cookies" are implanted on your computer. When you add a program to the PC, the software often becomes part of the boot-up process, extending the delay time before you can get down to business.

Microsoft's newly updated Windows LiveOne Care service ($49.95 a year, for use on up to three XP or Vista computers) tackles these issues with an assortment of security and maintenance features to keep your computer running well, free of viruses, spyware and other threats.

Especially appealing (and not found on rival products) are "proactive" fixes that identify and remove rarely used applications from the start-up menu. The program also offers centralized backup for all PCs covered under the same subscription, wireless printer sharing support and online photo backup (at extra cost).

Plus, every month, LiveOne Care e-mails you a report about what it's done in the background (or recommends you do) to tune up the PC.

Also worth checking out are rival all-in-one security programs like the new Norton 360 2.0 and McAfee Total Protection, which cost a bit more but add other features (like 2 GB of online storage for the Norton product) and claim less hard-drive space on your PC.

CLEAN OFF THE COFFEE TABLE: Has the horde of remote controls for all your gear overtaken the entire coffee table?

One universal remote control that can service a bunch of products is a good way to clean up that mess. And especially cool is the Acoustic Research Universal Smart Remote (AARU449) from Audiovox Accessories.

Not only will it control a variety of electronic products, it also uses (uniquely) a home Wi-Fi network to deliver an Electronic Program Guide and personalized news, weather and sports to its color LCD screen.

After registering and telling the programming service (click 365) whether you have cable, satellite or broadcast TV, the device starts downloading guides customized to your content and location. Eventually it builds up several days of program listings and descriptions. You can call up "all channels" or a customized list of favorite channels, or view selected HDTV movies, family or sports programming listings.

When you find something appealing, one-click access from the guide takes you to the show, sets your digital video recorder or gives you a audible reminder when the show comes on. I found this device very useful for channel-surfing and show-planning at the breakfast table - with no TV required!

Besides running cable and satellite boxes, the remote also issues infrared signal codes to control TVs, DVD players, CD players, sound systems and more. Many product codes are pre-loaded into the device, and thanks to that Wi-Fi connectivity, the system can be updated with new codes and features without you getting involved. Just leave the device charging in its power cradle. The AR remote carries a $399.99 list price but has been spotted online discounted to $200.

CLEAN UP THE NIGHTTABLE: Another place where things pile up is in the bedroom, where nightstands are usually tiny and stuff is forever falling to the floor. To the rescue comes NeatSheets, nicely made bedding featuring two tidy pockets sewn into the sides of the fitted bottom sheet. The smaller pocket is perfect to hold a TV remote, that wired control for a Select Comfort bed, an eyeglass case, pill bottles or ear plugs. (At our house, we need to keep the latter out of reach of our playful cat, Rufus.)

An adjacent, larger pocket is big enough to hold a hardcover book. Available exclusively at www.neatsheets.com, set prices (with two pillow cases) range from $39 to $199, depending on size and thread count. The 300-count, all-cotton sheets for my deep-sided, queen-sized bed were $99 (with free shipping).

And I was pleased by other details, including a heavy-duty, wide elastic band running around the fitted sheet, and special seaming to distinguish the foot from the top of the sheets.

CLEAN YOUR SCREENS: Have friends ever asked to borrow your cell phone or iPod or snapped a photo with your digital camera, and left their greasy finger and nose prints - not to mention germs - all over the device?

To the rescue comes new and improved Monster ScreenClean, available in travel-sized spray bottles with an anti-microbial cleaning cloth enhanced with AEGIS Micro Shield Technology.

Used to protect surfaces in hospitals, the AEGIS material is bonded to the cleaning cloth and inhibits the grown of micro-organisms, effectively controlling bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew, yeast and other one-celled organisms.

Hitting retail locations next week, the new Monster Screen Clean and iClean products will sell for $9.95. Cleaning up screen smudges and dust, if not germs, are larger bottles of Monster ScreenClean for TV and computer screens.

Now, doesn't your world look better? *

Send e-mail to takiffj@phillynews.com.