I have a problem whenever I want to, in brief, say "how to keep a ball pen from drying out, keep my laptop cleaned from excessive files and virus, keep my car clean and able to function". The problem is that I want to say it briefly in short sentence instead of fully describing; however I don't know which words I can use.
The only word I can think of is "preserve":
1) Preserve my computer = Take good care of my computer, keeping it away from things making the computer slow.
2) Preserve my car = Take good care of my car, keep it clean outside and keep it functional inside.
3) Preserve my pen = Keep my pen able to be used for writing
=> However the word "preserve", within my range of knowledge, is often used for food. Are there any word that you guys can recommend for electrical items, household items, drinks,…?
Best Answer
You can use "preserve" in this sense, but it's usually not used alone - you pair it with phrases like pristine shape or mint condition. Especially in casual conversation, you'd be more likely to just say "keep" instead of "preserve." Examples:
You can also say "pristine condition," but note that mint condition is a set phrase and you can't say something like "mint shape."