How To Clean Your Laptop

Cleaning Your Laptop

Unfortunately, unlike the standard desktop, a laptop is not as easy to open and clean. However, there are still several steps an end-user can do to clean and maintain their laptop.

Before cleaning any laptop, turn it off and unplug it from the power source. Also, because you’re going to be cleaning the laptop, we also suggest that you remove the laptop battery.

Laptop Case

To keep the laptop looking new it is best to clean the exterior portion of the laptop case. The exterior case of a laptop can be cleaned by using a cotton cloth that has been dampened with water. We do not recommend cleaning the exterior case of the laptop with household cleaning solutions. However, if there is a substance on the laptop that cannot be cleaned with water, we suggest rubbing it off with alcohol.

Case Openings

If dust, dirt, hair or other substances are in the case openings, it can prevent the laptop’s air circulation efficiency. This can cause the laptop to overheat and in some cases it may also cause such issues as random reboots.

Look for laptop openings where the laptop draws in cool air from outside or blows out any hot air from the inside. These openings are usually on one of the sides, the back or the bottom of the laptop. Dust, dirt, hair or other substances can almost always be removed using a cotton swab or compressed air.

Caution: If you’re using compressed air to clean the openings that have fans within them, it’s possible that the amount of air blown on the fans can cause them to over spin, damaging or destroying the fan. To help prevent this issue, place something in-between the fan blades, such as a toothpick.

Laptop Keyboard

As with many laptop keyboards, the keys cannot be completely removed, therefore, we suggest cleaning the keyboard by using the same damp cloth you used to clean the exterior case of the laptop. In addition, compressed air can be used to spray any dust, dirt or hair from in-between the keys.

If you’ve spilt something onto the laptop keyboard (like coffee/tea) that’s causing the keys to stick and cleaning it does not help, we suggest that you have the laptop repaired since the keyboard cannot be replaced.

Laptop Mouse (Touchpad)

Cleaning the laptop touchpad can help improve the look of the laptop and it also helps to improve the responsiveness of the touchpad a great deal. To clean the touchpad surface, use the same damp cloth used to clean the exterior of the laptop.

LCD Display

Generally, no one recommends using any liquids because they can damage the LCD’s delicate surface. Use a soft, lint-free cloth dampened with water to wipe the dust off the monitor. Be sure to wring out all the excess moisture. Rub the screen’s surface gently and don’t get any excess liquid on or inside the monitor. Let the monitor dry completely before closing the lid!

Internal Laptop Components

Cleaning the inside of a laptop computer can be a difficult task. However, in some situations, it may be necessary because of excessive dust and build-up of dirt within the computer, such as on the processor’s heat sink.

Unfortunately, because of the complexity often involved in disassembling the laptop to reach many of these areas, it is best to look for information online on the type of laptop you have. Reassemble your machine carefully and you’ll be able to enjoy a noticeably faster, cooler running laptop.

If your laptop is still overheating because of dust and dirt build-up after cleaning, we suggest taking the laptop to an authorized repair centre.