It might not be as obvious as with a desktop computer, with their visible fans and external components, but laptops also must be kept clean and tidy, free of dust and debris. There is a bit of a different process to keeping a laptop clean compared to a traditional desktop, though, so today, we want to highlight these differences and walk you through how it’s done.
Quickly, before we begin: make sure you have backed up your data, turned off the device, and unplugged it. We’ll mostly cover safe ways to clean a laptop, but you also want to minimize the chances of an accident. These measures will help to mitigate that risk.
Clean Your Laptop’s Chassis
- Start with a microfiber cloth, slightly dampened with water or a laptop cleaning fluid, and wipe down the exterior shell of your device. Exercise caution around the ports and vents to keep moisture from getting inside the machine.
- Clean your vents and ports with a can of compressed air, using an angle to ensure that you aren’t pushing debris even further inside the device.
- If your laptop allows you to do so, you can gently open the back of the device to clean out vents, ports, and fans with compressed air. Keep warranties and documentation in mind, though; you wouldn’t want to void a warranty or break your device in the process.
Clean Your Laptop’s Keyboard
- Lift your laptop and, while it’s upside-down, carefully shake it to rid the keyboard of any loose crumbs and debris.
- Wipe down the keyboard with a microfiber cloth, using compressed air to clean out anything that cannot be collected in this way.
- If your laptop has removable keycaps, remove and replace one key at a time to make sure that you aren’t putting them back in the wrong places. If you don’t know if your keycaps are removable, err on the side of caution and don’t try to remove them.
Clean Your Laptop’s Screen
- With a microfiber cloth, wipe down the screen, dampening it a bit if it’s needed.
- If dampening the cloth is necessary, use water, a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution, or a screen cleaning solution. Steer clear of any other types of household cleaners.
- Avoid streaks by using a slow, circular motion.
Did you find these tips helpful? Be sure to keep an eye on our blog for even more great tips in the future.