How Should I Clean my Laptop?

When it comes to keeping your laptop in good, working order, giving it a clean every now and again can work wonders. It can also keep it looking tidy and smear free, which can be a pleasing sight to you regular laptop users!

To help make sure you don’t break any golden rules or unwittingly cause any damage to it, we’ve got a few tips for you. After all, it’s no good having a laptop that looks fab but doesn’t work properly.

Equipment

If you’re serious about cleaning your laptop, then it’s a good idea to have everything you need before you get started. You don’t need too much, but getting it assembled and ready can speed the process along.

To clean your laptop you will need:

• Three 100% cotton or lint free cloths.
• Weak washing up liquid/detergent.
• Rubbing alcohol.
• Compressed air can.

One of the cloths will be used damp, one will be used dry and the third will be used with the rubbing alcohol, so keep them separate to make that possible.

Cleaning the Outside Casing of your Laptop

A good place to start is with the outside casing of your laptop – top and bottom. But, before you do anything, unplug your laptop, close it and, if possible, remove the battery.

Mix a tub or bowl of warm water with a little detergent – you only need this to be a weak mixture. Then, dunk one of your cloths in, before wringing it out until its almost dry.

Use your slightly damp cloth to gently but thoroughly wipe down the entire outside casing of your laptop. Once you’ve done that, rinse the cloth with clean water, wring and wipe again. Finally, use the dry cloth and wipe the outside casing with that, to remove any streaks.

Cleaning the Screen

When it comes to cleaning your laptop screen, remember that liquid – particularly harsh chemicals – can do a lot of damage. With that in mind, you have three options:

• Clean it with your dry cloth – this will remove dust and finger smears.
• Use a damp, almost dry, cloth but only dip it in water.
• Buy an LCD screen cleaning kit.

Don’t use detergent and definitely do NOT use the rubbing alcohol.

How to Clean the Keys

Again, plenty of care is required when cleaning the keyboard of a laptop. You don’t want any liquid at all, to get in between the keys, so keep your damp cloth and other liquids away. This is where you need your rubbing alcohol because the content of alcohol means it evaporates quickly and is least likely to damage your laptop.

Put a little of the rubbing alcohol on your third cloth and gently wipe the keyboard. You can also use the can of compressed air, but be very careful not to blow any of the dust and debris that’s accumulated, deeper into the laptop where it can cause problems.

Removing Dust from Vents

You can also remove the dust from the vents of your laptop with the compressed air. But, as before, be careful not to use too much and unintentionally damage your laptop.

If you think you can blow the dust to the side and out of the vents, then go ahead. But, if you’re worried you can’t do that, then just don’t try it.

Ask the Experts for Help with Internal Cleaning

If you think your laptop needs a good clean inside as well as out, it’s a good – and safer – idea, to ask the experts to do this for you. Even if you can remove the casing and understand where everything needs to be put back, there’s always the risk that you’ll cause some damage that ends up being expensive to repair.

In addition to that potential problem, some laptop warranties are voided if the casing is removed by non-professionals. You can check this, but, it’s probably best left to repair experts – like us! If you want your laptop to have the five-star cleaning treatment, then give us a call and we can discuss your requirements and options