How to Clean a Laptop? Laptops, Phones, Computers, they all get dirty one way or another – Dust, fingerprints, grime, particularly on the screen and the keys. It’s just a fact of life.
Your laptop is probably dirty and even mine too.
All laptops require cleaning, and they require more cleaning than desktops itself due to the fact that it does more handling than you do on a normal computer.
Even my own personal laptop has seen much cleaner days. No matter the model or the make of it, it usually doesn’t take long to go from shiny new to dusty old.
Dust particles are small yet if not attended to can cause severe problems with the circuit functions of your laptop.
Benefits & Advantages of Cleaning Laptop
- Overheat – Dust can block the cooling fans and prevent it from cooling down properly leading to overheating and causing damage to the hardware parts.
- Drain your laptop’s battery – Overheating causes the cooling fans to run at full blast to keep the hardware cool leading to draining the battery much faster.
- Overheating and running at max capacity can slow down your laptop.
- The monitor screen will get faded if not cleaned properly on time.
- Hygiene – Bacteria from mold, and dust can cause everything from allergies to asthma.
Before any sort of cleaning starts, make sure to unplug it from any source of power. Remember that electrical current and liquid really don’t really go well together.
Also shut it down. Besides making it more safer, having a blank screen can help you see dust clearer.
How to Clean a Laptop Screen
You don’t necessarily have to be a tech guru to know that liquids spilling inside your hardware can cause disaster.
Most of the Laptop screens use LCD monitors and are highly sensitive with many of them lacking the layer of protection that the glass screens on old CRT monitors used to have. Thus require a more delicate touch to prevent damage.
Some grime can be solved by a simple microfiber cloth, while others require tougher cleaning.
For Dust
You can also use a simple lint or a Microfiber cloth to remove the dust and smudges.
Don’t scrub but press gently on the display and wipe lovingly only in one direction until it’s dust-free.
For Tougher Grime
Do not spray directly on the screen and avoid glass cleaner, window cleaner, or any liquid sprays in general on your screen.
There are few safe liquid substances that you can use to clean the laptop screens.
- 50% Plain distilled water + 50% white vinegar.
- Dawn and a couple of cups of Luke warm water together.
- Isopropyl if killing germs is your main concern. (more concerning due to the novel coronavirus being able to stay on a certain surface for several days) (50% isopropyl + 50% distilled water)
Take a microfiber cloth or a sponge and dab the cleaner onto it, wring out all the moisture.
Then from there gently rub the cloth/ sponge around your laptop screen from one end to the other or in small circular motions and try not to press down too hard on the screen.
You can also use a simple lint cloth to remove just the dust and smudges. It is recommended to get a full Screen Cleaner Kit.
How to Clean a Laptop Keyboard
Regular cleaning of your keyboard keys is essential to avoid a buildup of debris under them and can get pretty grimy over time.
Dust and Oils from your fingers, drips of coffee, bread crumbs, even your pet’s hair can build up in the fissure on your keyboard.
How thorough you would like to be? It can either be quick a wipe down or a thorough cleaning process from key to key.
Note: (A desktop keyboard can be easily replaced whereas a laptop keyboard is built-in the device and is a bigger problem if damaged. So, your laptop keyboard requires a little bit more care.)
- Turn Off the Laptop.
- Disconnect from any Power source or Accessories such as USB, external hard drive, etc.
Vacuum a Laptop Keyboard
Precaution: Make sure that your laptop’s keyboard doesn’t have “pop-off” keys in order to avoid the key being sucked up by the vacuum.
Note that they are not the Vacuum cleaner that you use to cleaning up your carpet, rug, or a room.
They are a mini-sized vacuum cleaner meant specifically for cleaning your keyboard.
The standard version comes with a small brush attachment which you can use to slowly maneuver around your keyboard while the mini-vacuum suck up the dust particles.
Compressed Air a Laptop Keyboard Keys
If the dust particles and debris are firmly lodged beneath or between the keys, try using compressed air to clean the keyboard keys.
So, take a can of compressed air and spray it in between the keys.
Tilt your keyboard at an angle that will blow along the surface and not blow it directly into the keyboard in order to avoid blowing the dust more further inside.
Note that the EPA recommends compressed air products with HFC rather than CFC.
Clean the Keys
Take out some Q-tips, a clean micro-fiber or a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol.
- Dampen the cloth with isopropyl.
- Run the damp cloth over your keyword.
- Next, you can either dip or not the Q-tips in the isopropyl. But if you do wring it out to avoid a puddle of isopropyl running in between the keys.
- Run in your Q-tips between the keys and once you’ve done through the key maze, the isopropyl should dry within a few minutes.
You can also substitute water for isopropyl, but we recommend the former for mainly two reasons.
- Isopropyl evaporates almost instantly and avoids the risk of getting liquid inside.
- Compare to water, it is more effective in removing the oily and more resisting residue.
Precaution: Do not soak the keyboard with water or try removing the keys.
How to Clean a Laptop Mouse
Your mouse is a cesspit of dirt coming off from whatever you have touched.
Mechanical mouse doesn’t require much or no internal cleaning at all—but the outside of it can accumulate dust and grime and can get sticky over time leading to a stiff mouse overtime.
But if you have a wireless mouse, try not to get any liquid inside.
You will need:
- Lint-free cloth.
- Rubbing alcohol or alcohol wipes.
- Sponge swab
- Toothpick
- Compressed air or Hairdryer.
Mechanical Mouse
For a wired mouse, unplug from your Laptop.
Use the toothpick to pick out any dust and grimes from all the nooks and crannies of the mouse.
Blow out any of the remaining dust that has been loosened with the toothpick using the Compressed air or Hairdryer.
Finally Cleaning with a damp cloth and maybe a few sanitary or disinfectant wipes for good measure especially more crucial during this spread of novel coronavirus.
Wireless Mouse
Before any cleaning starts, remove the batteries.
Turn upside down your mouse and open the bottom panel. Some can be opened by pushing forward or rotate the ball-cover ring counter-clockwise.
Once opened, take out the rollerball and clean it with alcohol wipes or dampen a lint-free cloth with Rubbing alcohol (Recommend – isopropyl) and let it dry.
However, avoid at all cost to use alcohol wipes or any moisture inside the battery compartment.
Blow out the dirt with a hair dryer and make sure it is dry before reassembling the mouse.
Hope this helps. Happy Cleaning!
