How to clean your laptop - The Verge

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Your laptop consumes a lot of time - make sure it's working at its best.

Artwork by Samar Haddad / The Verge

Your laptop collects dust, dirt, and fingerprints as you use it on a daily basis. Not only does this make it less attractive to look at and use, but it also encourages bacteria to colonize your laptop and can shorten its lifespan. useful life.

Just like with your bathroom or your car, it's a good idea to clean your laptop regularly and it's not difficult. You may already have everything you need for the job, and if not, you can purchase the necessary materials inexpensively.

In addition to following this guide, we also recommend looking online for instructions from your laptop manufacturer. There may be some do's and don'ts that apply to the laptop you're using.

Before you begin, make sure everything is recorded and backed up. Then turn off your laptop and unplug it. This means you won't accidentally delete your last three hours of work or cause problems with the power supply.

Cleaning the keyboard and case

It's a good idea to start by laying out paper towels on a table. Then slowly turn your laptop over and shake it slightly. Depending on your eating habits at your desk, you'll likely get rid of a fair amount of litter without too much effort.

On some laptops, you can remove the keys to quickly clean the bottom. Before you do that though, make sure you can safely do this with your particular laptop (the documentation should state this) and if so, test it out. replace key.

A microfiber cloth is the cleaning tool recommended in most manufacturer's manuals (Apple even sells its own ). Use it to wipe the keyboard and surrounding case, as well as the back of the battery cover.

Adding a little water or a safe cleaning product to the cloth (I'll define "safe" in a moment) can help with stubborn dirt, but don't spray directly onto the laptop, apply to the cloth. Be careful around ventilation ducts and vents. You don't want moisture in the laptop.

Most of the cleaning of your laptop can be done with a microfiber cloth.

As Apple points out , avoid sprays, solvents, abrasives, and products that contain hydrogen peroxide. A 70 percent isopropyl alcohol solution can be used sparingly, but is generally limited to plain water or a cleaner made specifically for laptops. (Your instructions should say a thing or two, but be careful.)

Cotton swabs and a can of compressed air can help remove dirt, HP says , but don't overdo it: remember you're dealing with fairly delicate electronics, so be slow and careful when touching and blowing. .

If your laptop has larger fans and vents, the same cotton swabs, cans of compressed air, and microfiber towels are the easiest cleaning tools to use given the size and shape of your laptop. Fans and ventilation slots and their accessibility. . If you're using compressed air, be sure to tilt the bowl so the dust is blown off your laptop, not into it.

When cleaning the keyboard or air vents with compressed air, tilt the case to keep dust out of your device.

If you suspect your laptop has a lot of dirt built up (from dust, pets, or other sources), you might even be able to open the back of your laptop, depending on the laptop model and your confidence in hiding the tech on your computer. laptop and thoroughly clean the fan and vents. This may give you better access to the fans and vents and allow you to clean them more thoroughly. Be careful not to touch any other electronics or wiring inside the case.

You should only do this after reading the documentation that came with the computer - many laptops are not designed to be opened in the same way as desktop computer cases. And as Sony explains , opening your laptop can void your warranty.

Cotton swabs can be used to thoroughly clean the ports and ventilation slots.

Clean laptop screen

Many of the same rules apply to cleaning your laptop screen. Again, as recommended by Dell and others, you will need a clean, soft microfiber cloth, using a little water to dampen the cloth if necessary.

Using the wrong product can seriously damage your screen. Avoid glass cleaners and conventional household cleaners here. However, if you need extra dirt-removing action, you can also use the aforementioned 70 percent isopropyl alcohol solution. .

If you find that a cleaning solution is required to remove grime from your laptop's screen, purchase a solution specifically designed (and if possible, well-tested) for the purpose . It must be free of ammonia, acetone, phosphates and high alcohol content.

As before, water or cleaning products should be applied to the cloth itself and not directly to the screen. As Apple mentions , spraying directly on the screen can cause drips and damage to the inside of the screen.

From a technical point of view, slow, circular movements are best to avoid streaking the screen. With the laptop powered off, you should be able to see where the worst spots are in terms of dirt and dust. It is an advantage not to rush work and to work methodically on the screen.

If you use water or a safe detergent, you may need another cloth to wipe up the stains. To dry it, just gently wipe the screen. This is to help you gauge your progress along the way.

After these steps, you should have a clean laptop again. Every few months should be enough as a cleaning routine, but you can clean more frequently if your laptop gets dirty particularly easily.

Photos by David Nield for The Verge.

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