Guide to Clean Your Laptop without Physically Damaging it

A laptop requires some maintenance from time to time to function without interrupting your productivity. For maintaining the software, you need security and antivirus. But for the external components, you need to clean them with proper care to prevent them from any damage. It would be best if you clean the display, keyboards, mouse, touchpad, ports, cooling vents and laptop case regularly. It is easy to clean all the components except for the cooling vents that include the cooling fan and heat sink. Overheating of the cooling components on your device can lead to laptop freezing, poor performance, damage of other components like motherboard, CPU chip, graphics card, which further leads to more battery consumption. You will have to open your laptop to clean the cooling vent. Please do not attempt to do it without proper guidance, or if you have never opened the internal parts of your laptop.

For cleaning, you will require the following items:

Bottled, distilled, or purified water. Do not use tap water as it can leave mineral spots on the components.

Isopropyl alcohol, because it is safe on electronic components because it evaporates quickly without leaving any residue.

Compressed air can

Lint-free cloth. Do not use a paper towel, tissue paper, or abrasive cloth.

Q-tip or cotton swab to hold the components in place and to clean the harder-to-reach areas.

Gathering all the materials beforehand saves you a lot of time and makes the procedure faster. With this, you are now ready to clean your device.

Start by switching off your laptop and remove the battery if it uses a removable battery.

Mix a 1:1 solution of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in a spray bottle.

Dampen the lint-free cloth with this solution. Make sure that the fabric is not drenching in the cleaning solution but is slightly moist with it. And, do not spray the solution directly onto the components.

Carefully wipe the parts one-by-one.

Start by cleaning the exteriors of the laptop, then move on to the display.

Move the cloth in a gentle circular motion for cleaning. Switch sides of the cloth, if required.

Wipe the keyboard and touchpad with the clean side of the cloth. You can also hold your laptop upside down and shake it off to remove any scattered chunks of dirt. Or, use a can of compressed air to remove stubborn dust particles.

For in-depth cleaning of the keyboard, you can remove the keys and clean the surface with a Q-tip or cotton swab dipped in the cleaning solution.

Cleaning Cooling Vent and Ports

You have to be extra cautious and careful while cleaning these delicate parts of your laptop. The can of compressed air will prove to be your savior in this process. Follow these steps for cleaning:

Hold the can at such an angle that when you release the air, debris falls out of the ports. Make sure that the air doesn’t push the gunk inside the port.

You have to spray the compressed air more carefully on the fans to prevent them from over spinning, or else, it might push the dirt further into the cooling vent.

Use a cotton swab or Q-tip to prevent the fan from moving.

This marks the end of the cleaning procedure. Ensure that all the parts are completely dry before you put them in place and start using your laptop. Clean the exteriors, display, keyboard, and touchpad every week to prevent excess dirt accumulation. A gentle wipe on these parts can do the job.

Source : Guide to Clean Your Laptop without Physically Damaging it