If you’re using a laptop, take a moment to think about the last time you cleaned it. I don’t mean a simple sleeve-wipe, but rather a thorough cleaning. Right. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
According to some statistics, computers, especially the keyboard linked to your laptop, have more germs on them than a toilet seat, and when was the last time you spent a couple of hours tapping your fingers all over your toilet seat?
With that in mind, I’ll teach you how to defunkify your laptop. Our technique here is the proper, by-the-books one, not some hack-your-way-to-a-cleaner-laptop thing. This is what the makers instruct us to do. So let’s crack it open and get started.
- You’ll need Microfiber cloths for this cleaning task – we’ll be using a normal weave microfiber cloth (texture similar to a terry towel) for everything except the screen, which will be cleaned with a flat weave microfiber cloth.
- Mild dish soap – no aerosol sprays, solvents, abrasives, and, for God’s sake, NO GLASS CLEANER – else you risk ruining your laptop’s finish.
- Distilled water is the ONLY liquid that should be used on your laptop screen since alcohol or ammonia solutions might harm the finish. We’re using distilled water instead of regular tap water because it won’t leave any streaks – though tap water will also work just fine.
- Compressed air — for blasting off crumbs from sandwiches, granola bars, cereal bowls, late-night poutine, and crunchy snack mix. Oh, and I nearly forgot about dead skin cells, dust, fingernails, and other such things.
- Rubbing Alcohol – This should only be used on the keyboard, but it is really effective since it dries rapidly. It’s ideal for removing finger oils. Dish soap and water would be enough, but why not use this if you have it on hand?
- Pipe Cleaner – just bend and go to clear up any ports or vents!
Before we begin, there are a few things we should keep in mind when cleaning our laptop;
- DO fully shut down and power off your laptop, and make sure you disconnect everything from all connections. Why take any chances?
- DO NOT DIRECTLY SPRAY ANYTHING ON YOUR COMPUTER. This also applies to the outside – you’d be amazed how little moisture it takes to ruin everything inside.
- DON’T FORGET TO READ YOUR MANUAL. There are general care instructions in the user manual, and if you’ve misplaced yours, visit the manufacturer’s website — if anybody knows how to properly care for your laptop, it’s presumably the folks who built it (and they should know).
- If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t remove your laptop keys. My advice is to check Google before pulling off your keys since there have been several horror stories of not being able to get them back on all that easy. So, first and foremost, conduct your study!
- If your laptop has a fan vent, make sure you clean it. These can become clogged over time, resulting in overheating if air cannot flow into or out of your laptop.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the cleaning.
Clean your Laptop Exterior
Make a simple solution of 1 cup distilled water and a drop of dish soap, then put your normal weave microfiber fabric into it and wring it out until it is moist and dry. You want to use the least amount of liquid feasible. Then simply wipe clean the exterior case of the laptop, taking care not to get any moisture in the openings or ports. I use a basic “s” pattern and a dry section of the cloth to rapidly buff off any remaining wetness. This should be done on both the top and bottom of the exterior.
How to clean your Keyboard
I’m not going to remove the keys for this cleaning since I don’t think it’s necessary. Compressed air should be sufficient, and if you must reach beneath the keys, a cleaning toothbrush (dry, of course) may be used to brush away any dirt. Hold the laptop upright so that trash falls down rather than back into the keyboard.
Okay, let’s get back on track. Allow the debris to fall onto a flat surface by tilting your (open) laptop at a slight angle. Take out the compressed air can and begin doing short blasts from top to bottom in the direction you’re tipping the keyboard. A LOT of crumbs and other things (as mentioned above) will start to come out. Gross. Okay, we’re done with it. Once all of the debris has been removed, you may use the same mixture of dish soap and distilled water, or I recommend rubbing alcohol for this chore since it dries SUPER quickly and is just as effective as dish soap on greasy residue. To clean the keys, lightly dampen the corner of a regular microfiber cloth with straight rubbing alcohol or that soap and water mixture, wring it out thoroughly, and carefully wipe the keys, making sure to get all the sides. Working in sections, buff each area dry with a dry section of the cloth. There will be no moisture left behind.
How to clean Laptop Trackpad
Simply apply the dish soap and distilled water mixture to a regular microfiber cloth and wring it out thoroughly to clean the trackpad and surrounding areas. Work in stages, cleaning the surface with a moist cloth and immediately buffing dry with a dry towel.
How to clean laptop Screen
We’re almost there! All you need to wipe the screen is a soft, flat weave microfibre cloth, and that’s it! You don’t need any expensive screen cleaners. You don’t have to worry about scratches since a flat-weave cloth won’t adhere to any debris. Working in parts, carefully wipe out any sticky areas with your pointer finger wrapped in the towel. Your screen should be perfectly clean.
If, for whatever reason, a dry towel cannot remove something from your screen, wet the tiny corner of your flat weave cloth with water, rapidly wipe the sticky area, then buff with a dry piece of the cloth soon after.
You don’t want to tamper with the sophisticated coatings on these screens! A quick note: while tap water is adequate, distilled water is preferable. A bottle may be purchased in a drugstore or a grocery shop for a reasonable price. It is simply water that has had all of its minerals removed.
Vents and ports
These little things, too, require attention. Bend the pipe cleaner and use the best part to gently brush away any dust or dirt from ports if desired. You can also accomplish this using compressed air. Finally, you may use compressed air to blast away junk from your computer’s vent. This is critical since this is where the fan receives its air from, and if it is really dusty, the fan will have to work overtime, and you may not enjoy the consequences of an exhausted fan. Just a thought.
That’s all there is to it! Congratulations, you have successfully cleaned your laptop!
In addition, we also have services cleaning office, hospital cleaning or cleaning of schools, among others. Contact us to request a quote and clarify your various doubts.
Read more:
For more information and questions on how to care for your laptop or any other electronics;
Call Us: 514.629.0841
Address: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Mail Us: info@dialcleaningservices.com