Like any computer, laptops are dust and grime magnets. But a dirty laptop isn’t just a cosmetic nightmare—it can also cause poor performance and overheating. So, how can you clean your laptop properly?
Cleaning a laptop is arguably more tedious than cleaning a desktop. You have to clean the keyboard, the internals, the screen, and the case itself. Still, you can easily give your laptop a makeover in under one hour, provided you have canned air, some 90%-100% isopropyl alcohol, cotton swabs, and a microfiber cloth.
Start on the Inside
Most of the dirt and grime you see on your laptop is purely a cosmetic issue. While everyone wants their laptop to be beautiful on the outside, it’s really the inside that counts. But the dust, crust, and crumbs that accumulate inside your laptop can clog fans, vents, and heat sinks, which result in overheating and poor performance.
We’ll start by cleaning your laptop’s internals. This will be easier on some laptops than for others, but it’s mostly the same process across the board. Take your laptop somewhere dust-friendly (a garage or outside), prepare your compressed air or eco-friendly canless air (don’t use a vacuum), and get to work!
- If Your Laptop Opens: Power it down, remove the battery (if you can), and then unscrew the back panel. This may void your warranty, but that’s the price you pay for beauty. Use short bursts of compressed air to push dust from the center of your laptop toward its vents. Then, push all of that dust out the vents with gentle bursts (if the fans spin too fast, they might break). That’s it! You’re done. Screw your laptop back together.
- If Your Laptop Doesn’t Open: Most modern laptops can’t open, which makes cleaning less of a science and more of a guessing game. Power down your laptop and push some quick bursts of compressed air into its vents. Be patient and don’t shove the compressed air stick into the vents. You could hit a wire or push canned air condensation right against the board.
It’s rare to find anything other than dust, hair, and crumbs inside of your laptop. If you do happen to see some stains on or around the board, clean them off with 90%-100% isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. Make sure that you apply the alcohol to the cotton swab, not the board, and never use household cleaners on your laptop (or other electronics).
RELATED: How to Clean the Dust Out of Your Laptop
Hit That Nasty Keyboard
Once your laptop is beautiful on the inside, it’s time for a Princess Diaries makeover. We’ll start with the keyboard since it’s probably covered in years of small stains and finger grease.
Cleaning a laptop keyboard is a strange process. Unlike a desktop keyboard, which can usually be disassembled, laptop keyboards are a fairly surface-level operation. You’ll need a microfiber cloth, cotton swabs, some 90%-100% isopropyl alcohol, and compressed air. Never use household cleaners to clean electronics and don’t use vinegar instead of alcohol—it could seep into the keyboard and corrode its components.
- Start with a dry microfiber cloth: Use this to wipe down your keyboard before you get into the more detailed work. It’ll pick up most of the dust so you can focus on the grime.
- Hit it with compressed air: Like the microfiber cloth, compressed air can get some dust off your keyboard before you get into detailed work. Remember to use short bursts or condensation can form under the keys.
- Whip out the alcohol: Apply some 90%-100% isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab (don’t pour it on your laptop) and start rubbing down your keyboard. Get between those keys, and don’t be afraid to use a dry (preferably unused) toothbrush to deal with tight spots.
- If there are crumbs under your keys: Laptop keyboards are hard to take apart. Do a Google search on yours to see if the keys are removable. If so, remove them with a small, flat tool (a guitar pick works well), and then hit the troubled spot with a cotton swab of alcohol or a short burst of compressed air. If the keys can’t come off, aim a quick blast of canned air under your troubled keys and pray for the best. Don’t go overboard or you’ll end up with condensation under the keys.
If you have trouble getting the crud out from under your keyboard, consider sending it to the manufacturer for repairs or take it to a local service person. There’s no point ripping apart your laptop when someone else can do it for you.
