A dirty laptop can lead to overheating and poor performance, but who has got the time to clean it right? The problem is that a dirty laptop is also a breeding ground for germs.
In this blog post, we are going to show you how to really clean your dirty laptop effectively.
Our top tips to clean your laptop effectively
As commercial cleaners, we are used to cleaning office buildings and staff equipment, including laptops left in situ by hybrid workers. With this in mind, here are our top tips for cleaning your laptop at home.
Disclaimer: Remember before you attempt any of this on a work laptop, make sure you have express permission to clean it and that you understand the preferred protocol. Your IT department may have internal tasks set up to regularly review and clean dirty laptops in-house, or your company may prefer to use their commercial cleaning partners to do the job.
Tools and materials:
- Clean microfibre cloths
- Canned air
- rubbing alcohol (90-100% isopropyl alcohol)
Once you are ready, follow these steps.
Power down your laptop
Make sure before you start that your device is powered down and unplugged.
1. Start with cleaning the inside of your laptop
It’s all too easy to think about cleaning the dirt off of what we can see, that we forget about the accumulated crumbs and dust inside our laptops.
Canned air is the best tool for the job if you aren’t familiar with the inner components of your device.
Start by removing all of your power cables and external devices and give a few quick bursts of canned air over the keyboard, into the fan vents and ports (including USB ports). Avoid longer bursts of air because this can leave moisture on surfaces, which as you know is the enemy of technology!
2. Clean that dirty keyboard and mouse pad
Next, we like to move to the keyboard and mouse pad - a hotbed of tiny dust bunnies and sandwich crumbs.
Simply turn your laptop over and gently tap the back of the keyboard area to remove as much as you can naturally. Then turn it the right way up and use a few quick squirts of canned air to remove anything else stuck under your keys.
Remember short bursts with the canned air to avoid moisture build-up.
Use a slightly damp microfiber cloth to wipe over the keypad and mouse pad (don’t use disposable wipes - they leave moisture on the surface which can bleed into the internal workings of your device and they are a big landfill problem).
If you are looking to disinfect this area of your device we recommend rubbing alcohol (90-100% isopropyl alcohol) over any hand sanitiser or disinfectant because the alcohol evaporates quickly. However, make sure that you use this very sparingly - just a few drops on a clean and slightly damp microfiber cloth is all you need.
3. Give the screen a shine
Your laptop screen is incredibly delicate, so you will need to take care here. That means no cleaning fluids, disinfectants or rubbing alcohol. Instead, use a quick burst of canned air to remove any surface dust and then wipe the screen edges with a very slightly damp microfiber cloth. You are looking for wide sweeping and light wiping movements if you wish to wipe the screen’s surface.
4. Wipe down the outside of your laptop
Once you have dealt with the internals, the screen and the keypad you can turn your attention to the casing. Use a clean microfibre cloth, ever so slightly damp and wipe down the outside of your laptop.
If your laptop looks especially dirty, then drop a few drops of rubbing alcohol onto your cloth before you wipe the laptop down.
5. Don’t forget your laptop bag or case!
Laptop cases come in all shapes and sizes these days. Some are material based and some are hardshell plastic.
Whichever you have, we recommend starting with vacuuming out dirt and dust from the corners of your laptop bag. You would be surprised how much dirt lives there!
You can then use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the internal and external areas.
When you have finished, leave both your laptop and laptop bag to dry for around 30 minutes before use.
Cleaning your laptop regularly is good for your health and your laptop’s health
Dirty tools are breeding grounds for staphylococci, streptococci, and some airborne bacteria such as micrococci. Each of these has the potential to make you sick.
Laptops left uncleaned can build up dust and dirt, which will lead, over time, to slowing performance and even the eventual end of service.
Keeping our laptops clean might feel like a chore occasionally, but it is worth it.
We hope we have helped you get a head start on that with our tutorial today.