MNK – How To Clean Your Laptop
Tips On How To Clean Your Laptop
Whether you’re plugging in while on a morning commute or in a busy café, your laptop endures a lot of wear and tear. It’s subject to rough usage and requires more cleaning than a desktop computer.
If you never clean your laptop, you’re doing your health (and the health of your computer) a huge disservice. The damage to your device from the build-up of dust, mites and germs could be significantly reduced by giving your laptop a regular clean.
The grime on your laptop often goes unnoticed and therefore, it doesn’t get cleaned and accumulates. The minute we put our fingers on the keyboard we transfer tons of germs and bacteria to our laptops. Plus, the bacteria from the germs floating in the air from straying coughs and sneezes eventually fall onto our devices. Although small, those mighty germs are allowed to grow and breed on your laptop – and could potentially make you very sick.
Find all the different types of nasty bacteria, lurking on your laptop having micro bacteria babies on our, Bacteria On Your Laptop page.
Below you will find a few tips on how to keep your laptop clean and free from germs.
Note: Before cleaning your laptop, power it down, remove the battery and any leads and external drives.
All tips below do not require taking your laptop apart. The disconnecting of a laptop can get tricky with some brands of laptops, you could break your machine. If you are not confident with the partitioning of your laptop, you should leave it to professionals. Clean only the exterior parts you can reach and use compressed air for the areas you can not.
Why It’s Important To Keep Your Laptop Clean.
Over Heating
Dust can clog up the fans and vents inside your laptop, preventing it from cooling down properly. This heat makes for a wonderful nesting ground for breeding germs and mites.
Cleaning Tools:
Areas To Clean:
- Fan vents, Laptop Ports, Battery Compartment
How Often:
- Once A Month
Method:
Spray, bursts of compressed air into your laptop’s fan vents, ports and inside the battery compartment.
Note: Use only short squirts, extended spraying may cause damage and a build-up of moisture.
Stuck Keys
Thanks to the build-up of food crumbs, dust, coffee slurps, and grime on your keyboard, the keys can get clogged and stick down. Grimey residue can also lead to hardware problems and slow your type rate down.
Cleaning Tools:
- Can of Compressed Air
- Alcohol Solution
- Microfibre Cloth
- Cleaning Compound Gel
- Cotton Buds
- Antibacterial Wipes – non corrosive and safe to use on laptops
- Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel
Areas To Clean:
- Laptop Keyboards, Hands
How Often:
- Can of Compressed Air – Once a month
- Alcohol Solution or Compound Gel – Once a week
- Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel – Several times a day, especially after eating and visiting the bathroom
Method:
Spray your laptop with compressed air, then roll over it with the Cleaning Compound Gel – The cleaning compound gel is great for picking up crumbs and larger, more solid bits of debris. Next, gently wipe the keyboard and laptop with Alcohol Solution on the microfibre cloth or cotton bud. Apply to the cloth or cotton bud, not directly to your laptop. Only dampen – do not saturate. Cotton buds are good for going between keys. If you do not have the Alcohol Solution, gently wipe it over with Antibacterial Wipes but make sure they are suitable and safe for cleaning laptops.
Using Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel:
Squirt a Ten pence piece, size dollop of Hand Cleansing Gel into the palm of your hand and emulsify until dry.
Top Tip:
Don’t use tissue, toilet roll, paper towels or non anti-static microfibre cloths as these will leave dust particles.
Note: Don’t use alcohol solution on the screen of your computer but don’t forget to give your track pad and mouse a good going over too. Before spraying compressed air over your laptop keyboard, hold your laptop upside-down and give it a gentle shake – this will allow any larger dirt particles to fall out. Again only use short squirts.
A Dirty Laptop Screen Can Cause Eye Strain
Layers of grime built up on your screen can make you strain your eyes in order to see properly. Also, an added layer of dirt can affect colours. So, if you are a designer a clean screen is a must to accurately distinguish tones.
Cleaning Tools:
- Lens Cleaner Spray
- Anti-Static Duster
- Microfibre Cloth
Areas To Clean:
- Laptop Screen
How Often:
- At least once a week
Method:
Firstly, remove any dust particles with an Anti-Static duster. Then, spray your Microfibre Cloth with the Lens Cleaner – do not saturate and do not spray directly onto the screen. Wipe your screen gently over with the cloth until it’s nice and bright.
Top Tip:
For best results use a different Microfibre Cloth from the one you use to clean the rest of your laptop.
You Use Your Laptop Daily, It Becomes Almost Like An Appendage.
If like a lot of us, you’re regularly carrying your laptop between work, home, meetings and back again it’s exposed to multiple sources of dirt and germs. All the more reason to guard it with a PROHOOD® – plus, you have no idea when someone may sneeze or cough in your direction! If 2020 and the rise of COVID has taught you anything about personal hygiene and keeping safe, you should do the same way with your laptop. Always keep your tools clean.
With a PROHOOD®. You’re almost guaranteed to extend your laptop’s shelf life. Not only will you save thousands of pounds in repairs, you also won’t need a new laptop so soon down the road. Winning.
The PROHOOD® and all laptop cleaning tools are available from the mnkcase.com shop.
Note: These are to be used as guidelines only – MNK will not be held responsible for any damage caused to your device from cleaning