Like many users, I use my laptop fairly regularly. I use it daily for work and occasionally for some gaming, which usually prompts my wife to ask, “Who are you killing today: Zombies? But I keep it near me just about all the time. Laptops, tablets and smartphones are great useful tools and the more you use them the more they get germy, grimey and just downright gross they get. And if you have kids? But it doesn’t have to be that way with just a quick wipe down and a little care you can be well on your way to a clean laptop. I am quite particular about how I clean things. I have a process. Basically, dust, wipe, clean and wipe again. Before you get started, remember to turn OFF your laptop. I dust off of the device, out of cracks and vents before I start wiping it with any cleaners or water. If I didn’t do this I’d just be smearing around dust and dirt around on my laptop, plus this helps prevent any scratches from any rogue particles. Lots of dead skin cells fall into the cracks of your keyboard so go ahead and turn it over while you dust to make sure all particles fall out.

If you’re a regular eater of food in front of your laptop, it may be interesting what you find in your keyboard. Remember to dust your plugs and vents, they definitely need a good dusting and doing so prolongs the life of your ports and plugs. Order This From Amazon I like to give my gadgets a nice wipe with a microfiber cloth to get any other dust particles that I didn’t catch in the dusting process. I do not recommend monitor wipes.  I’ve never had a good experience with that and have found that they can be streaky and leave fibers from the cloth. Avoid buying monitor wipes and save your money. I prefer cleaning my display with a microfiber cloth and some water. Just enough dampness to moisten the cloth, but keeping most of towel to wipe up excess water. I like to quickly wipe away any water so that water spots do not remain. Microfiber doesn’t leave any cotton fiber like wipes or paper towels do. Microfiber cloths also absorb water really well, which helps prevent streaks and water spots.  

I also have a polishing cloth that came with a pair of glasses that I use as well. Water is also gentle enough so that it doesn’t  take off any finish (e.g., anti-reflective) the display may have and won’t leave streaks like some chemicals may. Tape is great for removing any dust from any tight cracks, corners or vents. Fold paper towels like origami to create a sharp corner to get into any tight cracks or crevices. This is great for pulling out any gunk that was left from other of the methods above. laptop cooling fan power consumptionAlso helps if you use a stiffer paper towel.  vacuum cleaner prices philippinesI’ve tried using Q-tip cotton swaps, but the heads are too big to get into tight spots.best cylinder vacuum cleaner 2015

You can use a disinfecting wipe as pictured above, or you can spray some type of solution on a cloth towel. I use the disinfecting wipes to wipe down any frequently touched areas to clean away germs.  If you do clean with a wipe or solution I recommend wiping down the surface as soon as possible to avoid any streaks or spots. Once you’ve completed that task you are set to type away on your laptop. Order This From Amazon Affiliate What other methods do you use to clean your laptop? clean fan toshiba satelliteWe would love to hear what else you do to keep your laptop looking fresh and clean.clean fan gateway laptopIf you’re using a laptop, just pause for a second and try to remember the last time you cleaned it.  best product to clean microfiber furniture

I don’t mean giving it a quick sleeve-wipe, I mean a real, legit cleaning.  Don’t worry boo, I got you. Your laptop is one of the germiest places in your home and according to some reports, laptops and more specifically the keyboard attached to your laptop has more germs on it than a toilet seat () and when’s the last time you remember spending a few hours tapping your fingers all over your toilet seat? So with this in mind, I’m going to show you how to defunkify your laptop.  My method here is the right way, the by the books way, not some hack-your-way-to-a-cleaner-laptop deal.  This is what the people at the manufacturers tell us to do.  So let’s crack it open and get to it. For this cleaning job you’re going to need Microfiber cloths – we’re going to be using a regular weave microfiber cloth (texture resembles a terry towel) for everything but the screen where we’ll be using a flat weave microfiber cloth (and soon, we’ll have our own (seen in this associated video) for sale!)

Mild dish soap – we’re not fooling around with any aerosol sprays, solvents, abrasives and for goodness sake NO GLASS CLEANER – otherwise you risk damaging your laptop’s finish Distilled water – this is the ONLY liquid you should use on your laptop screen since alcohol or ammonia solutions can damage the finish.  We’re using distilled water instead of regular tap water since distilled water won’t leave any streaks behind – although, tap water will also work fine Compressed Air – to blast out all those crumbs from sandwiches, granola bars, bowls of cereal, late night poutine, and crunchy snack mix.  Oh and I almost forgot to mention dead skin cells, dust, fingernails, and the like. Rubbing Alcohol – this is only to be used on the keyboard but it’s super effective since it dries quickly.  It’s great for tackling finger oils.  Dish soap and water works, but if you have this handy, why not use it? Pipe Cleaner – to clean out any ports or vents, just bend and go!

Before we begin let’s talk about a few Do’s & Do-not’s we should remember when cleaning our laptop DO shut down and turn off your laptop off completely and be sure to unplug everything from all the ports.   DO NOT spray anything directly on your computer.  This even goes for the exterior – you’d be surprised how little moisture it takes to mess things up in there. DO read your user manual.  There are usually always care instructions in the user manual and if you’ve misplaced yours, check the manufacturer’s website – if anyone knows how to care for your laptop properly it’s probably the people who made it (and me). DO NOT remove your laptop keys unless you know what you’re doing.  My suggestion would be to consult Google before prying off your keys seeing as how there are more than a few horror stories about not being able to get them back on all that easily.  So do your research first! DO make sure to clean your fan vent if your laptop has one.  

These can get quite clogged over time and can lead to overheating if air can’t get in or out of your laptop. Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s get to the cleaning Whip up a simple solution of 1 cup distilled water and a drop of dish soap – simply dip your regular weave microfiber cloth into this solution and wring it out until it is damp dry.  You want to use as little liquid as possible.  Then just use this cloth to wipe clean the exterior case of the laptop being careful to not get any moisture in the openings or ports.  I use a simple “s” pattern, and use a dry portion of the cloth to quickly buff up any residual moisture.  Do this on the top and bottom of the exterior.. I’m not going to be removing the keys for this cleaning, I don’t recommend it.  Compressed air should suffice, and if you really need to get under the keys, you can employ a cleaning toothbrush (dry, of course), to brush out any debris.  If you do this, hold the laptop vertically so that debris can fall down as opposed to back into the keyboard.

Ok, back on track.  Tip your (open) laptop at a slight angle to allow for the debris to fall onto a flat surface.  Get the can of compressed air out and start doing short blasts, working from top to bottom in the direction you’re tipping the keyboard.  You’ll see a LOT of crumbs and other stuff (see above) start to fall out.  Ok, we’re over it.  Once all the debris is gone, you can use the same mixture of dish soap and distilled water if you’d like, or may I also suggest rubbing alcohol for this task, since it drys SUPER quick and is just as effective as dish soap on oily residue.  To clean the keys, just lightly dampen the corner of a regular microfiber cloth with straight rubbing alcohol or that soap and water mixture, wring very well, and carefully wipe the keys, remembering to get the sides.  Work in sections, and use a dry section of the cloth to buff each area dry.  No moisture shall be left behind! For the trackpad and surrounding areas, you can just use the dish soap and distilled water mixture, applied to a regular microfiber cloth, wrung out well.  

Work in sections, wiping the area with the damp part of the cloth, and quickly buffing dry with a dry portion of the cloth.To clean the screen, all you need is a soft, flat weave microfibre cloth and really, that’s it! You don’t need any fancy screen cleaners ($$$).  A flat weave cloth can’t cling onto any debris, so you needn’t worry about any scratches.  Work in sections and use your pointer finger, covered in the cloth to gently buff off any stubborn spots.  Your screen should come out nice and clean. If, for whatever reason, there is something on your screen which can’t be removed by a dry cloth, just dampen the tiniest corner of your flat weave cloth with water, quickly wipe the sticky spot and buff with a dry section of the cloth immediately after.  These screens have fancy coatings and you don’t need to go messing with that! Quick note: tap water is fine, distilled is better.  You can get a bottle at the drug store or a grocery store – it’s not expensive.