How to Clean Your Laptop Computer

Do you know how to clean your laptop computer? If you're purchased a good laptop, it only makes sense to keep it clean and dust-free.

Not cleaning your laptop can lead to a lot of problems. Dust can build up in your laptop cooling vents and cause your system to overheat. Dirt may also get trapped on your screen or keyboard and cause problems.

In this article, we will learn how to keep your laptop spick and span in a few a simple steps.

1. Read the User Manual
Before you start cleaning your laptop, I'd recommend that you take a look at any special instructions in the laptop user manual. Manuals will usually highlight to you any special precautions you need to take, e.g. not to use any harsh cleaning agents or rough material on any part of the laptop. Once you understand the special precautions to take, you can get started on the cleaning process.

2. Equipment Needed
You'll usually need the following to clean your laptop computer:

• Compressed air
• Some cotton swabs
• Cleaning solution
• A soft cleaning cloth (e.g. cotton t-shirt)

You can also find some good laptop cleaning kits available in the market, such as the one below.

3. Cleaning the Exterior
The first step is to clean the exterior of your laptop. What you do here is to use a soft damp cloth to clean the casing of the laptop. Never, ever use an abrasive cleaning cloth or use harsh cleaning products. If you do that, any glossy finish on your new laptop will get eroded very, very quickly (ouch).

4. Cleaning the Display
To me, one of the most irritating areas where dust and grime accumulate is the laptop screen. This is because the screen is where you view the output of your work, your movies, etc. So any dust on the screen is very noticeable.

When cleaning the display, first you need to turn off the laptop. Again, don ever use abrasive cloth or paper towels to clean your display. You will scratch it and leave more than dust and grime on the screen.

You can try to use monitor cleaning solutions which come in spray form. Spray some on a cloth first, then wipe the screen conscientiously from left to right, and top to bottom.

5. Cleaning the Keyboard
I also get very frustrated when dirt gets into my laptop keyboard. One key thing to remember is to keep food and drinks away from your laptop! Even if you don't spill something directly on the laptop keyboard, you just might dirty the laptop with the food and grime on your fingers. Try to get some cotton swabs to clean in and around keys.

6. Cleaning the Cooling Vents
The cooling vents on a laptop tend to trap a lot of dust and grime. What you can do is to use a can of compressed air to spray and clean those cooling vents. One thing to be careful is to avoid spraying so much that you get liquid on the fan blades.

Conclusion
Make sure you regularly set aside time to clean your laptop. Laptops which have not been cleaned in a long time are not only more unattractive, they are also potentially more prone to problems. Take care of your laptop and it will serve you faithfully for many years to come.

Gary Hendricks