How To Clean Laptop Properly
Laptops are one of the things that we often carry and touch. Therefore, laptops are one of the objects that are prone to getting dirty too. Unfortunately, not a few people are ignorant and do not clean their laptops, even though dirty laptops can damage them. Check out the steps on how to clean your laptop properly below.
Laptops are an important device to support work for some people. It is quite common for a laptop to be carried around, either just from home to the office, while working out of town, on vacation, and others. As we know, a laptop is one of the objects that we often touch. However, not a few people are ignorant or unaware about their laptop's cleanliness. Laptops that are not cleaned regularly can have dirt such as accumulated dust, oil from our skin, and others. If the laptop is not cleaned regularly, the accumulation of those dirt can ruin the performance of the laptop and even cause health problems for the user.
Therefore, cleaning the laptop is one of the things that must be done. By cleaning the laptop regularly, we will get various benefits such as:
- Maintain performance: As explained earlier, too much dirt accumulation can cause a performance drop of the laptop. This happens because accumulated dirt can interfere with air circulation on the laptop and cause overheat, so the performance of the laptop will decrease. Also, when the laptop overheats, it can cause damage to various components such as the CPU and RAM.
- Increases laptop lifespan: Laptops that are cleaned regularly can last longer than those that are not. As explained earlier, if a laptop is rarely cleaned, the risk of overheating increases, which causes the components inside to be broken faster and require repair or replacement of components.
- Good looks: Dirt and stains can cause the laptop to look dull and dirty. So, cleaning your laptop regularly can give it a better appearance and a like-new feel. This can also increase comfort and confidence of the user, especially when using a laptop in public.
- Maintain health: As one of the most frequently touched devices, laptops are easily to get dirty and become home for various bacteria and germs. Bacteria and germs that grow on dirty laptops can cause illness or infection. So, cleaning your laptop regularly can help prevent the spread of bacteria and keep you healthy.
Before you start cleaning your laptop, you should first turn it off, then unplug all connected devices and power sources. Without any further, here is how to clean a laptop for each part:
1. Laptop Body or Case
To clean the body or laptop case, you can use a microfiber cloth, tissue, or sponge. Avoid using alcohol and cleaning fluids with harsh chemicals, such as cleaning fluids with hydrogen peroxide, especially when cleaning parts near the screen. Apply the cleaner to a cloth or sponge, never apply the liquid directly to the body or laptop case. After finishing cleaning with a damp cloth, it should be quickly cleaned again using a dry cloth. This aims to get rid of the liquid that sticks to the laptop case.
2. Screen
Keep in mind that the laptop screen is a sensitive part, so be careful when cleaning it. After turning off the laptop, you should wait until the temperature of the laptop screen is the same as the room temperature. You can use special screen cleaning wipes, or a soft cloth, or another microfiber cloth dampened with a little water. Avoid using towels, or other slightly rough cloths as they can leave dust and can scratch the screen. Never use alcohol, vinegar, glass cleaner, or any cleaning chemicals. If the laptop screen is very dusty, give a few short bursts of compressed air to the sides first before starting to wipe. Wipe the screen in a gentle horizontal or vertical motion. Light pressure and wide strokes are ideal. Do not push and make circular motions as you risk leaving smudges or circular scratches. Don't forget to dry the screen immediately with a dry microfiber cloth.
3. Keyboard
You can start cleaning the keyboard by spraying the keyboard with a high-pressure air, or a small vacuum to remove any dirt that may be stuck between the keys. Be careful not to get dirt inside. After that you can wipe using a dry microfiber cloth. To clean stains between the keyboard keys, you can use a dry toothbrush or cotton bud. If there are tough stains, you can apply a little alcohol to the cotton bud or cotton swab, then rub gently. Do not pour any liquid onto the keyboard. You can also use cleaning slimes that are popular these days.
4. Touchpad
Touchpad is one of the most frequently touched parts of the laptop. Besides affecting the appearance of the laptop, the touchpad can cause sticky fingers or erratic response. To clean the touchpad, use a damp, lint-free cloth. Apply water or alcohol (if really dirty) to the cloth, then rub the touchpad with light pressure. Don't forget to dry it afterward.
5. Speakers
Use a special vacuum tool to easily suck out the dirt on the speakers. Make sure that the vacuum does not have too much suction power, as it can damage the interior components of the laptop. Use the vacuum for about 15 to 30 seconds in one direction, if it is still dirty you can repeat the process. When finished, you can wipe with a wet microfiber cloth to clean the outside of the laptop speaker. Don't forget to dry it afterward.
6. USB Ports
USB ports tend to get dusty over time due to dirt floating in the air, and various accessories being plugged in. A dirty USB port may short-circuit while reading data or not function properly. To clean it, you can spray compressed air into the USB port, so that the dirt inside will come out. Be careful not to let dirt get inside. You can also pick up large pieces of lint, dirt, or dust that can be visually seen stuck in the USB port of your laptop computer directly with a toothpick.
