(funky, mellow music with a beat)
If you're selling your laptop,
gifting it to someone,
or just need to clean it up a little bit,
then this video is for you.
There certainly is a right
and a wrong way to clean a laptop,
so in this video,
I'm going to show you exactly how to do it
and do it safely.
Now, even though I'm cleaning a Mac in this video,
this guide will work for any laptop,
whether it be Windows, a Chromebook,
or even iPads or tablets.
As you can see, my laptop is pretty filthy
and is covered in dust, grime,
and quite a lot of cat fur.
Pro tip: Don't let your cat sleep on your laptop keyboard.
For the steps you're about to follow,
you only need a few basic household items:
a can of compressed air, some isopropyl alcohol,
screen-cleaning fluid, and a few paper towels.
I will include Amazon links to these products
in the description,
so if you don't already have them laying around the house,
I do recommend buying them after you've watched this video.
Now, it doesn't really matter which part
of the laptop you clean first.
The easiest part is the keyboard and exterior,
so let's just start with that.
Firstly, depending on how much dust or dirt
is sitting loosely on the laptop
or in the nooks and crannies,
give everything a good spray with the compressed air.
Make sure you give the can a good shake
and a few sprays to clear the nozzle first.
Also, try to hold the can upright while spraying
to minimize any condensation that may come out.
(compressed air nozzle puffing)
Concentrate on the hard-to-reach areas,
and you can also give the ports a good spray
to loosen up any dirt or dust particles inside.
(compressed air nozzle puffing)
We can now give the exterior a good wipe-down
with the isopropyl alcohol and paper towels.
So give the paper towel a few sprays of the alcohol
to make it damp,
but not too much so that it's completely soaked.
Wipe and rub on the exterior and the keys
to clean the dirt and the grime off.
Depending on your laptop,
you can get a bit rough when wiping,
as you can see here.
It's fine to press down on the keys
and use a little bit of force.
Just use your best judgment.
Flip it over and wipe down the top and bottom and the sides,
and you are good to go.
For those hard-to-reach areas,
you can also use a Q-tip dampened with isopropyl alcohol.
The one I'm using here has a special longer head,
but any old Q-tip will do.
This is great for getting down into the gap
between the screen and keyboard chassis.
Next, we'll move onto the screen.
Now, I definitely recommend picking up
a proper screen-cleaning fluid for this step,
as it's been specially formulated to clean screens.
Again, the link to this product is in the description.
Some of them will come
with a special screen microfiber cleaning towel,
So feel free to use that instead of the paper towel.
Make sure the laptop is off
and it has been off for about 10 to 15 minutes,
because some manufacturers recommend
to not clean the screen when the laptop is warm from use,
as the liquid may absorb into the screen material,
although this is mainly for those anti-glare coatings.
Dampen a paper towel with the fluid
and gently wipe the screen.
You can place your other hand on the back of the screen
to support it and apply gentle pressure
in areas where the grime is being stubborn.
As you can see, most screens will come up looking brand-new.
This next step is a little bit more advanced
and is optional.
If you're able, you can open up the back
of the computer to clean the inside and also the fan.
This is handy, especially if you've noticed
your device becoming hot and/or running a bit slower lately.
Now, if you need a screwdriver to open the back,
I do recommend a kit from iFixit,
which I will link in the description.
This will contain pretty much every screwdriver head
for any screw out there.
Once inside the internals of the laptop,
use compressed air to gently clean the dust off.
(compressed air nozzle puffing)
Make sure you hold the fan when spraying directly over it,
because you don't want the fan to spin,
as it could spin in a direction it's not supposed to
and become damaged.
Using the isopropyl alcohol,
slightly damp a paper towel and wipe off any remnants.
Isopropyl alcohol is completely safe to use here,
as it's quick-drying and won't cause rust like water would.
Don't forget to check out the actual back casing
of the laptop as well,
as this can very easily become covered in dust.
So give it a quick wipe-down with the paper towel.
Reattach the back cover and secure any screws.
And while I, you now have a perfectly clean laptop,
so clean that you could eat off it.
Although maybe don't do that,
because it kind of defeats the purpose of this video.
So, that's it for this video.
Hope you enjoyed it.
I'll leave a few shots up now
of the finished product and the clean laptop
if you're interested.
As I said before, this entire process is completely safe,
and you can do this as many times a year as you want
or every now and then just to spruce up your device.
If you enjoyed this video, please give me a thumbs up
and comment below what your favorite part was.
And if you are interested
in seeing any other how-to-clean videos,
I will link them all in the description,
including probably my most popular one,
which is how to clean a mechanical keyboard,
which will pop up in the top right
right about now.
Apart from that, thanks for watching,
and I will catch you in the next one.