How to get rid of dust from a laptop at home? Do-it-yourself methods for cleaning the cooler, cooling system, monitor and keyboard of a laptop. Features of cleaning various laptop models. Program for cleaning a laptop from Lenovo. Cleaning a laptop with a vacuum cleaner.
Cleaning a laptop is a very important and integral process that allows you to extend the life of this type of equipment. In this article we will figure out how to properly clean a laptop and how to rid all its parts of dirt.
What do you need to clean your laptop from dust, dirt and debris?
Cleaning your laptop yourself
- Before we talk about the cleaning process itself, it is necessary to clarify how often and when it should be performed.
- Ideally, you should clean your laptop every six months to a year.
- The frequency of cleaning operations on a laptop directly depends on its manufacturer - cheaper models need cleaning once a year, mid-priced laptops from reliable brands can be cleaned once every two years, but the famous Apple states that its products need cleaning no more than once every four years.
- If the time for cleaning has not yet come, but the laptop begins to act up, then perhaps it needs unscheduled cleaning.
When should you clean your laptop?
You can determine that equipment needs emergency cleaning by a number of the following signs:
- The surface of the laptop heats up very quickly - a few minutes after turning it on.
- There is noise coming from the laptop computer, like a dusty fan.
- The performance of the laptop deteriorates significantly - spontaneous shutdowns, glitches, sluggishness, blue screen.
What do you need to clean your laptop yourself?
To thoroughly clean your computer, you may need the following materials and tools:
- Phillips screwdriver
- Special cloth for screen
- Dry cloth or napkin
- Vacuum cleaner or hair dryer to blow out dust
- Machine oil or silicone grease
Bonus for readers: rules for using a laptop to prevent contamination
To prevent the internal parts of the computer from becoming clogged and cleaning can be done less frequently, you should follow some simple rules.
- It is better to use special devices to protect the device, for example, USB coolers: they can be used in the form of a stand. It is especially convenient if you place your laptop on it while working at your desk. In this way, overheating can be avoided, since significant space is created for ventilation.
- To work in a chair or on a bed, use special tables. It prevents dust from getting in from soft blankets and upholstery. In addition, it is more convenient to work with it.
- You should try not to eat or drink while working with the device. There are many breakdowns, often irreparable, precisely because of food. Try to ensure that other family members, especially children, are also not near him while eating.
- Monitor how often you use your computer: turn it on only when necessary, and after work put it into sleep mode. This is a compact device that requires careful handling, since all the miniature parts that fit in it have a shorter service life than parts of a regular personal computer.
Careful attitude and prevention enable equipment to work for a long time. Little tricks, rules, and accuracy in work will allow you to take care of your equipment yourself and not waste money on trips to specialists.
How to clean your laptop screen from dust and stains yourself at home: photos, videos
Cleaning a laptop monitor with your own hands
When cleaning a laptop screen, you need to know a few rules:
- You only need to clean the laptop screen when it is turned off and cooled down.
- A plastic bag or cling film will help get rid of dust on the screen - they will attract dust from the monitor.
- It is advisable to get a special cloth for microfiber screens.
- If you don’t have a special rag, you can use wet wipes (without alcohol), cosmetic discs, flannel cloth, or microfiber cloth.
- In cases of severe contamination, you can use a weak soap or 3-6% vinegar solution. After dipping the rag into it and carefully wrung it out, you need to carefully wipe the laptop monitor until clean.
- It is prohibited to use materials such as paper napkins, foam sponges, terry towels, toilet paper and materials with coarse lint to clean the laptop screen.
- Do not use alcohol-containing substances, washing and cleaning powders, or window cleaners to clean the monitor.
- Under no circumstances should you scrub or remove heavy dirt from the monitor with hard objects, nails, or a knife - for this it is better to use a wooden stick, a plastic spatula, or a piece of plastic cut from a plastic bottle.
Rules for wiping your laptop monitor yourself
- With the dry cleaning method, you just need to carefully wipe away dust and dirt from your computer monitor or laptop. The corners of the screen can be wiped with cotton swabs - do not put strong pressure on them, so as not to damage the fragile surface.
- When wet cleaning, it is necessary to wet a rag of a suitable material in a soap or vinegar solution and wring it out thoroughly. Spraying the aid on the surface itself is not allowed - moisture can get into the laptop case, which will lead to malfunctions or permanent breakdown of the equipment. Using gentle circular or upward movements, you need to walk across the surface of the screen, and then remove any remaining moisture with a dry cloth.
Tools
What tools to choose when preparing for “spring cleaning”:
- Vacuum cleaner/hair dryer for sucking/blowing dust. If the vacuum cleaner has both functions, you can only use it.
- A can of compressed air. The aerosol performs the same function as a hair dryer.
- Soft brushes, small brushes for cleaning the keyboard and other parts. For the same purpose, you can use cotton swabs or swabs.
- Microfiber cloth for wiping.
- Screwdriver Set. Screwdrivers of different diameters will be needed during disassembly.
- Machine oil for lubricating the cooler.
- Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning microcircuits.
- Pliers. Special pliers are used to remove the screen.
- Thermal paste. After cleaning the parts, you will need to replace the thermal paste to better cool the computer.
How to clean a laptop cooler from dust: photos, videos
How to clean a laptop cooler from dust?
- The cooler in a laptop is an integral part of the cooling system. Visually it looks like a small fan.
- If there are no serious problems with the cooler, and it is cleaned regularly, then simply blow the laptop with a can of compressed air through its inlet.
- If the fan is quite clogged and the device makes terrible noises, then it is better to perform a general cleaning. Before starting, you must remove the battery from the device.
- To get to the cooler in the laptop, you need to unscrew the back cover of the switched off, cooled device using a Phillips screwdriver. In this process, it is very important not to touch the factory seals and unscrew all existing bolts - sometimes they are hidden under rubber bands, legs or on the side of the laptop. When all the bolts are unscrewed, you must carefully release the cover from the special latches.
- You can easily see the fan under the lid of the laptop. In most laptop models, coolers are very easily separated from their base - you just need to unscrew a couple of bolts. When unscrewing the cooler, you must act extremely carefully so as not to touch the spare parts of the device with your hands. The fact is that static electricity can still remain on them.
- When the cooler is removed, its blades and body must be carefully wiped with a paper towel or rag soaked in alcohol.
- It is also advisable to wipe the fan shaft and apply a drop of machine oil to it.
Remove the back cover
Unscrew all the screws on the back panel using a screwdriver. Mark with colored stickers the areas with screws of different lengths.
Well, or lay out the screws on the lid and take a photo.
Check that there are no fasteners under the rubber feet. Carefully inspect the entire back surface of the laptop, the drive niche and the sides. Make sure all screws are removed.
Pry the cover with a pick or plastic card in several places around the perimeter of the case and remove it.
YouTube channel Open Me Up
How to clean the laptop cooling system from dust yourself at home: photos and videos
Do-it-yourself laptop cooling system cleaning
- In addition to the cooler, the laptop cooling system also includes a radiator. The radiator is located near the fan and looks like a grille of thin plates.
- The radiator can be released using a special mechanism. When removing the cooling system, you need to pay attention to the thermal paste - very often it melts and solders the radiator to the processor. In this case, it is recommended to carefully remove excess thermal paste with a napkin from both parts of the laptop and remove the radiator.
- To rid the radiator of dust, it is advisable to blow it thoroughly - with a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer or spray can.
Types of cleaning
There are two types - superficial and deep. When deep, the device must be disassembled, thoroughly wipe all parts, completely removing dirt.
Superficial implies external care of the laptop. Keyboard on the outside, monitor, blowing dust through the fan and radiator grille. This type of cleaning is mostly preventive. The device will remain in service longer. Superficial “cleaning” is important not only for aesthetics, but for the user’s health, because a huge number of microbes accumulate on the keyboard.
If there are all signs of serious contamination on the face, complete cleaning cannot be avoided. It's easier to spend time removing dirt than to pay for repairs.
How to clean your laptop from dust and change thermal paste yourself at home?
Replacing thermal paste in a laptop with your own hands
- Another step in cleaning the laptop and its cooling system is replacing the thermal paste.
- This process must be carried out after cleaning the radiator.
- You can purchase thermal paste at any specialized computer store.
- When the radiator is cleaned, you need to apply just a little thermal paste to its body so that it does not extend beyond its limits.
- A clean radiator with new thermal paste can be replaced.
Additional Tips
When cleaning a computer with an electric vacuum cleaner, it is recommended to take into account the following tips:
Before purging, you must remove the wires from the fan. If this is not done, then under the influence of air jets the cooler will begin to rotate, generating energy.
This may lead to failure of other parts of the device. When blowing through the system unit, it is recommended to hold the fan blades. Due to air currents, it will begin to rotate vigorously, which can accelerate its failure.
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Blowing through the fan with a vacuum cleaner also negatively affects the operation of the entire computer. If it is carried out frequently, the cooler begins to cope worse with the function of cooling the computer elements, which provokes a general slowdown in its operation.
- It is recommended to blow through a computer or laptop with an electric vacuum cleaner first in the air suction mode, and then in the blowing mode. This will make cleaning more effective.
It is recommended to use not an ordinary household vacuum cleaner, but a special blower to clean the computer. It is more powerful and does not generate static electricity during operation.
Thorough cleaning occurs due to the fact that the air inside the can is under pressure , and the nozzle on it is a long thin tube.
How to blow dust off a laptop without disassembling it?
How to blow out a laptop yourself?
- In order to clean your laptop at home without disassembling it, you can use the procedure for blowing it out.
- To do this, you need to turn off the laptop and let it cool down.
- Then on the side (in rare cases, back) of the laptop panel you need to find a ventilation hole - it looks like a ventilation grill through which exhaust, hot air comes out.
- Pointing the nozzle of a can of compressed air or a hairdryer into the ventilation hole, you need to thoroughly blow it out. It is recommended to apply pressure on the can for no longer than one second at a time.
- It is also worth paying attention to the fact that this cleaning method is not very productive, and its effect only lasts for a couple of months.
When is a complete disassembly necessary?
There is never any need to rush, and if the keys on the computer become difficult to press, then the first thing you should do is clean it without disassembling it – superficially. It is not necessary to use only a regular vacuum cleaner: now there is a whole arsenal of brushes with bristles of different hardness.
If superficial cleaning does not help and the keys still cannot be pressed, then you will have to completely disassemble the device.
What program is there to clean and blow dust out of a Lenovo laptop?
Lenovo Energy Management laptop cleaning program
- Lenovo has developed a special program specifically for its devices that allows you to clean the laptop from the inside.
- The program operates by accelerating the fan, which expels dust from the device.
- It’s worth noting right away that the program is not capable of dealing with large amounts of dust and dirt, however, with regular software and mechanical cleaning of the laptop, its actions will not be superfluous.
- The program is called Lenovo Energy Management.
How to start the Lenovo Energy Management program
To activate the program, you must:
- For Windows 8, go to Control Panel.
- Open System and Security.
- Find “Power Options” and “Change Circuit Settings”.
- Open the Lenovo Energy Management program.
- Select the “Dust removal” mode in the program window.
- Click the “Start” button.
- After cleaning, click the “Cancel” button.
To summarize, I would like to note that no matter how simple and effective all the home methods of cleaning a laptop may seem, professional cleaning by specialists still remains the safest and most effective.
Why not?
It is not recommended to clean a laptop or computer from dust using an electric vacuum cleaner. There are the following reasons for this:
- high probability of damage to device microcircuits by air jets;
- the risk of static electricity, which can damage important elements of the system;
- high risk of damage to the PC from contact of its elements with the electric vacuum cleaner itself.
Cleaning a computer and laptop using the blowing method is ineffective. The vacuum cleaner does not remove dirt well from hard-to-reach areas of devices. This type of cleaning is of poor quality. An electric vacuum cleaner only scatters dust, which subsequently settles again on the computer.
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When blowing, the vacuum cleaner can suck in PC parts and terminals . There is a high probability that air jets will tear off a fragment from the microcircuits. As a result, the PC can quickly fail.
It is recommended to resort to gentle options for cleaning devices from contaminants. For this purpose, special brushes and soft brushes are used.
