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This may be old hat for some here, but I found this article at The New York Times to be eminently readable and informative. May prove useful to forward to a less than tech savvy relative or friend. Here's an excerpt:
You know your laptop is filthy. You can see the dirt and grime on your keyboard. You can see that circle of skin oils on the middle of the trackpad. So when's the last time you cleaned it?
[...] Gather Your Supplies
"You don't need much to clean a computer," said Jolie Kerr, New York Times contributor, cleaning expert and host of the podcast "Ask a Clean Person." "I use exactly four things to keep my laptop clean: Rubbing alcohol, microfiber cloths, cotton swabs and canned air." Ninety percent or higher isopropyl alcohol is ideal, since it won't damage the internal components. And if you have some particularly tough grime or oil, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (or other melamine sponge) can also work wonders, though it should be a last resort since it's abrasive.
Don't bother with specialty cleaners you see at big box electronics stores — they'll work fine, but they're probably overpriced compared with what you have at home. "Some people like having them, or they feel better about using an Officially Sanctioned Product," Ms. Kerr said. "That is fine! They also make nice add-on gifts for people who are getting a new computer/tablet/phone for a special occasion." But don't feel like you need them.
The article includes these subsequent steps: "Start With the Inside", "Wipe Down the Outside", and "Get Rid of Nasty Smells".
I once used a vacuum cleaner with a bristle wand to suck dust out of a laptop keyboard. It worked great until one of the key caps came off. I'm a bit hesitant to give it a repeat attempt on my current laptop. Any suggestions?
What has your experience been with computer cleaning? What do you recommend [not] doing?
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Wednesday June 27 2018, @02:00PM (4 children)
I use Thinkpads too. I regularly (normally annually*) dismantle them and scrub them in the bath with fairy liquid and a plastic nailbrush - like they would in the factory after soldering.
(Obviously excluding the batteries, hard disk and speakers). "Finger over the water tap" squirting to clean the fans. I recommend unplugging from the mains first, but YMMV.
Same think for Lenovo desktop keyboards and Sun servers (although less than annually).
* more frequently if Guinness or cola gets spilt on them.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Wednesday June 27 2018, @06:05PM
I'd happily dive inside my Thinkpads, up to and including my X61s, but since replacing it with an X250 I've gone off that. I've been inside it twice so far (once for a hard drive swap, once for a keyboard upgrade), and I'm disappointed to find numerous fiddly plastic catches that need to be pried open to lift the base off. Given that, I don't intend to be opening it up any more that I need to.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by edIII on Wednesday June 27 2018, @07:41PM (2 children)
I don't use Thinkpads, but taking the whole unit apart and cleaning it is a good idea. If you want to get it nearly factory clean again. Many laptop models cannot have their fans and heat sinks cleaned out properly without some disassembly.
One question though, what the heck is "fairy liquid"?
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 3, Informative) by toddestan on Thursday June 28 2018, @02:01AM
It's brand of dishwashing detergent that's sold over in Europe. Unless he meant something else entirely, which is certainly possible.
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Tuesday July 03 2018, @07:29AM
"fairy liquid" is a concentrated household washing up liquid. Used to be advertised as "mild green fairy liquid", sometimes described as "wild green fiery liquid".
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!