jonathanslam Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Hi everyone, Just wanted to see how everyone cleans their laptops. Does anyone have any good ideas or any techniques that have brought about some good results?I used to use Philips/Monster LCD Screen Cleaner along with Bounty paper towels... This was good, but my laptop screen gets dirty again after 2-3 days which is super frustrating! Does anyone know of any products to keep the screen clean, perhaps like some type of cover or something? My friend uses the Meguiar's auto care cleaning solutions like the Window cleaner/polishing solution on the iPad, but i'm a bit hesitant to put it on my alienware. It actually does a pretty good job of cleaning the screen and it polishes it as well so it stays pretty clean. Not sure if this would damage the screen.Other times, I just use a damp cloth and just wipe it down. That usually only keeps my laptop clean for a day or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unreal25 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I used the same Moster cleaner and worked really well for me. I just ordered Phillips SVC116F LED cleaner (mainly because of good reviews on Amazon) so we'll have how that works. In terms of the other components I clean the fans grills on the bottom of the Alienware with a very small brush (I cleaned them with water once) and I try to brush clean the fans themselves but I haven't had much luck with this. When fans start making weird noise, it seems like it's better just to buy a new one. :-/ On top of that last time I pulled out the GPU fan I broke one of the wires since it was completely jammed in the way it came. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Brian Posted August 2, 2012 Founder Share Posted August 2, 2012 I use regular lcd cleaning cloths that can be purchased at office depot and clean the display and surface of the computer with them. Then I dry it off using one of those soft cloths they include when you buy a new tv. Sent from my GT-N7000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanslam Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 unreal25: Never thought of using a brush to clean the fan grills.. But the bottom plate is so easy to remove I don't think the grills are really an issue. I think the bigger issue is that the speaker grill above the keyboard. I constantly get dust and dirt on it. I've looked up ways to access it, but what's the best way to clean the grill? I love my Alienware and taking care of it is big for me! I had a whole bottle of the Monster screen cleaner from when I worked at Best Buy and it worked great for only a short period of time. I also have a bottle of the Philips LCD Screen Cleaning Gel (Model: SVC2543W) which is basically all the same thing - a gel based cleaner solution. But heck, it's EXPENSIVE. As I said before, it works for a few days, but screens get dirty fast and spending like $10-$20 on these cleaners just doesn't cut it. Guess it'll have to do for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleone562 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I would avoid cleaning the speaker grills with anything other than a light graze with your microfiber/lcd cloth. Parts of it are very thin and can break with moderate pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walhalla Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 I use a cotton stick with alcohol for the fans and a vacuum cleaner for the copper lamellar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I like everyone else am going to recommend an LCD/Plasma screen cleaner. I've been very impressed with Bryson Screen Cleaner, it cleans pizza grease/fingerprints off with very little effort. I was actually surprised how good it worked when I tried it for the first time. As of this writing it costs $13.50 on Amazon (link) but you get a kit with 16oz of cleaner and a good quality large cut microfiber lint free cleaning cloth. Most other LCD solutions Ive seen come in sizes of 10oz or less and cost about 10 bucks. Stay away from the cheaper stuff though as most of them are just alcohol and water mixtures and will cause plastic parts to fade and dry out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikont Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I clean the screen with LCD/LED cleaner kit and it looks as it new. Also using silicone cover for keyboard is pretty good, since you will be touching it many times higher than your screen, keeping it clean takes a lot of trouble. Just wash the silicone cover and place it back in a 2-3 days and long live the keyboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forgottenbhs Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I own the Asus G55VW that has diff surfaces. For the plastics metals and LCD I use rubbing alcohol with a lint free cloth. For the rubberized finish I use those Armor All leather wipes, they work great and leave a shinier finish and it seems to repel dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nospheratu Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 DONT use Meguairs products on the screen! I say this cos i speak from experience. My ex thought she'd dust my old M15X's screen with a cheap feather duster that had a piece of wire sticking out at the top tip hidden by the feathers Needless to say it got scratched and I tried to fix it by using Meguairs PlastX. There is a thin coating on the screen that you only notice when its gone Luckily it was only on the black edge but I will never use anything other than a specific cleaning product for the job. Have to admit it was stupid of me to use PlastX which is a mild abrasive but it really hurt looking at that scratch and I was desperate to fix it... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atwoodni Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I just use a can of the air spray in a bottle for 1.99. Cheap, easy, and effiecient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forgottenbhs Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Rubbing alcohol and a lint free cloth is generally the best way to clean any surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder StamatisX Posted September 3, 2012 Founder Share Posted September 3, 2012 Rubbing alcohol and a lint free cloth is generally the best way to clean any surface.Except from the screen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Minecraft Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 maybe its because I like to open up my laptop (m14x), but I open the entire thing down to the MB every month or two and clean everything. Because I use an industrial cooling pad, my fan is always caked in dust, so i just get my air compressor and set it to around 30 psi, then i blast the air reverse through the fan. all the stuff on the inside of the heatsink comes out and the fan is nice and clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuman619 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 When cleaning fans out with air compressors/canned air, ALWAYS make sure you hold the fan in position or you'll run the risk of misaligning the fan and it will make noises, just use a cotton bud or something soft and blow/suck away.As for the surfaces, i personally use 99% Isopropyl alcohol and a microfibre cloth for optic fibres. Gets rid of anything and everything, all surfaces look like new especially glossy surfaces.Screens use the LCD based cleaning products and a lint free cloth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgogeta4 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 1. Turn off monitor/laptop.2. Put the screen face up (the back of the laptop or monitor to a flat hard surface)3. Mix isopropyl alcohol with distilled water (typically 1:1 ratio so it's <50%, not tap water due to mineral impurities) -> the same solution as most cleaners but much cheaper4. Dampen one microfiber cloth with solution and wipe down screen (I prefer not to put it directly on screen, since it can seep through at the corners)5. Dry screen with second dry microfiber cloth (do not use napkins, paper towels or kleenex since they may contain wood chips, which can scratch the screen or leave flakes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw86 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Same as most of the above i just use a microfiber cloth that was sold as a windshield cleaner and use compressed air for the fans and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unreal25 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Except from the screen... and typically any plexiglass surface. If you repeatedly treat plexiglass with say isopropyl alcohol it will start cracking. We use 60% isopropyl alcohol (in "sprinkling" bottle to sterilize our clean table surface and our cell culture bottles before opening them) all the time in my lab and our clean table hood (which is plexiglass) is cracked all over the place. Other than that, I think alcohol is OK for cleaning electronics; it evaporates really quickly. I use water with a little soap for exterior or plastic parts that are completely removable and have no electronics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Brian Posted September 23, 2012 Founder Share Posted September 23, 2012 Yeah distilled water + cloth is best for the screen or just use those commercial display wipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roophz Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Those clothes they use to clean spectacles actually work pretty well on the screen. Seldom use any solution. But if i must, some soft handwash mixed with water does the trick.. ... Remember to turn off the laptop, remove the batt and hold the power button down for a while before using compressed air into the fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virale Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 I use regular lcd cleaning cloths that can be purchased at office depot and clean the display and surface of the computer with them. Then I dry it off using one of those soft cloths they include when you buy a new tv. Sent from my GT-N7000bump!, my solution exactly down to the drying it off with the cloth from my tv!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.