Look after your Laptop

I have a new toy at home. A lovely shiny, super-fast, ultra-thin new laptop that has cost me a considerable amount of pennies. I think it’s fair to say that I heart it very much.....

When you think about it, a new laptop is one of the most expensive things that you are likely to buy and looking after it really is important and will even help prolong the life of your machine.

If anything else had cost you hundreds of pounds would you lean over it whilst eating, cradle cups of tea near it or even, as I have seen Tallest Daughter do for a moment (before she was severely reprimanded), balance a cup of water on it? Nope – thought not!

For those of you like me who do eat near your laptop – and who can resist a Hob Nob whilst tweeting or looking at old school friends’ photos on Facebook? Then you’re a better (wo)man than I am! – you may have noticed that crumbs do get lodged in your keyboard. I once had a sticky K key for days that had fallen victim to a teeny, weeny crumb of lemon curd tart. I also know that for those of you working in offices, lunch at your desk is a daily occurrence. It’s even harder to keep work keyboards clean.

IF I am eating near my laptop I do tend to have a napkin to hand and will wipe my hands before going anywhere near the keyboard again and that’s because there is nothing worse known to man than a sticky patch on your mouse pad – that renders work impossible!
I have invested in a spray of specialist laptop cleaner that comes with a small microfibre cloth and that’s perfect for a wipe down of the screen and keyboard area every few days and helps keep things a little cleaner. The same cleaner does a great job on my touchscreen phone too – well, it’s more effective than rubbing it on my jeans which is what I normally do. Or even worse, pulling up the bottom hem of whatever top I’m wearing to clean my mobile. Reminiscent of my grandmother cleaning her glasses but with less huffing!
All this is great for weekly cleaning but we all should really give our laptops a deep clean on a regular basis. 
Here’s the best way to do this:

• Step One – turn your laptop off! 
• Step Two - use a small canister of compressed air to get rid of dust/food particles in the keyboard. These can be bought online, from any good stationers or electrical goods shop
• Step Three - wipe down the screen with a microfibre cloth.
• Step Four - use a cotton wool bud and either a squirt of your PC cleaner or rubbing alcohol to clean between the keys.
• Step Five - with a slightly damp cloth wipe down the keys and mouse pad.
• Step Six - close the lid and wipe it down. You’ll be amazed how many finger prints are here that grabbing your cuff and giving the lid a cursory wipe down with your forearm hasn’t moved!
• Step Seven - all to avoid a dusty bottom, gently turn your laptop over and use the compressed air to clean the fan. Every few months, you should even remove the bottom cover and use the compressed air to blow away any fluff that may be lurking inside on the fan.

The final step can be really useful in stopping your laptop overheating. If you hear your fan working hard and your laptop feels hot underneath, turn it off immediately, let it cool down and then try cleaning the van. This is like emergency first aid for your beloved machine.

So, short of wrapping my lovely new toy in cling film and only using it inside a plastic bubble, I know that the tips above are going to become part of my regular cleaning routine.

Look after your laptop, as life really isn’t the same without it!