Laptops are subject to far more abuse than desktop Macs . Dirt , dust , and scratches keep them from looking new for long . But that does n’t mean you ’re stuck with smudges , stains , and scrapes . Here ’s how to make your Mac laptop look good again — and how to then keep it that way .
Clean that screen
If your screen is like most , it ’s a magnet for dust and fingerprints ( or if you ’ve got small children in the house , handprints ) . If you ’re tempt to just spray some Windex on it and pass over it down with a newspaper towel , don’t . This is a touchy LCD panel , which requires a bit more care . Here ’s a good plan of attack :
1.Turn off your laptop .
2.Ideally , use an ammonia- and intoxicant - free cleaning resolution made for LCD blind , such as RadTech’sOmniCleanz($10 to $ 15 ) or Meridew Enterprises’iKlear Apple Polish Cleaning Kit($25 , admit a travel kit and an extra - large feeding bottle ) . ( In a soupcon , you could mix your own solution of one part isopropyl intoxicant and one part extract water . )
3.Use a clean , soft , lint - detached material ; paper products or bumpy cloth can scratch your projection screen . The RadTech and iKlear packages each include a little cleanup cloth specifically made for LCDs . ( I prefer the RadTech rag . )
4.Spray your cleaning answer on thecloth , not the screen ; this keep the liquid from dripping into the silver screen ’s casing .
5.Place a towel or another easy fabric on a flat table , and then lay the back of your laptop computer ’s sieve on the fabric , holding the laptop computer ’s body up with one hand . With the other paw , use the dampened textile to pass over your laptop screen , gently , in a round apparent movement . This maintain the screen door stationary and subjugate the risk that you ’ll damage it during houseclean . Do n’t care about absorbing all the liquid state ; small bar should disappear on their own .
Keys to a clean keyboard
The keyboard is the grimiest part of any computer . ( The keyboard can also be a health hazard ; see thisnews report from the BBC . ) unluckily , it ’s also the most difficult part of a information processing system to clean ; there are just so many places for dirt , dust , and hair’s-breadth to hide . Although it ’s unacceptable to get a laptop keyboard as light as it was when it was new , there are a duo of things you could do to refresh it up .
First , you could get a good deal of the crud out of a keyboard by using just old compress air ; most electronics stores deal cans of Dust - Off , byFalcon Safety Products , for a few dollar sign each . deem the can ’s nose close to the keyboard open and then bobble airacross the keyboard , along the horizontal space between rows of key . Be sure to keep the can upright piano ; angle it risks expelling the can ’s contents in ( potentially dangerous ) liquid form .
Second , you could pass over down the surfaces of your keys with a flaccid cloth and a solution like the one you used to houseclean your screen ; again , tone down the fabric , not the key . Although it ’s best to do this when your laptop is turned off , you’re able to also expend Jan Lehnardt ’s freeKeyboard Cleaner utility ( ) to temporarily stop the keyboard during cleaning . ( Once you ’ve clean your keyboard — or before you utilise a new one — you might want to consider a way to keep dirt out ; see “ A Little Protection . ” )
Time for a face-lift
If you ’ve got a blanched iBook or MacBook , there ’s a good chance that the outside has find fault up a number of dough . you may remove many of these loot by using cabbage - remotion outfit for iPods .
My two favorites are RadTech ’s $ 21 Ice Creme and DLO ’s $ 30Care Kit for iPod . Both include polishing textile , one solution for removing larger cacography , and another solu - tion for remove littler scratches and refinishing the surface after you apply the tumid - scratch solution . The DLO outfit also includes a general cleanup root , but I recall RadTech ’s Optex shining material is a more - useful extra . However , you should use these kit only if you ’ve got significant scratching ; since they go by buff - ing out scratches , they can leave very small blemishes — such as diminutive surface swirls — of their own .
Unfortunately , owners of metallic element PowerBooks and MacBook Pros ca n’t utilize these kits — the cultivation on these systems are n’t polish - friendly . TiPaint ’s Pro - TiPaint , for Titanium PowerBooks , andConceal , for aluminium PowerBooks and MacBook Pros ( each $ 20 ) , can touch up major scratches and gashes , although smaller blemishes and hairline scratches are n’t good touch - up candidate . The matte finish on black MacBooks is even more limiting ( or liberating , depending on your point of view ) ; aside from pass over it down with a damp textile once in a while , there ’s not much you may do to keep it take care good ( except to protect it ; see “ Beauty Is peel Deep ” ) .
If your notebook is scrape and scuffed beyond aesthetic repair , maybe it ’s time for a fresh start . ColorWarewill give your Mac laptop a usage key chore in one of 28 colors ( $ 399 to $ 449 , plus option ) . Similarly , Etchamaccan laser - engrave a design onto your atomic number 13 - case laptop computer , hiding scratches and making your notebook computer look stylin ’ at the same metre ( prices vary ) .
at last , if you ’ve got a whitened MacBook that ’s looking grungy , it might be more than a hygiene issue . Apple has identified a job that result in significant stain of the palmrest expanse on a small phone number of early livid MacBooks . you’re able to contactAppleCareabout a replacement for that section of your MacBook ’s shell .
Beauty is skin deep
It ’s tough to keep the exterior of your laptop computer scratch- and malicious gossip - free . Sleeves and case help , but you still have touseyour laptop computer once in a while , right ? If you ’re the meticulous type , an always - on plate can protect your computer from scrapes and modest dings without adding a lot of volume — and allow you to use your portable without removing the plate . touch ’s SeeThru Hard Shell (; $ 50 ) whole encases your MacBook or MacBook Pro in a sturdy layer of clear , blue , or red polycarbonate . For a more luxurious feel , slip - Mate’sSignature Suit($150 ) covers your MacBook or MacBook Pro in various combination of red ( image ) , fleeceable , ashen , and black leather . And RhinoSkin ’s $ 60Hardcaseis a heavy plastic shell for your MacBook that provides extra storage : a magazine - on accessory box seat hold your AC transcriber and cables .
A little protection
Given the monetary value of a distinctive laptop , and how much abuse it will take over its lifetime , the fact that few mass take steps to protect their laptop beyond a wide-eyed carrying case is surprising . you could really give your laptop computer the equivalent of a suit of armor — or at least piece of one — without sacrifice usability .
Power Support’sAntiglare Film and Crystal FilmA($24 to $ 42 ) are clear protective films that keep scratches and filth aside from your laptop ’s screen . The Antiglare variation cut back glare from sun and fluorescent Christ Within ; Power Support claim that the Crystal rendering produce more - vibrant colors .
To keep dirt , hair , liquid , and other stuff and nonsense out of your keyboard , look at a cover . iSkin’sProTouch Keyboard ProtectorB($25 ) , Macessity’sKeyboard Shield($20 ) , and zCover’stypeOn Keyboard Skin($20 ) are thin silicone keyboard covers that not only keep the nasty stuff out but also make your notebook computer ’s keyboard quieter — a dainty fillip for former - night typing . All are well removable and washable , and all are surprisingly unobtrusive — it does n’t feel as though you ’re type through a thick slab of rubber .
Finally , you could keep turd — and wrist watch - induced scratches — aside from your laptop ’s palmrest with one of several protective products . Power Support ’s Wrist Rug ( $ 20 to $ 25 , include trackpad shelter ) , Marware’sProtection Pack($20 to $ 23 , including fabric keyboard binding ) , and Moshi’sPalmGuardC($20 , including trackpad protection ) are full - width , adhesive coverings . AVA ’s two - slice paddedSoftpads (; $ 15 ) are unequaled in that they also make the MacBook ’s acute palmrest edge more comfortable .
[ Dan Frakes is a elderly editor atMacworldand the senior critical review editor in chief at Playlistmag.com . He ’s a frequent contributor to Macworld.com’sMobile Mac web log . ]