How to Clean a Laptop
Power down the laptop, unplug it, and remove the battery if you can.
Wipe down your whole laptop with a dry microfiber cloth. This will pick up the majority of dust and light scuffs. If there’s stubborn dust, hair, or leftovers crammed between any keys or design embellishments, give the keyboard deck a series of short blasts of canned air to remove it (don’t hold down the canned air’s nozzle because this creates condensation). Proceed with caution—this step can blow debris deeper into the laptop. Even so, it’s the best solution we’ve found, and even Apple recommends it.
If you spilled something on your laptop, or the keys and trackpad look reflective with finger grease, it’s time to do a deeper clean. Lightly dampen the microfiber cloth with a small amount of water and give the laptop case another wipedown. Don’t forget the trackpad, but be careful not to press down too hard when cleaning it. And don’t ever spray or pour water directly onto the laptop.
For stubborn stains, grab a cotton swab, dip the swab into isopropyl alcohol, and then use the swab to focus on any trouble spots. This is acceptable only for certain materials, typically harder, nonporous plastics (including the keyboard on MacBooks), so do a spot check first to make sure the alcohol doesn’t cause any issues. You should not use isopropyl alcohol on softer plastics, like the material often found on some palm rests, and it may cause issues with some key materials, so always try water first to see if it’ll suffice.
