Fingerprint smudges appear first, then dust, and within the first week, crumbs. Multiply all that by a few months-or years-and you have a serious situation. So turn off your notebook and do something about the mess before the Department of Health calls for a quarantine.
1. Chassis
You can wipe a dry microfiber cloth (available at electronics stores) over the chassis to remove smudges, but that won't help with serious damage. Mix mild dish soap with water in a five-to-one ratio. Dip the cloth into the liquid, ring out well, and wipe down the exterior. Repeat with a clean, damp cloth. Screen cleaners can be good, but always spray on the cloth first.
2. Screen
Try PhotoDon's Ultra HDTV Laptop-Monitor Plasma LCD Screen Cleaner ($7.95; www.photodon .com). Spray it on a microfiber cloth to wipe away dust, fingerprints, and smudges.
3. Keyboard
Dislodge crumbs with compressed air. Blow-Off Duster ($4.55; www.photodon.com) was so cold that we got a little freezer burn on our hands, but it worked better than similar products. The satisfying "sffffft" sound will make your keyboard crumb- and dust-free. Use rubbing alcohol with a microfiber cloth to de-grime your keyboard.
4. Optical Drive
Run a CD-ROM cleaner (available online or in retail stores) when your drive acts up. AllSop's CD-ROM Cleaner ($9.99; www.allsop.com) consists of a CD with eight little brushes to gently clean the laser. It took about a minute, and we got to watch some animation while it worked.
5. Serious Cleanups
Avoid eating near your notebook, if you can. For liquids, remember that sugar is your notebook's worst enemy. Even the most robust companies that offer spill-proof keyboards can't guarantee their notebooks will survive a Coca-Cola or a large caramel macchiato.
If you spill, unplug and dry what you can. Spilled more than water? Get out your screwdriver and (after snapping a photo with your digital camera so you know where everything goes) remove components. Clean them with ionized water and your microfiber cloth-no hair dryers or other heat sources. When everything is dried out (wait at least 24 hours), put your notebook back together again...and pray.
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