Laptops are a lot like people; they come in various shapes, sizes and colours. Two people can buy the same laptop device however choose to use them in completely different ways.
Some people use laptops for work, others for gaming, some for movies and leisure. The bottom line is our devices no matter the brand, price, aesthetic, or model are bought with purpose. We expect the device to have a long lifespan and show us it was money well spent. However, without the proper care and maintenance it’s basic logic that our devices won’t stand the test of time. Be it a $200 AUD laptop or a $2000 AUD laptop if we want our devices to last, we need to take care of them so that can continue to meet our needs.
So that begs the question:
How can you as a consumer take care of your laptop?
Lucky for you in this blog We Fix IT Darwin has searched across the web to tell you exactly that. Plus, for the sake of keeping things short and simple we have decided to cut this topic into two blog posts. One post to focus on the hardware components of the laptop and the other blog post to focus on the software.
In this post as the title suggests we will be going into maintenance tips and tricks to help you take care of your laptop’s hardware. Don’t worry along with searching the web we have made sure to cross reference these tips with our in-house workshop team. Doesn’t matter if you have a basic laptop, surface pro, gaming laptop, Apple Laptop, or a custom-built device; we guarantee these hardware maintenance tips will be worth the read.
1. Clean your laptop often
It may seem like a simple thing, but you would be surprised how many people don’t do this. The We Fix IT Workshop receives dozens of laptops and PC towers each year from customers stating their laptop is making funny sounds, but they don’t know why.
The answer? Dust.
The laptops and pc towers simply need to be cleaned. Don’t know how to clean them? Let us help you better understand.
Focus on cleaning the laptop screen, keyboard, chassis, and air vents:
- Laptop Screen Cleaning
- Gently wipe the screen with a clean and soft microfiber cloth. Alternatively, you can by wipes specifically made to clean screens.
- Do not use window cleaner or any type of household cleaner on the laptop screen. Use a cleaner that is designed for you laptops screen type.
- Keyboard or chassis cleaning
- Wipe the surface gently with a clean and soft microfiber cloth.
- You can also use a small makeup brush or a clean old toothbrush to gently wipe between the keys to remove dust.
- We would not recommend taking off the key caps of a laptops inbuilt keyboard until your laptop model specifies this will do no harm.
- Do not use water or household cleaning products to wipe down your laptop keyboard.
- Air vent cleaning
- Use a can of compressed air to clear out any possible dust or debris
- Ensure you get inside the ports of the laptop
- Be gentle and ensure not to insert anything metal or sharp inside of slots/ports.
2. Look after the laptop Battery
- Use a surge protector when possible, as a single power surge can damage your laptop within a matter of seconds, hindering your laptop’s functionality (DELL)
- Don’t leave the laptop plugged in after the battery is fully charged as it will reduce the overall lifetime of the battery.
- Try not to roll you chair or other furniture over charger cords.
- Don’t leave the laptop plugged in after the battery is fully charged as it will reduce the overall lifetime of the battery.
- Try not to roll you chair or other furniture over charger cords.
3. Ensure your laptop has proper airflow
- It doesn’t matter if you are at home or out and about its vital to ensure a laptop long lifespan that you ensure the device has proper airflow. This means that if your laptop is overheating your doing something wrong
- Try changing the laptops position, do not place it on a bed, cushions, or fluffy surface.
- Invest in a Cooling pad to allow proper airflow and circulation.
4. Don't leave your laptop in heated areas
- This includes in the car, car trunk, bus, train or any location that would expose the laptop to extreme temperature or direct sunlight for extended periods of time.
5. Try not to eat, drink or smoke near your device
- Most of us will at some point do/or have done one of these three things while on our computer. It’s so normalized we don’t even realize the damage it causes.
- Food crumbs are easily able to get stuck within the device keyboard leading to insects and bugs or sticky keys.
- Drinks or any form of liquid if spilt on your device can cause water damage, short circuiting, or computer failure
- Finally smoking near a computer leads to the creation of “TAR dust”. Tar and dust combine to make a sticky substance that clogs up the computer’s cooling system.
