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Unfortunately, our laptops don't stay new forever.
Over time, your once shiny, new computer slowly turns into a filth machine.
Crumbs get lodged into the keyboard and smudges and stains begin to appear on the screen.
Luckily, all of these annoying cosmetic flaws can be quickly and easily fixed with basic household items.
I'm Dan Graziano, and I'm going to show you one of the ways you can clean your laptop.
To get the job done, I recommend picking up some soft, lint-free cloths or microfiber cloths, you'll also need mild dish detergent, such as Dawn, a can of compressed air, and some rubbing alcohol.
Never use things like paper towel or Windex.
As this will surely damage your computer.
You should also never apply anything directly to your screen.
Make sure to spray into a cloth first.
Before you begin, power down your laptop and unplug the connector.
If your model allows it, you should also remove the battery.
However, as you can see with my Macbook Air, this is not the case.
We are going to start by cleaning the lid and the bottom of the device.
Mix a couple of drops of Dawn or another dish soap and a couple of cups of warm water together.
Dip your lint-free cloth in the soapy mixture, wring out the rag and wipe down the surfaces.
Rinse out the cloth with clean water and wipe it down again.
To avoid water streaks, wipe it down a third time with a dry cloth.
This method can also be used to clean your laptop's display.
And the screen on your monitor, or even an HDTV.
Next, we are going to take the can of compressed air, and begin to spray away the crumbs from your keyboard.
If your lap top has vents try to spray the dust from there as well.
More advanced users can open up their device and use the compressed air to spray away any dust on the internal components.
But for now we're sticking to the basics.
If your keyboard is especially your dirty grab your lint free cloth and the rubbing alcohol and gently rub your keys.
I find this to be a better solution than soap and water because the rubbing alcohol evaporate almost immediately which greatly reduces the risk of liquid getting inside of your laptop.
For more how to's like this one, be sure to check out howto.cnet.com.
You can also reach out to me on Twitter with any questions or comments.
I'm Dan Graziano for CNet.
Thanks for watching.
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