Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Dirty Macbook Pro!

Z

zachsternelson

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 13, 2010
24
0
Hello all!

I have a small personal issue with my Macbook Pro! For some reason, I tend to get laptops dirty, and so my macbook pro (7,1 2010 13") has a very dusty, fingerprinted screen, and the aluminum casing has finger smudges and some milk splashes along the trackpad/wrist rest area. What is a good way to clean the aluminum macbook without spending some money?
 
zachsternelson said:
Hello all!

I have a small personal issue with my Macbook Pro! For some reason, I tend to get laptops dirty, and so my macbook pro (7,1 2010 13") has a very dusty, fingerprinted screen, and the aluminum casing has finger smudges and some milk splashes along the trackpad/wrist rest area. What is a good way to clean the aluminum macbook without spending some money?
Click to expand...
Please, please, don't eat and drink over your $1000+ laptop. It baffles me that people will eat and drink over their laptop, there's no reason to and it will cause greasy fingers to dirty up your keyboard, food crap to fall under the keys, and if you spill onto the logic board, POOF, good bye laptop, no warranty for that.
 
Slightly dampened 100% cotton terrycloth washrag. Slightly dampened with just a bit of water.

Works great on the metal, plastic and glass, and it's reusable.

I don't use fabric softener and would imagine it's best not to.

The real key is the SLIGHTLY dampened part. Don't get the thing wet to the point that moisture can be rubbed or dripped into your Mac.
 
isopropyl alcohol will clean very well as well (breaks down the greases and is safe on electronics)...

IF you use water you should be using distilled water as it is non-conductive (just in case.....)

there are other products on the market as well, I use iklear
or you can use any optical cleaning solution/wipes (like for camera lenses)
 
Power down machine.

Magic Eraser followed by paper towel for everything but screen.

Monster Screen Kleaner from Best Buy or Amazon (blue microfiber) use on screen and trackpad in up/down motions.
 
Wow, that's $1000+ coffee table!!

I clean my MBP every week, I use LCD screen cleaner for LCD and general cleaning, but for hard spots, I use "Perfume", just one or two spray on cleaning cloth, the alcohol in the perfume will take care of hard spots. I have used perfume on my white Macbook before selling it, it tuned out very clean, the customer really impressed with how it looks...:)

Or you can check out iClean for Mac and iPhone.
 
HussainAL said:
I clean my MBP every week, I use LCD screen cleaner for LCD and general cleaning, but for hard spots, I use "Perfume", just one or two spray on cleaning cloth, the alcohol in the perfume will take care of hard spots. I have used perfume on my white Macbook before selling it, it tuned out very clean, the customer really impressed with how it looks...:)
Click to expand...

A bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (can be purchased at your local drug store, supermarket, etc.) is much cheaper than perfume and doesn't contain fragrances, etc. that may be harmful to the hardware.
 
I love my new macbook pro, but I gotta say the paranoia of spilling a bit of water on the thing is crazy. Previously I used thinkpads and I spilled water (and other drinks) on them all the time... of course, thinkpads have built in drainage holes in the keyboard and are also easy to disassemble to clean when needed.

Now I have to remember to keep any drinks and food on the opposite side of the desk, far far away from my baby. ;)
 
DewGuy1999 said:
A bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (can be purchased at your local drug store, supermarket, etc.) is much cheaper than perfume and doesn't contain fragrances, etc. that may be harmful to the hardware.
Click to expand...

Not spraying directly on the case, just on the cloth, and I don't use it on the lcd, or directly on the keys, just the edges, it works perfectly for hard to remove spots on my old Macbook White, and I just use it for emergencies.

Plus it makes the Macbook really sexy...:)

I will try this product ... here iClean for the LCD.
 
Isopropyl alcohol only and nothing else. Because if you any water gets inside it may kill the system. Even distilled water can acquire some conductive elements on the way down and shorten stuff out.
 
Apple says "Important: Do not use isopropyl alcohol on the bare LCD panel. Only use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth or LCD cleaning product like iKlear."

Apple also says "It is also safe to use isopropyl alcohol 70% or iKlear on the enclosure parts."

Is a bare LCD panel the soft, sort of gooey material, that's exposed (uncovered) on the anti-glare LCD displays and also exposed on the old 30" Apple Cinema Display? I think that's what Apple means when they say "bare LCD panel." On today's glossy LCD displays (the ones with a black frame) there's a hard plastic covering (glass?), I believe that's ok to use with isopropyl alcohol?

In any case, I've been using Bausch & Lomb Sight Savers (32% isopropyl alcohol, pre-moisten wipes for eyeglasses). They say it's good to use on computer monitors, but I wonder if it would be ok to use on anti-glare LCD displays which don't have the hard plastic/glass covering. Would 32% isopropyl alcohol be a low enough amount not to do damage on the soft gooey material?




galstaph said:
isopropyl alcohol will clean very well as well (breaks down the greases and is safe on electronics)...

IF you use water you should be using distilled water as it is non-conductive (just in case.....)

there are other products on the market as well, I use iklear
or you can use any optical cleaning solution/wipes (like for camera lenses)
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Luba said:
Apple says "Important: Do not use isopropyl alcohol on the bare LCD panel. Only use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth or LCD cleaning product like iKlear."

Apple also says "It is also safe to use isopropyl alcohol 70% or iKlear on the enclosure parts."

Is a bare LCD panel the soft, sort of gooey material, that's exposed (uncovered) on the anti-glare LCD displays and also exposed on the old 30" Apple Cinema Display? I think that's what Apple means when they say "bare LCD panel." On today's glossy LCD displays (the ones with a black frame) there's a hard plastic covering, I believe that's ok to use with isopropyl alcohol?

In any case, I've been using Bausch & Lomb Sight Savers (32% isopropyl alcohol, pre-moisten wipes for eyeglasses). They say it's good to use on computer monitors, but I wonder if it would be ok to use on anti-glare LCD displays which don't have a plastic covering. Would 32% isopropyl alcohol be a low enough amount not to do damage on the soft gooey material?
Click to expand...

I think by bare LCD panel they mean the panel with the anit-glare coating that was previously used on all Apple displays but now is only used on the MacBook/MacBook Air and the anti-glare MacBook Pros. It would also apply to the LCD panel that's under the glass on the iMac, MacBook Pro, and current Apple Cinema displays.

I have a G4 17" iMac and the Mrs. has a Dell SE198FP display, both have anti-glare coatings and I clean them with a soft cloth damped with either plain water or occasionally with fresh dish water (warm water with Dawn) and then dry with a soft cloth. Works really well and both displays still look like new (the iMac after 7-years). I personally wouldn't use anything else.
 
Once a week, I clean all 6 Macbooks here...using this method. Seems to work fine:

-Shut down

-Using 90% rubbing alcohol on a microfiber cloth, wipe down all the outside.

-Using same cloth, wipe down the keyboard/palmrest area and trackpad

-Using a cloth diaper moistened with water, wipe screen.

-Using a second cloth diaper, dry the screen.

-Finally, using a lens cloth I picked up at a eyeglass store, polish the display.
 
Wattser93 said:
Please, please, don't eat and drink over your $1000+ laptop. It baffles me that people will eat and drink over their laptop, there's no reason to and it will cause greasy fingers to dirty up your keyboard, food crap to fall under the keys, and if you spill onto the logic board, POOF, good bye laptop, no warranty for that.
Click to expand...

Your pleas will fall on deaf ears. In my estimation, about 1% of Apple computer owners actually take care of their machines. I see at least three threads talking about something spilled on their MacBook and I can't help but wonder why people are having beverages and food near such an expensive device. Whatever though.

My MBP looks just like the day I got it, except for the rainbow apple logo. Otherwise, pristine.
 
Wattser93 said:
Please, please, don't eat and drink over your $1000+ laptop. It baffles me that people will eat and drink over their laptop, there's no reason to and it will cause greasy fingers to dirty up your keyboard, food crap to fall under the keys, and if you spill onto the logic board, POOF, good bye laptop, no warranty for that.
Click to expand...

I know everyone has different habits and levels of cleanliness, but im with you...why even run the risk...my friend's MBP is just a shame to look at, and he worked long and hard to be able to purchase it. I guess some people just dont care or see a clean macbook as a priority.
 
i3igsmooth5769 said:
I know everyone has different habits and levels of cleanliness, but im with you...why even run the risk...my friend's MBP is just a shame to look at, and he worked long and hard to be able to purchase it. I guess some people just dont care or see a clean macbook as a priority.
Click to expand...

I could never let a CRUMB near my MBP :p
Apart from a few minor scratches on the battery cover, mine literally looks brand new.
 
cambookpro said:
I could never let a CRUMB near my MBP :p
Apart from a few minor scratches on the battery cover, mine literally looks brand new.
Click to expand...

Would you petty apple fanboys please stop complaining about eating/drinking near your laptop?

It's a computer, I work at a desk 10 hours a day, where do you expect me to go when I need a drink, snack, meal etc.? It's not meant to be kept in pristine condition for the rest of it's life. Even If I did spill food all over my macbook and break it, I have the money to replace it, so I don't worry about it.
 
zachsternelson said:
What is a good way to clean the aluminum macbook without spending some money?
Click to expand...

zachsternelson said:
...Even If I did spill food all over my macbook and break it, I have the money to replace it, so I don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Then why ask about a good way to clean the MacBook without spending some money if you have so much you can just replace it without worrying? If you are going to eat and drink while using it, why try to keep it clean? Just enjoy your food.
 
Last edited:
zachsternelson said:
Would you petty apple fanboys please stop complaining about eating/drinking near your laptop?

It's a computer, I work at a desk 10 hours a day, where do you expect me to go when I need a drink, snack, meal etc.? It's not meant to be kept in pristine condition for the rest of it's life. Even If I did spill food all over my macbook and break it, I have the money to replace it, so I don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Get 'em tiger. OCD-types can't imagine how anyone would live their frickin' life next to some beautiful machine. It's a tool. You bought it, you can ruin it if you want (assuming your parent or school didn't - then that would be rude). Fools leave their DeWalt drills in the rain too.

If I were you I'd invest in a moshi keyboard cover at least. This will block the blueberry muffin crumbs and milk splashes (who drinks milk? how old are you?) from your keyboard internals. Replacing your keyboard on a unibody is a b$&ch.
 
croooow said:
Then why ask about a good way to clean the MacBook without spending some money if you have so much you can just replace it without worrying? If you are going to eat and drink while using it, why try to keep it clean? Just enjoy your food.
Click to expand...

Just because someone has money, doesn't mean they need to spend it. You're the biggest troll I've ever seen on a forum. If there is a perfectly good way to clean a product without spending money, then why not use that way, and save the money.

If you are going to eat and drink while using it, why try to keep it clean? Just enjoy your food. Wow....... You're pretty mature, I think at least. I like to keep my products clean, but I don't wear rubber gloves and use my laptop in a dust free environment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back