How do you clean your powerbooks?

[VladDracul]

Hi,

In reading Apple's manuals for the Aluminum Powerbooks, I found a paragraph that discourages the use of aerosols and other cleaning devices.

I need to clean my Powerbook, especially the keyboard, so I'd like to know how other Powerbook owners have gone about this task. Have you used aerosol products such as compressed air, etc? If so, have you had any problems afterwards?

Thanks,

Alex

 

[applefan]

lizzyshark might be talking about iKlear . It's available a apple stores and resellers, and it works well.

 

[MoparShaha]

Well, I know many people are very particular about taking care of their PowerBooks, and I can understand, as they are expensive. But, today I went to clean my new PowerBook for the first time, and I just used 409 and a sock. Crude? Yes. But it worked wonderfully. Looks brand-new (well, it's only a week old, but you get the picture).

 

[SpaceMagic]

iKlear

That iKlear stuff is really good. I use some LCD wipes I got from PC WORLD but the iKlear stuff actually cleans the case aswell. When cleaning the keyboard don't spray anything directly on it AND I advise you wipe it first then use something moist, otherwise you get congealed dust stuck places and that isn't nice.

At the MacExpo London last saturday there was an iKlear man who was handing out samples. Me and my friend walked past him about 8 times collecting 'free sample' - he couldnt remember we had been past him before - it was so funny!

 

[VladDracul]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

Up until now, I've used a damp cloth to clean the exterior and Fellowes wipes to clean the screen. They've worked well so far, but I think I'll give the iKlear stuff a try.

My biggest concern is the space underneath the keyboard; but I think I'll give compressed air a try as I can't think of a reason why it would harm the machine.

 

[wdlove]

I agree that compressed air should be fine to clean the keyboard. Using iKlean is great for all the rest. My wife's PowerBook also really picks up the prints and dirt.

 

[hamfist]

i've heard that it is very important not to use any alcohol-based cleaner on lcd screens. i can't imagine that alcohol would harm the aluminum, though. i've been using the iklear wipes for a couple of years now, and i can say that i've never had a problem with them. they're fairly long lasting, i can usually clean my 15" pb and my ipod plus my girlfriends POS Dell all in one fell swoop. give them a try, they're about 10 dollars for a 12-pack of prepackaged wipes from the Apple store but you could probably find them cheaper online. while at Costco recently i purchased a box of alcohol-based eyeglass wipes, on the box they recommend using them to clean laptops. be careful, i would use them for such a task. hope this helps.

 

[CalfCanuck]

Cleaning the Screen

After doing a fair bit of research a few years ago on cleaning the screen, I found some great advice about using a high quality micro optic lens cloth and a water-vinegar solution. This combo works like a charm and gets those fingerprints off my screens really well - I lightly dampened part of the lens cloth, wet the screen, then dry it with the rest of the cloth.

The lens cleaning cloth I use is about 8 x 8 inches (20cm x 20 cm), and can we washed and reused again and again. Since they're designed for cleaning $5000 lens, they won't scratch the screen, and are available in every photo shop. And the trace of vinegar seems to cut the fingerprint grease really well. As klearscreen (the makers of iKlear note), you definitley don't want to use normal window cleaners.

http://www.klearscreen.com/faq.html#Anchor

The problem with many cleaners such as 409 is the heavy chemicals that they use - there will probably be some residual traces left that may not be so great for the finishes over time (and should probably never be used on screen).

I've tried the Fellowes wipes, but they always seemed to leave streaks that drove me crazy. I usually ended up cleaning the screen about 5-6 times in a row just to get rid of them.

I also had my original Ti Powerbook 400 into MacResQ for a CD-R upgrade, and they did the screen buffing with the iKlear system (this was due to the keyboard impressions that the old Powerbooks used to leave on the screens). While it did really clean things up, the water and light vinegar solution is great when you're on the road away from your iKlear supplies. Just toss the light cloth in your bag with you.

I should also mention that as a photographer, I'm a nut about cleaning my lens daily (as well as the windscreen of my car every time I gass up). It is so nice to be able to see your screen as well!

David

 

[Raid]

There seems to be a disenting opinion of iKeen on this thread I just use tap water and a lens cloth for my screen, but it doesn't do a really good job. To prevent dirt and key marks on the screen my brother uses a thin piece of foam. I don't know where to get it, but it looks like a foam sheet of paper you get as packing material/wrapping. It looked like it was working to keep the dust out and keep key marks off the screen. Maybe that's what's needed to keep your powerbook clean.

 

[Error Type -43]

Originally posted by Raid
There seems to be a disenting opinion of iKeen on this thread my brother uses a thin piece of foam. I don't know where to get it, but it looks like a foam sheet of paper you get as packing material/wrapping. It looked like it was working to keep the dust out and keep key marks off the screen. Maybe that's what's needed to keep your powerbook clean.

That is the method I use. I just put the thin sheet of foam covering that came with my PB on top of the keys whenever I shut the lid. No key prints yet.

 

[MacBandit]

Just something to consider. Remove the keyboard from the computer when cleaning it. If you don't the compressed air will blow a lot of the stuff in the keyboard down into the rest of the computer. I would rather have the dirt in the keyboard then in the computer personally.