Dust, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. If you see dust sitting on top of your computer, that’s not a problem. The problem is when it gets inside, or when it obstructs the airflow generated by the fans.
In the Tip on Airflow, I recommended not putting the computer directly on the floor. That’s where dust ends up most. You won’t eliminate all dust by picking the computer up off the floor, but you will significantly reduce the amount getting sucked into the vents. Remember what I said about airFLOW—air is moving INTO the machine, and air is moving OUT of the machine. Dust is moving with that air, but the dust finds it way INTO the computer much more easily than it finds its way OUT of the computer. So if you open the machine, you will see dust.
It can be real tempting to pick up a can of compressed air and just blast away—that is not the right way to deal with dust. You’re blowing dust INTO the machine, which is the opposite of what you want to do. What you want to do is to unplug the machine, open it up, and do quick short bursts OUT of the front vents, and around inside. Don’t spray directly onto any of the components, and don’t hold the pressure on very long. If you have processor fans, gently hold the fan still and do the same quick short bursts, not too close to the fan blades.
For most laptops, you can take the bottom cover off and spray out from the fan out of the vents, again, gently holding the fan blades. you don’t want the fan blades to spin from the bursts of the air. You can do a sweeping spray to blow out the dust bunnies. Check your laptop manufacturer’s website for information on how to take the back cover off, they’re all a little different, and even within one manufacturer, each model will have screws in different locations. Before you get started, you may want to check out the tip of the week Opening Up Your Computer—Don’t Be Scared.
photo credit: storebukkebruse