How to Clean a Fan on a Gateway Laptop

A laptop fan must be cleaned to maintain its efficiency.

Founded in 1985 and most recognizable by their cow-print boxes, Gateway is a company that manufactures computers, laptops and their accessories. While they produce several different types of laptops to meet different needs, all models feature a fan in the bottom to keep the laptop from overheating. When the fan gets dirty, it can lose efficiency or stop working all together. Therefore, it's important to regularly clean the fan to remove dirt and dust.

Things You'll Need

• Computer vacuum cleaner
• Canned air
• Cloth
• Rubbing alcohol or alcohol wipe

Instructions

1. Unplug the laptop. Turn the power off by pushing the power button.

2. Wipe the grates covering the laptop fan with a rubbing alcohol wipe or a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol. Vacuum dust from the grates using a computer vacuum cleaner.

3. Spray canned air into the grates covering the fan to clean the fan. The air will blow the dirt and debris off the blades. Continue blowing until the fan is clean.

4. Use another rubbing alcohol wipe or alcohol-dampened cloth to wipe down the grates once more.

References

• Gateway Checklists: My System Shuts Down Intermittently
• Gateway: Maintain Your Computer/CPU

Resources

• Gateway: Notebooks