How to Clean Laptop Motherboards

By Charles Pearson

If a laptop is running slow, it might have a dusty motherboard.
i laptop image by Angie Lingnau from Fotolia.com

Various problems can cause a laptop to malfunction. Over time, dust will eventually seep into a laptop and stick to the laptop motherboard, which is essentially the computer's brain. Dust build-up can damage the motherboard. These particles can have a corrosive effect on the motherboard's circuitry, which can slow-down or even freeze computer performance. Fortunately, you can clean the laptop's motherboard by spraying compressed air. However, you'll need to take precautions not to damage the inner components while cleaning your laptop.

Turn the laptop off and unplug it.

Remove the laptop battery.

Remove the screws on the bottom of the laptop that secure the two panels.

Locate the motherboard. The motherboard is a large panel with many small wires and components on top of it.

Hold in an upright position a can of compressed air .

Spray air on the motherboard using the compressed air. Blow the dust particles away from the motherboard and out of the laptop. Avoid blowing the dust further into the laptop.

Put the panels back on the laptop.

Fasten the screws on the panel. Make sure that they are tight.

Put the battery back into the laptop.

Plug the laptop back in.

Turn on the laptop. Test the laptop to verify that it is functioning properly.

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