Hi all, I found this old ThinkPad and I would like to pass it on to someone that could really use it, but it’s a bit disgusting. What is the best and easiest way to clean this? What tool would/ do you use?
Toothbrush and isopropyl for what is in the image. Sanitizes, and dissolves most stuff. Remove the battery first for safety and don’t put it back until it’s completely dry. Toss the key caps in a bucket with some soapy water and rub around to clean them. More toothbrush action if anything is stuck on them. Air blaster for the vents. Plastic tweezers for any visible stuck bits. More Isopropyl and towels for big flat areas, like the case/screen.
In addition to the other tips here, it would also be easier if you could disassemble the entire keyboard and lift it from the frame entirely. I’m not sure how ThinkPads are constructed, but the other brands I’ve used can come off, and then you can clean the plastic on top of the circuitry more vigorously (let dry completely before putting it back on)
Air blower, Q-Tip, Toothpick? And Isopropanol is the cleaning fluid of choice for electronics. I’ve also used my vacuum on Thinkpads before. But beware the vacuum. If anything is just tucked in, it’ll dislodge it and suck it in. And you get to spend the next 20min trying to find some tiny part in a pile of dust and hairballs.
Also the plastic parts of the vacuum cleaner tend to build up static charge when rubbed, so be careful not to zap your electronics.
And avoid fans, spin them fast and they’re generators, with a good chance of reverse polarity to the intended. In fact, judicious canned air is probably better than a vacuum, but you use what you’ve got, it’s a thinkpad, it’ll probably be fine.
+1 to Isopropanol, (unused) makeup brushes can also be useful.
Yes. Thx, I forgot about that. Especially the insides. You probably want to have a look inside, if the outside already looks that dirty. And the case / outside is probably fine with some light zapping. It went through ESD testing and certification. And should be able to deal with electrostatic discharge in some way. But the (individual) components on the inside are way more delicate and not made to withstand it.
Compressed air to start with. Rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush for what remains after that.
