When it comes to cleaning your Mac, you’ve got to clean it inside and out. And by that, we mean that it’s not enough to just defrag it, get rid of useless apps and clean out any unused app preferences and files. We mean that you also have to actually CLEAN it, as in, physically clean it. Below, we’ll list five quick mac tips for desktop owners followed by five quick tips for laptop owners. Read on useful mac tricks.

For Desktop Owners

If you’ve got an iMac, Mac Pro, or even one of the ancient eMacs, here are a few tips to physically clean it out.

#1. Get a Can of Air

Buying a can of compressed air may feel a bit ridiculous, but it can really help. You stick the nozzle in the cracks and crevices of your Mac and your keyboard and give it a quick spray. This knocks out that blanket of dust that sits in there causing your computer to overheat after less than an hour of use.

#2. Window Cleaner

Window cleaner and some fresh paper towels are really your best bet for cleaning your entire computer, not just the monitor. That smooth, plastic surface that Apple is known for really kind of insists upon being cleaned with something that’ll make it shine. Spray on the paper towel and then rub the casing so that you don’t wind up dripping ammonia into the computer itself.

#3. Keep Your Old Toothbrush

A dry toothbrush is a great way to scrub out your keyboard without destroying it, but you’re better off with an old, soft brush than with a new, stiff one that will likely pop your keys off the board and scratch the lens on your optic mouse.

#4. Keeping the Dust Out

Keeping the dust out is really the most important thing and there’s really no way to ensure that nothing gets in there. Keeping your desk clean and dusted is a start, though, and putting a filter over your Mac’s vents can help a bit. You’ll still need to dust it out once or twice a year for peak performance, though.

#5. On Cleaning the Interior

Macs are meant to be a "unit", so cracking your case open, with most Macs, will void your warranty. However, opening the case may be necessary to thorough cleaning. Weigh the pros and cons. Of course, if your Mac’s interior needs cleaning, then your warranty has probably expired by now.

For Laptop Owners

Assume that everything above applies to laptops, but add these tips in, too.

#6. Get a Glasses Cleaning Kit 

A glasses cleaning kit with its little cloths and fluids can really help to clean off the more delicate little pieces of a laptop. The power lights, keys, they can all be kept nice and shiny with a glasses cleaning kit. Keep it with you so you can quickly get rid of any dirt, stains or bird droppings you happen to come in contact with.

#7. Consider Getting a Lap Mounted Cooling Fan

A lot of laptops don’t feature any kind of cooling fan, so getting one of those lap-mounted cooling fans might not be a bad idea to keep the dust from settling in. Not to mention, it keeps you from being burned alive, lap-first.

#8. Know How to Take it Apart

Laptops are tricky. Even if you’ve taken apart and put together dozens of desktops before, don’t try to take your laptop apart until you’ve checked out a guide on how to do it online (that is, assuming that you’ve never experimented with this model before). If you’d rather not go through the trouble, then just blow it out with some compressed air and worry about the exterior.

#9. Use a Keyboard Cover

Nowadays they’re coming out with those keyboards that don’t feature any cracks or gaps. Until you get your hands on one of those, a keyboard cover may help to keep junk out of your keyboard until then. Look, when we use our laptops, we’re usually out and about, at the coffee shop, the library, wherever, so it’s easier to get stuff in the cracks and crevices of your laptop than it is at home, where your environment is relatively controlled.

#10. Cleaning the Screen

Cleaning a monitor is easy, but when you feel the softness, the "give" of your laptop screen, you may be timid about cleaning it. What you don’t want to do is spray a thick layer of window cleaner on it and take some scratchy paper towels to it. What you do want to do is take a piece of tissue paper, dampen it with window cleaner, and gently swipe your screen in consistent, circular motions. That should get it clean in no time and without scratching it.

James blogs and is a reviewer with SparesNextDay, suppliers of the best hoover bags in the United Kingdom.