Everything in your laptop should be fine as long as the cooling system is working properly. Unfortunately, if too much dust accumulates in the airway or blades of your laptop’s fan, then your laptop could be at potential risk of thermal damage.
A laptop might look tightly sealed but it has inlets to suck in the air that is used for cooling the CPU/GPU. These inlets not only let in air but also unwanted dust. Slowly and steadily, the dust gathers inside the laptop and may choke the fan’s blades.
Components like the CPU and the graphics processing unit, that require a lot of power to operate when driven hard. Most laptops usually have one or two fans to cool down these components.
A typical laptop consists of a heatsink that is attached to a heat pipe system. The fan is responsible for cooling the heatsink and the heat escapes from the heat pipe. Sadly, there is no way to block out dust from entering and blocking these systems from working at full potential. So, it is always a good idea to clean your laptop fan of dust from time to time.
To clean your laptop fan, you will need the tools listed below:
Tools needed:
- Screwdriver: A precision screwdriver set is generally recommended to have for such occasions. This is because different laptop models may have different screw heads. On top of that, even the same laptop may have multiple screw types in different areas.
- Soft brush: Electronic components are delicate and the brush used for dusting should be a soft one that does not damage any IC or circuit trace.
- Duster cloth: A duster cloth is great for removing dirt or thermal grease that has built up on the fan’s blade and other surfaces. Be sure that the fabric is soft to avoid any damage to the components.
- Thermal grease: Thermal grease or thermal paste is used between the surface of the heat-sink and the CPU/GPU. It not only holds the heat sink in place but also quickly saps heat from the CPU/GPU and transfers it to the heat-sink.
- Lubricating oil: Lubricating oil is required for easing up the cooling fan’s motor. A general-purpose, rust-inhibiting oil works great for such purposes. Only sufficient amounts of oil should be used.
- Cotton swab: Cotton swabs are not only good for cleaning your ears. They are great for reaching vents and openings in your laptop’s cooling system.
How to Clean Laptop Fan
There are 4 easy methods using which you can clean your laptop’s fan and prevent overheating. They are as follows:
Method – Disassemble the Laptop
1. Open the cover from the bottom
You will need to remove the rear cover in order to expose the motherboard and its components. To do so, you will need a screwdriver. A precision screwdriver with a crosshead usually works for most laptops. Sometimes, laptops have hidden screws beneath the rubber pads at the bottom. In that case you also need to remove the pads to reveal such screws. If the screws are difficult to remove even after loosening, then use a pair of tweezers to gently pull them out.
2. Disconnect the motherboard battery cable
Before you touch anything inside the laptop, it is wise to remove the power cable that attaches the motherboard to the battery. If the battery is still connected, then you might accidentally short circuit some components and end up damaging them.
3. Disassemble the cooling fan and heat sink
The first step in removing the cooling fan would be to remove the cable attaching it to the motherboard. Gently wiggle it and pull it up. You can then remove the screws attaching the cooling fan and the heatsink.
5. Clean the fan and heat sink
Clean the cooling fan blades with a brush. You can also wipe it off with wet cloth but be sure to dry it off completely before re-installing it. Next up, the fan’s shaft needs to be lubricated. Remove the blades with gentle force to expose the shaft. Dip a cotton swab in the lubricant and gently apply it on the shaft. The heatsink can be cleaned with a soft brush.
6. Remove thermal paste from CPU and GPU
Removing the old thermal grease is a must. This is because it tends to accumulate dust. Use a duster cloth to wipe off the thermal grease from the CPU, heat sink and GPU surfaces.
7. Apply thermal paste to the CPU and GPU
After the thermal paste is completely removed you will need to reapply fresh thermal paste on the surfaces again. After having applied it, reinstall the heatsink, cooling fan. Don’t forget to attach the fan to the motherboard again.
Method – Use a Vacuum Cleaner
You can either use the vacuum cleaner as a blower or to suck off the dirt. Handheld vacuum cleaners with a low to moderate suction power usually do not have the blower option.
1. Selecting the vacuum cleaner
When sucking off dust with a handheld vacuum cleaner, ensure that it has a three-pin plug including the earth pin. Otherwise, static electricity may build up voltage and damage your laptop components. A small cordless vacuum is the best option in this case.
2. Preparing your laptop
Before vacuuming, switch off the laptop. To prevent the fan from spinning, you should place a non-metallic and non-conducting object between the vent and the fan.
3. Start the Vacuuming Process
Set the vacuum to the lowest setting. Start the vacuum cleaner by holding it at an angle to the vents and not directly over the blades. Vacuum intermittently for a few seconds and then pause for a bit. Do this for every vent present on your laptop.
This is the cheapest and most convenient method to clean your laptop. However, you must be careful not to cause any static charge build-up due to excess vacuuming.
Method – Use a Hairdryer
Any compact hairdryer should be sufficient to clean a laptop. In fact, the smaller the better. A hairdryer can blow off the accumulated dust on any electronic component.
1. Preparing the hair dryer
However, they do tend to get warm easily. Therefore, it is recommended that you blow intermittently and from a distance. Also, don’t forget to keep it at a non-heating or cool setting.
2. Preparing the laptop
Just as in the case of a vacuum, you should prevent airflow from touching the fan blades to keep it from spinning too fast. Hence, keep some insulating material between the vent and the fan’s blade.
3. Start the blowing
From a distance and using the cool or non-heating setting on the blower, start blowing air into the vent. Like in case of vacuuming, ensure that the air enters at an angle. Also, do not let the hairdryer touch the laptop chassis or its components.
Method – Use a Silicone Blower
A silicon blower blows air when compressed with hand and fills up with air when released. This is by far the cheapest method to clean your laptop’s fan. However, since it requires manual action, it may not have enough pressure to clean off all the dust. However, in this case there is no risk of a static build-up or thermal damage.
Conclusion:
It is advised to clean a laptop’s fan once every year. This way it stays clean enough and does not cause any heating issues. Sometimes, when a laptop is noisy, the cooling fan may be behind it. In that case, cleaning and lubricating it will make the noise go away. However, before disassembling your laptop and the components, make sure you know what you are doing to avert any damage.
