Dell Laptop Best Practices for Use, How to Clean, and Maintain for Longevity

Table of contents

1. Overview
2. Essential Laptop Care: Screen Cleaning, Maintenance Tips, and Avoiding Spills
3. How to Clean the Laptop
4. Power (AC adapter, cables, and batteries)
5. Carrying or Transporting the Laptop

For information about Dell desktops, see the Dell knowledge base article Dell Desktop Best Practices for Care, Use, and Handling.

Overview

Properly caring for and maintaining your Dell laptop ensures peak performance, longevity, and ideal physical condition. Consistent care is necessary for optimal performance.

The following list includes several best practices in caring for your laptop.

Essential Laptop Care: Screen Cleaning, Maintenance Tips, and Avoiding Spills

• Cables and removable storage devices must be inserted carefully into the laptop.
• Use a surge protector when possible, as a single power surge can damage your laptop within a matter of seconds, hindering your laptop’s functionality.
• Avoid using your laptop on an uneven surface or soft surface such as a sofa, bed, carpeting, comforters, or pillows
  • Prevents air vents on the bottom or the sides of your laptop from being blocked, which could cause reduced airflow
  • Allows for an optimal touchpad experience
• When in use, do not put weight on top of the laptop or place anything near or on the laptop that could put pressure on the screen. Unnecessary pressure can push the LCD screen into the keyboard and may eventually damage your laptop’s screen.
• Do not rotate or open the LCD screen beyond its design limit. Laptops have a design limit as to how far the LCD screen can be tilted open. If the LCD is tilted beyond this limit, damage to the LCD, hinges, or laptop occurs. Avoid forcing the LCD screen beyond this limit once resistance is felt.
• Avoid touching the screen with sharp or pointed objects such as pencils, pens, and so on.
• Do not insert items (especially metal objects) into the openings of the laptop that are not intended for those ports.
• Avoid having food or beverages around the laptop.
• Do not place anything on the keyboard before closing the laptop LCD screen, such as pens, pencils, folders, papers, and so on.
• Close the laptop carefully - from the center top front edge of the screen. Avoid excessive force when closing the LCD screen.
• The LCD screen and touch screen on Dell monitors, all-in-ones, and laptops are made of polarized glass. This glass could break if the device is dropped or receives a significant impact.
• When storing a laptop, do not place other items on top that could put unnecessary pressure on the laptop, such as books. When storing multiple laptops, avoid stacking the laptops on top of each other.
• Keep the laptop dry - protect it from rain, snow, and any liquid.
• Do not leave your laptop in a car (including the trunk) or any location that would expose the laptop to extreme temperature or direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Large temperature swings could damage a laptop, and a laptop (or laptop bag) is also an inviting target for a thief.
• Avoid using your laptop in an environment that is not intended, such as a construction site or a high wind, dusty environment.
• Avoid using your laptop in or around locations that increase the risk of damage, such as bodies of water (Ex. Pool, lake, so on), or at significant heights (Ex. Balcony, raised deck, so on) where there is risk of dropping the laptop.
• If pets or other animals are present, use great care to prevent the possibility of damage to the laptop, AC adapter, or any other components and peripherals.
  WARNING: When taking the product through temperature extremes, from low-temperature conditions into a warmer environment or from high-temperature conditions into a cooler environment, allow the product to acclimate to ambient use temperature and for any condensation that may have formed to evaporate before turning on power to avoid damage to the product.
• For more information regarding general maintenance, including guidance regarding the security of your data, see Dell knowledge base article General Maintenance Guidelines For a Dell Computer.

How to Clean the Laptop

• Clean your laptop often. Taking a few minutes to clean your laptop of dust, grime, residue, and so on, makes a massive difference in your laptop’s lifespan. Focus on cleaning the LCD screen, keyboard, chassis, and air vents:
  • LCD screen cleaning - Gently wipe the screen with a clean and soft microfiber cloth. Do not use window cleaner or any type of household cleaner on the LCD screen. Use a cleaner that is designed for an LCD screen.
  • Keyboard or chassis cleaning - Wipe the surface gently with a clean and soft microfiber cloth.
  • Air vent cleaning - Use a can of compressed air to clear out any possible dust or debris.
• For more information regarding how to clean your laptop, see Dell knowledge base article Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean.

Power (AC adapter, Cables, and Batteries)

• Reminder: To help protect your laptop from sudden, transient increases and decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
• Use only the Dell-provided AC adapter that is approved for use with your Dell laptop or docking station.
• Avoid covering the AC adapter with paper or other items, which reduces cooling. Also, do not use the AC adapter inside a carrying case.
• Be mindful of where the power cable is plugged in, as the cable may be a tripping hazard.
• When inserting or removing the power cable of the laptop, ensure that the connector is lined up with the laptop’s power port.
  • Be careful not to pull or twist the laptop when any cables are attached.
• Ensure all the cables are securely connected at both ends.
• When unplugging the power cable from the wall socket, pull directly on the plug. Otherwise, the cable could break off from the plug.
• Unplug the AC Adapter (if possible) after the battery is fully charged and have your laptop run on battery power. Plug the AC adapter back in after the battery charge falls below 50 percent. This helps extend the life of the battery.
• Laptops must be shut down when not in use to conserve battery life.

Carrying or Transporting the Laptop

• Before carrying or transporting your laptop, remove any devices that are plugged in, such as USB drives or the AC adapter. If hit, any remaining devices can damage the laptop ports or the devices themselves.
• Do not pick up the laptop by holding the screen or the corner of the palmrest. This can put unnecessary pressure on the LCD, palmrest, or touchpad.
• It is best to close the laptop LCD screen before carrying or transporting it from one location to another. If your Dell laptop is a 2-in-1 convertible, ensure that it is not in tablet mode with the screen exposed.
• Consider purchasing a protective laptop case for the highest level of protection, such as a gum drop case.
• Dell Technologies recommends using a laptop sleeve, laptop carrying case, or a backpack (with laptop padding) when transporting your laptop.
• Power down (turn off) the laptop and then gently placing it (compare with dropping it) into the laptop carrying case or backpack (with laptop padding) to avoid damage to the chassis or LCD screen.
• Do not place anything in the carrying case that could press directly against the laptop. This includes putting too many items in the carrying case or backpack, which can put unnecessary pressure on the laptop.

Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

• General Maintenance Guidelines For a Dell Computer
• Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
• Preparing Chromebooks for Storage

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