You can clean the outside of your Mac as much as you want: like in any good love story, it’s the inside that really counts. And the insides of computers can accumulate a lot of dust, as the story of this user who hasn’t cleaned his PC in six years tells us. Just looking at the image of the result already gives me an allergy.
But Macs are not like classic PC towers: there are peculiarities of the Apple platform that must be taken into account. Let’s see what we have to do prevent too much dust from accumulating inside our Mac.
The less dust the better
Dust accumulating inside your Mac is no joke: it can clog the air vents, making it harder for your computer to cool. This, in the long run, leads to slow performance and overheating that can even cause the Mac to shut down to protect itself. Here is an example with an iMac with an Intel chip and an older design:
The solution is not to open the Mac and clean it, we know that Apple is very discreet on its computers. Opening it to access its interior may void the warranty. (tampering with the device may be considered). It’s not as simple as on any PC that you can open up the tower and thoroughly clean each of the components inside.
What we can do is try to keep any external ventilation slots the Mac may have clean, keeping them free of obstructions that could make cooling difficult. It depends on the model of Mac you have, but you just need to use a brush with soft bristles that remove accumulated dust at these air inlets and outlets.
Besides, having a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip that doesn’t require fans or uses them much less doesn’t save you. The image you see on the cover is my Mac mini M1 after I picked it up off my desk and checked its bottom air vents.
Oops… Hey Siri, remind me to clean the Mac Mini tomorrow.
In my particular case, I could dare to open the device to remove the dust, since its warranty ended a few months ago. It’s something you can do too At your perilAnd always with the right tools.
There’s good news: if you take your Mac to an authorized center to perform the repair you need, the technicians will always take the opportunity to clean the inside of the computer using special tools. As soon as they return it to you, you can have the peace of mind of receiving it clean inside.
Tips for minimizing dust and other particles from entering your Mac
Your Mac will end up with dust inside sooner or later, but you can minimize the risk by taking a few precautions:
- Don’t smoke in front of the Mac, the leftover nicotine will build up inside and act like dust.
- If you have a molting animal, try moving it away from your Mac when it molts. All these hairs can also end up clogging the ducts of the computer. If you see that it is unavoidable, clean these ducts much more frequently.
- Keep the room and the table where you use your Mac clean, without letting too much dust accumulate there.
- If we’re talking about a MacBook, be careful when eating next to it. Crumbs and food debris can end up getting inside your keys, causing long-term problems.
With just periodic cleaning to keep your Mac’s airflow clear, you can not only maintain peak performance, but also you can extend its life since you are preventing its components from straining and getting too hot. Think of it as one more routine in your habits and you will win.
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