I am enjoying my batch 4 Framework laptop since the day it arrived.
With covid and all(any my unhealthy attachment to this laptop), I want to maintain it. One of these is cleaning the machine daily with an eyeglass cleaning cloth and 93% rubbing alcohol.
Is this considered safe to do so? I’ve had some unfortunate events where the plastic legs of my glasses melted when it came to contact with alcohol. Would a similar thing happen to the Frameworklaptop? If so, what is the recommended way to clean the machine?
The chassis is made of aluminum as I recall so alcohol wipes should be fine, to reduce waste I would suggest purchasing a UVC lamp instead(just don’t put your hands under it) that should kill damn near anything and since the laptop is unpainted shouldn’t hurt the finish either
I question what on earth your eyeglasses were made of to react that way however, that doesn’t sound right to me although I could be wrong
This should be fine. There is nothing in or on the Framework which would be affected by rubbing alcohol. Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol does not affect plastics and hardly any solvent would affect the metal at all.
HOWEVER, just make sure it doesn’t run down the screen gaps or keyboard gaps down into the circuitry. If it’s 93% alcohol, that means it’s 7% water, which won’t evaporate as quickly as the alcohol and due to it initially being mixed with alcohol, has low surface tension and can get into tiny gaps more easily. Use a lightly moistened cloth or cotton ball, not enough to drip.
The water is probably deionized water containing no minerals, meaning it will eventually evaporate without a trace, but while it’s still liquid it may be conductive and could short out a component. Plus it may wash out and carry minerals and dust with it that would be conductive, depositing them on components and leaving them there even after it evaporates.
Can you get 99% rubbing alcohol where you are? That reduces the risk of water.
As for your glasses, rubbing alcohol simply does not affect plastics. It’s probably more likely that the plastic was already affected by skin oils and the rubbing alcohol merely wiped the softened plastic + oils away. What would (very strongly!) affect plastic is acetone, which you can get with nail polish remover. Do not use acetone near any plastics!
Regarding UV - these definitely do affect plastics, making them powdery, dry and brittle. UVC is an effective disinfection agent and kills most bacteria and viruses including SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), but the issue is most consumer devices costing less than the laptop itself can’t produce a high enough intensity or it’s not maintained long enough by the user to be truly effective. Plus it can’t get into cracks and crevices not subject to direct exposure. And since it’s invisible, you’ll never know if it’s even on or how intense it is.
I would recommend caution on the key caps - if I remember correctly, they are printed, not double injected. Alcohol can be harmful to some inks / paints…
a. how does a UV lamp, made of hard plastic and electronics, reduce waste vs. alcohol and a cloth?! that lamp will eventually fail and be discarded. as well, the UV might damage the plastic of the keys themselves and perhaps the display screen, tho i dont speak as an expert on that.
b. correct that there is a risk of the alcohol removing the paint from the key-caps!
c. DO NOT use alcohol on the display screen! DO NOT use windex (c) or glass cleaner on the display screen! (ammonia) unless you really want a clouded display or to have to replace it.
d. electronics DO NOT like liquids, vapors, or dust! cleaning your machine like a fanatic will likely cause it to die at a young age.
PURE water is fine, but water (H20) is a ‘universal solvent’ which means that it dissolves almost anything at least a little bit.
So the water is not the problem, but the water carries the things that Do cause problems to where the ‘impurities’ DO cause problems. DO NOT ‘wash’ the machine! use a high quality ‘lint-free cloth’ (means it doesnt drop pieces of stuff [dust] which might be carried down into the machine… ) not a paper towel, kleenex, or TP.
Wet that ‘lint-free’ cloth with pure (distilled) water, and then wring it tight so you cant get any more out, and then, Gently, use it to wipe down the machine to pick up the dust, particles, germs, whatever.
There are 2!! (Count 'em!) TWO!! different types of Microfiber cloth! one scratches. get the one that doesnt.
and finally, I have to repeat what another asked. Why do you feel compelled to ‘clean your machine’ ?
wear a mask, wear gloves, wear a full-body protective suit with external ventilation if you must.
please, dont throw alcohol, water or dust at the machine.
Meant to respond much earlier but I wasn’t thinking of the interior when I made that comment, I was thinking of the top of the lid and bottom of the device- in other words, things that wouldn’t be damaged
As for reducing waste…again, I’m thinking of disposable alcohol wipes, not a bottle of alcohol and a microfiber cloth
Although I’d say the two methods are equivalent then, it’s not like bulbs can’t be replaced
I’d say UVC is fine for displays since PhoneSoap is a thing and has been for years-and it’s not like it would be difficult to protect the key caps from UVC-being so high energy I imagine it’s easily absorbed or reflected, I would think a layer of foil “might” reflect it, idk but I seriously doubt it’s very penetrative
I threw it out there as an option, there are certainly products designed to fit larger devices
If you don’t want to disinfect that way, that’s fine but don’t crucify me geez
dint mean to cause offense to anyone.
bulbs can be replaced, yes, but eventually the device itself will fail, and end up in the landfill, and papers and cloth bio-degrade a lot sooner than hard plastics, metals, and electronics the UV lamp is made of. alcohol evaporates and is gone.
i dint realize poster was talking about outside of the case. i have read that 70% alcohol is effective to kill covid. power down the computer, unplug it, wring that cloth tight, and give it a gentle wipe (dont scrub), go ‘lightly and quickly’ over the logo on the top, and ‘around’ the feet underneath. give it a few minutes to dry, and things should be well.
I have lost a boombox, cell phones, and remote controls when they got wet! who has not? i guess that is why i went ‘alarmist’ yesterday. what seems like a good idea might be something one does Not want to do.
regards…