Part 2 - Tips for keeping your MacBook clean, fast and make it last for a long time

How to store MacBook for a long time

If you plan to don't use your laptop for a while you should consider some factors. Half charge your battery before turning off your device. Don't leave it at the sleep state as the sleep mode prevents the battery from discharging and the battery won't keep charging later. A half charge is the safest condition you want to store a battery for a long period of time.

Remove MacBook battery when plugged

You may be tempted to always keep your battery on your laptop even when your laptop is always plugged into the power socket. This seems not to be a good idea because keeping your MacBook battery always at a full charge will adversely affect the battery health and its capacity to keep the charge. Even it can lead to making you replace the battery after a short time. So, it's better to use your laptop battery as it was designed for: to power your MacBook from time to time.

Upgrade MacBook Hardware

After a few years, you may notice that your MacBook is slowing down. It's a sign that your laptop needs more resources than you first got it. One way to speed up your old Mac is to buy more RAM, more storage and faster storage.

The first solution for alleviating slowdowns on your MacBook is to install more RAM. The more RAM you have apps will run faster on your device. But this is always not possible, because some Macs have RAMs soldered directly to their motherboard.  But this will not cause a major problem.  Even some MacBooks that don't provide easy access to their internals have upgradable RAMs.

We also suggest that you replace the old rotational disk drive with SSD. This will put the spring back into your Mac and is such a great upgrade that you will be surprised the first time you use your device.

Even though you have already an SSD drive on your laptop it's always a good idea to exchange the storage for a larger one. In this way you will have more space to store your pictures and videos and the app on your device will run faster.

Another storage upgrade is to buy high-performance external storage that is connecting to your Mac via Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 ports. This lets you get the benefits of faster storage without having to dismantle your device for disk replacement.

Avoid very cold and warm temperature

Too cold or too warm temperatures can damage your MacBook at least decrease the life span of the battery. If you read the user manual of your MacBook, you'll find that MacBook batteries should be preferably kept between 50 Degrees F and 95 Degrees F. 

If you have ever used the MacBook in cold air, you may have noticed a temporary reduction in the charging capacity. Using the battery at an extremely hot temperature is more dangerous and can lead to a permanent in the battery performance. Charging the battery when the temperature is above 95 Degrees F will cause more serious damage and lower the run time of the battery.

Avoid Low-Quality Chargers

At the first glance buying a cheap charger for your MacBook may seem a good deal but in reality, it's not. Most of the cheaper chargers are counterfeit. 

None-original chargers not only cause your MacBook to overheat they also may cause further damage to the battery. So, it's better to stick to the original charger that came with your MacBook or if you need a new get it from an Authorised Apple Store. 

Test your Fans

When you hear a bizarre sound from your Mac or your laptop is heating up you can test fans running a built-in hardware diagnostics tool. Depending on how old your MacBook the built-in tool is called either Apple Diagnostics or Apple Hardware Test.

Here is how to test Fans on your MacBook:

1. Restart your device.

2. Hold down the "D" key while it's booting up. This brings up the hardware scanning tool.

3. If you have an M1 Mac hold down the power button until you see the startup screen then press "Command+D".

4. Once the scan is finished you will be able to see the results on the screen.

5. Look for error codes beginning with "PPF", which shows errors related to fans.

6. If you can see error codes, take your Mac to an Authorised Repair Shop to get it fixed.

Never Block Air Vents

MacBook has a vent located above the keyboard next to the screen. Fans remove the heat from your device using these holes. If you cover the vents, you will prevent the processor from cooling down. This can result to overheat and damage to your device.

Don't put anything over the air or and cover them with clothes. Using your MacBook in bed or putting the laptop on your stomach is not a good idea either. This will stop your MacBook from effectively cooling down. Put your MacBook on a flat hard surface and give it a lot of ventilation. This is the best way to reduce the risk of unusual heating. 

How to Clean Dust from MacBook

If your MacBook is heating more than usual dust may be collected on the fans or other areas and prevent the whole machine from being cool. Here is how to clean dust from your MacBook:

Open your MacBook Bottom cover:  Flip over your laptop so its bottom faces up. Remove the screws around the perimeter of the cover. Keep track of where each screw goes because some of them have different lengths.

Once you have removed every screw you can remove the back door with care. Some MacBooks also have a few clips that you should remove.

Inspect inside of your MacBook for dust

Gently Blow out any Dust:  Using a can of compressed air blow out any dust you see inside the device. Pay special attention to fans and where they are located. In some MacBooks may have more than one fan, but you can easily find them. 

Don't keep the air too close to the motherboard as the air may damage the components.  Only blow down air gently. If particularly dust is stubborn, you can use a cotton swab to loosen it and blow it up.

When blowing down a fan put your finger on the fan to prevent it from spinning. Otherwise, the fan will spin up faster than intended which could damage the fan and its bearing.

How to Protect your MacBook from Scratches

If you are using your laptop as a desktop computer you shouldn't worry about scratches. But if you often take your MacBook with you or you have kids, you'd better think about protecting your laptop from scratches and thieves. 

Basically, there are three protective shells for MacBooks. Cases are the best for everyday use. Sleeves suit for travel. They are slim and easy to carry. And skins offer the least protection but are cheaper and if you worry about accidental drops, they are the best option.

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are the best laptops in the market. Don't compare them with a cheaper laptop that can easily become out of order. Implementing tips in this series of posts you can make sure that your device will remain clean and demonstrate high performance for a long period of time.