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Clarence and Terry Low

Q: My laptop is filthy! What's the best way to clean it?

A: Would you believe that, according to a recent study, office computers have 400 times as many germs as a toilet seat? That's 3,295 per square inch! But not to worry, keeping it clean is not such a big chore.

The biggest threat to your laptop is dust collecting in the internal components, especially the fan. And if the fan is forced to run more often it can overheat, which can effectively destroy your computer.

The first step is to read your user's manual for instructions on how to get at certain parts of your laptop. Turn off your laptop completely, unplug the charging cord and USB cords and remove your battery to reduce the risk of shock or damage. Use a can of compressed air to remove dust and debris from the keyboard. Don't hold the can upside down — simply tilt and spray. Then use a soft brush attachment on a vacuum hose to clean out any leftover dust or debris.

For between and on top of the keys, use cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol, but make sure the swabs are damp, not wet. Use special cleansing wipes — find them at any computer or big-box office supply store — and wipe down the outer casing and LCD screen.

Turn over your laptop and locate the air vent covered by an access panel. If you unscrew this panel, you should see the fan — if not, your fan may not be readily accessible and it's best to take your laptop to a specialist. Use compressed air to blow out the dust.

Use short bursts to avoid damaging any internal components.

Finally, wipe out the inside of each port with a dry cotton swab and then spray each with your can of compressed air. Screw the panel back in and replace your battery. Be sure to clean your laptop every couple of months.

Q: My email account got hacked; what do I do?

A: Having you email hacked can be quite a shock, especially because often you're unaware of it until a friend alerts you, usually because they received a strange message from your account.

Other clues are being unable to log into your account, noticing that your smartphone can't retrieve messages or finding that your inbox is suddenly empty and all your contacts have been deleted.

If you suspect or are sure your email has been hacked, the first step is to immediately change your password, and make it stronger. Often, hackers view your Facebook page and guess your email password by looking at names, addresses, likes, favorite movies, books, etc.

If access to your email account is blocked, go immediately to the email site help center and follow the directions. And while you're at the help center, report the incident, because your provider may be able to provide you with details of the attack and give you tips to protect your information.

Next, let everyone on your contact list know that you've been hacked and they should ignore and delete any messages from you. Then scan your computer with an updated anti-virus program, which will look for anything the hackers may have inserted into your system, such as programs which could compromise your personal information.

Finally, review your personal email settings and make sure the hackers didn't create forwarding addresses. Keep a close eye on your bank accounts, credit cards, utilities and anything else they might have gotten access to through reading your emails.

Terry and Clarence Low are co-founders of Byte Technology, a web design firm based in Monterey, Denver and Minneapolis. Their personal technology column appears on alternating Saturdays. Read more news on their blog at blog. Send questions to, or write to Bits 'N' Bytes, 400 Camino El Estero, Monterey 93940.