Let's face it: Laptops get dirty. That's true on the exterior, where sweat and grime can accumulate. The good thing is, is that it's obvious when a proper cleaning is in order. But what about inside a laptop? That gets dirty as well, as a laptop's thermal system works to pull air in to keep things cooled down. Inevitably, dust and other particles get sucked inside and accumulate around the fans.

This can have any number of unfortunate effects, including the worst one of all: Thermal throttling. Gunked-up fans can't move air as efficiently and that can cause a laptop to deliberately slow itself down to prevent damage to your components. Cleaning a laptop's fan, or fans, is an important maintenance step that should be performed on a regular basis.

View More