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I have a white MacBook, and it has gotten kinda dingy over the past couple of years. Still runs fine, but I would like to know what I can use to clean the white plastic. I was thinking one of those Mr. Clean erasers, but just want to see if The Community had any other (verified) options lol.

Thanks! Thomas

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In my (too many) years of experience, the best "mix" you can make is composed of:

Seven parts of water (distilled if possible but in the case of the plastic it won't make much difference)

Three parts of alcohol (the same used in medicine, sold in pharmacies).

So you actually put seven "somethings" of water and then three of alcohol. Mix, and store in a bottle, closed (or the alcohol will evaporate!). It can last for months. Use soft cloth to clean everything, even screens. Don't use toilet paper on screens.

note: Somethings can be, glasses, spoons, lid, etc. The important thing is that you use it for both water and alcohol, so it's the same proportion.

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    Would this be also applicable for aluminium cases of the late MBP? (If so, the question could then be enlarged and address much more people)
    – LudoMC
    Jan 18, 2011 at 17:28
  • @LudoMC indeed, this cleans lots of surfaces, including wood, keyboards, mice, everything. My Iphone 1st GEN screen, the 3GS too. Using pure alcohol is a bad idea, but this 7-3 proportion makes it excellent. That's in my experience.
    – Martin Marconcini
    Jan 18, 2011 at 17:35
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Nothing beats a microfiber lens cloth to get all the fingerprints and smudges off of a glossy screen (without streaks).

I just use plain old Windex on a cloth to get the keyboard and case feeling crisp again. Been doing this for years and never noticed a difference from isopropyl alcohol. (Just don't spray your laptop)

Microfiber cloths on Amazon

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  • Auto parts stores usually have large, inexpensive microfiber cloths. They're sold for polishing your car to a mirror-like sheen, but they're the very same microfiber material sold for cleaning eyeglasses, etc.
    – Matthew Frederick
    Jan 21, 2011 at 23:19
  • Isopropyl is great because it evaporates quick and doesn't corrode metal. You could dump a gallon of it all over your keyboard and leave your MacBook off for a week or two and it'll turn on like a champ, though I wouldn't recommend it. I use a dry microfiber cloth and it works great for me.
    – wjl
    Apr 5, 2011 at 2:24
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Be careful with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Although at first they seem perfect for the job (you just gently rub the eraser and your Macbook starts to look like new again) they are very abrasive, which means you're actually removing the coating from your Macbook (as if you were using a very fine sandpaper).

I only used Magic Erasers on my Macbook once, but I suppose that over time the result won't be good.

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