Getting smoke smell out of a laptop

[nhfd241 4]

Does anyone know how to get the smell of smoke out of a laptop?

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Note: Incident Alerts should NOT be updated inside a working fire. But we appreciate the dedication...

[gpdexplorer 46]

Probably not wise to use a laptop with a smoke condition.

[nhfd241 4]

i didnt use it it was in a friends house and there was a fire in the home and the laptop smelled like smoke i wanted to know how to get the rid of the smell and it is not mine its my friends dad who is blind and he needs it for work

[psyanide 11]

use windex to clean up the soot smears. Afterwards, wet a paper towel with vinegar to get (most of the) the smell out. The keyboard will continue to smell. If possible, remove the keyboard and clean with Qtips and vinegar or lemon solution.

[nhfd241 4]

thanks much appreciated

[Ex-2114 7]

thanks much appreciated

Vinegar??? Bad choice - it will leave a residue and eventually cause corrosion. Whenever dealing with electronics, ALWAYS use isopropyl rubbing alcohol (90% is perfect). You can actually soak the laptop in it (if you really had to) and after letting it dry for a few days, it'll work fine.

Seriously, you can soak the keyboard in it for 15 minutes (take the kbd out of the computer first).

A majority of the smoke smell is going to be located within the heat sync and cooling fins on the laptop. This is where the dist accumulates - dust will absorb the smoke.

Get a can of Dust-Off and blow out every orifice of the laptop. I suggest doing this outside. Also, do NOT use a compressor - the pressure is way too high and will likely cause damage.

I'm not making this up -- I'm a Dell Certified Tech and this is based on their recommendations. Done it all before with 100% success.

[psyanide 11]

Vinegar??? Bad choice - it will leave a residue and eventually cause corrosion. Whenever dealing with electronics, ALWAYS use isopropyl rubbing alcohol (90% is perfect). You can actually soak the laptop in it (if you really had to) and after letting it dry for a few days, it'll work fine.

Seriously, you can soak the keyboard in it for 15 minutes (take the kbd out of the computer first).

A majority of the smoke smell is going to be located within the heat sync and cooling fins on the laptop. This is where the dist accumulates - dust will absorb the smoke.

Get a can of Dust-Off and blow out every orifice of the laptop. I suggest doing this outside. Also, do NOT use a compressor - the pressure is way too high and will likely cause damage.

I'm not making this up -- I'm a Dell Certified Tech and this is based on their recommendations. Done it all before with 100% success.

First things first, all recommendations here are assuming you have unplugged the laptop and taken the battery out. If you have not done that yet, do so now. That said, each solution posted here WILL help. In regards to vinegar leaving a residue, ordinary white distilled vinegar does not leave a residue. If you want to test it, test-wipe a glass. Or, if you still do not believe the vinegar part google it and see for yourself. The rubbing alcohol will works equally well, in fact the rubbing alcohol will remove the soot and stains better than windex on the plastic shielding. However, it cannot remove the smell as well as vinegar. Try researching the sites ehow, howstuffworks, and other self help sites for more robust recommendations. As for legitimacy, I build servers and repair laptops as well. I've also made my comments based on the assumption you are not cracking open this laptop screw by screw and washing the motherboard by hand.

[antiquefirelt 994]

Submit it to the insurance company. Computers, TV's, and most electronic devices do not fair well in smoke conditions, the time they'll work after being exposed to smoke it uncertain. My understanding is that the small particulate left behind messing with transistors/resistors/doodads/and thing-a-ma-bobs that making them work.