Past
Isopropyl is a great way to clean up a lot of plastic, but I found that while it’s helpful for removing grime, caked on stickers (Goo Gone), and other crud, it doesn’t always leave a nice finish. A few years back a volunteer at the Computer Recycling Project mentioned interning at a small computer store where they used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to clean-up the top of ThinkPads. True to what he said, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers do seem to be a pretty good job on the top of ThinkPads.
The Proof
The image at the start of this post shows a pretty dirty ThinkPad X220 laptop. There are fingerprings, dust, and flecks of something on the top of the laptop. While you can buy Mr. Clean Magic Erasers from Dollarama (our project has in the past), they tend to cost more than buying a 4 pack of Javex Easy Erasers. At $1.25CDN for 4 Easy Erasers, I thought we’d pick them up to see if they matched up against the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers – and for the most part they did.
Using the Easy Erasers
Both the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and the Javex Easy Erasers need a bit of water applied to be effective. User a little bit of water – too much water and water might run down the sides and inside the laptop. Make sure the laptop is off, and the battery is removed (if you’re using a newer model with an internal battery, make sure you’re not powered on – just in case water leaks inside). Apply firm pressure, but not enough to cause the Eraser/sponge to squish down.
Voila, a pretty clean lid
The ThinkPad now looks a lot better than it did.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser vs Javex Easy Erasers
Besides the obvious cost difference, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers tend to have ridges or lumps. Some might suggest the Mr. Clean hold up better, but my experience is they both work well for the job provided you’re using light pressure. I’ve had both types of Erasers crumble when applied to other surfaces with a lot of pressure. At home I have a few Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, but I think the Javex Easy Erasers are overall the better deal for our purpose/quantity needed at work.