A tiny bit of Bon Ami, already turned into a paste with a dab of water, also works like a charm. No damage. Just use a steady hand to keep it away from your keyboard.

Tammy, Business Mediator

sounds good, i have one of the first macbooks, the type with the hard to clean surface, might have to give this a go before it gets any worse

Gonzie

I know my wife and I used those white erase pads to clean our ibooks and it worked great, this looks great too. I wish I could find something to clean my powerbook.

Chad Brooks

Another vote for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers!

Keirmeister

yeah i use those mr.clean magic erasers. they work 100% of the time everytime.

madzack

I just spray a little Fantastic on a paper towel and rub gently - the stains come right off.

SarahMcL

@dhuff:

You end up wither your own issues having a BlackBook, such as oily keys.

If there was a fix for that I'd be stoked.

whitlock

I've had good experiences with the Mr. Clean "Magic Erasers" as well.

...might also help fight the dark palm stains that are the bane of a Mac owner's existence.

Or you could just buy a black MacBook ;)

dhuff

That Arm & Hammer toothpaste has baking soda in it. I'm guessing a light rub with a paste of baking soda and water would probably do as well.

CoffeeCake

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work wonders.

Jeff Martin

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great, but I have a set of mysterious tan-colored, high velocity impact splatters on the outside of my laptop that nothing I've tried (regular eraser, Magic Eraser, toothpaste, Simple Green, Barkeeper's Best Friend, hand soap, dish soap, face soap, pen cleaner, Gojo, Windex, plain water, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol) can seem to remove.

I'm beginning to think it is ghosts or gnomes or my asshole brother just messing with me.

bangbangbonnie

not sure we get those mr clean magic erasers in the uk, but i just use a normal steadler rubber (eraser). they cost about 39p and work a treat - you just hace to blow away the bits of rubber afterwards.

shov

Toothpaste also makes quick work of cleaning the mirror in your shower (better then CLR). In a previous job we cleaned about 1500 iBooks every summer with head cleaner and a cotton cloth. We found worked the best and the fastest.

wkelly

Mr. Clean took care of Sharpie marks on my MBP - they need to carry these puppies at the Apple Store... hah!

Joe

How about cleaning a glossy MacBook Pro screen? Any suggestions?

rrich

Arm & Hammer toothpaste is a fantastic cleaner. I also use that and an old toothbrush about once a month to keep me & my wife's wedding rings clean and sparkly. Not recommended by jewelers, but plenty good as far as I'm concerned.

JaimeZX

My personal favorite cleaner is the Fast Orange pumice cleaner. Just like the toothpaste, the little bit of grit helps to clean things, but unlike the toothpaste, Fast Orange gets rid of grease. I've used it to clean linoleum -- the only thing that makes it look like new again.

teh

What color is the Arm & Hammer toothpaste? If I use my minty fresh blue-tinted Crest will it leave a minty fresh blue colored stain on my MacBook?

aaroninbeta

Try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - no abrasives, nothing other than a little moisture needed. Also when used dry it takes away the grease and oil spots on black or dark laptops such as the black macbook.
~Gildas

norman_b_robinson

@Joe: the apple stores use them to clean the tables and counters. Just dont "erase" too hard or for too long...it takes more than the stain away (which is a bad thing)

discounteggroll

I used a soft cloth and some cheap vodka to clean my laptop's glossy screen and it worked fine.

@Chad Brooks; I remember that Scotch Brite pads were recommended to clean the surface of Zippos; maybe they have something which would be suitable.

[www.3m.com]

reclusivemonkey

i have buffed out scratches on my HP with rubbing Compound. it also takes off stains.

jgodsey

There appears to be a white splotch on the right picture where the stain was. It's a pretty low-res and blurry photo, but I'd test that toothpaste on a small, inconspicuous area first.

jofus

Friendly warning: Using non-Apple brand toothpaste might void your warranty.

Eitan

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser fan here, has worked perfectly every time.

Pterror

@ RRich: I shelled out for the name-brand Macbook screen/palmrest cleaner, and as I was leaving I heard one of the clerks mutter that it was just eyeglasses cleaner. Make of it what you will.

fullerenedream

Great tip... if only Demko wouldn't read this article he would've avoided learning the hard way that acetone melts plastic. Thanks for the tip!

soke2001

Does anyone know how to take scratches out of a macbook?

matdevdug

Bet you'll think twice before buying another white laptop.

foxmajik

@fullerenedream: Mutters aren't always authoritative but thanks!

RRich

I use plain old cheap rubbing alcohol in a small spray bottle to clean all my computer stuff, as well as my eyeglasses. Commercial eyeglass or computer screen cleaner is nothing but alcohol anyhow, with an exponential markup. It's good for taking oily fingerprints and residue off my keyboard, mouse, teflon mousepad, and especially my shiny black laptop.

RoamingBison

I had turpentine for cleaning brushes with oil paints, and I had tried it on my ibook for cleaning the keyboard and the mousepad. My ibook looks brand new!

nimbupani

@matdevdug: Novus plastic polish.

infmom

@rrich: A microfiber dust cloth does wonders for screens, gets off fingerprints and ick without chemicals.

Check the automotive department at Target, where you can get a package of five dustcloths for less than a package of two costs in the housewares department.

infmom

I use Colin Glass cleaner to clean the iPhone and iMac with the Apple provided cleaning cloth.

Vinod

I found this really great textured spray paint (formulated for plastic) and just painted my white MacBook about 80% black, including the "hand rest" area.

False modesty aside, it looks great. The can of paint was $5.00. . or I could have spent the extra $200.00, which would have gotten me an all-black model with a measly 40 extra gig's of HD space.

The textured black paint makes my MacBook easier to handle and it stands out from the crowd.

bramachari

Why is the "after" photo so much lighter than the "before" photo? That makes it hard to tell whether there's really a significant difference.

arby

Just to be pedantic (and, after all, why read Lifehacker if you aren't pedantic), Mr. Clean Magic Eraser AKA melamine foam isn't exactly "no abrasives". No added chemicals, perhaps, but the thing itself is actually an abrasive. It's kind of like ultra fine grit sandpaper. It works great on most surfaces, but always test in an inconspicuous area, etc., etc. I suspect it could scratch a shiny surface like the outside of a MacBook, or, horror, the screen. So be careful when erasing...

chrismasto

@CoffeeCake: Yeah, I think it was the baking soda that did it, not the actual toothpaste.

I don't suggest using like blue Crest minty paste on a white MacBook :)

cosmogeek

i found the magic erasers to work great on the keys, but not the wrist rest area on my early 2006 macbook. I ended up getting a Marware pad, which also adds a little padding.

dirtboy

Hey everyone! Here's a video of the toothpaste trick in action, so you can see the difference before and after!

[www.youtube.com]

userjet2005

@chrismasto: Well, so far I've used the Mr. Clean eraser on my screen as well (I hate it when friends touch the screen to tell me what they are looking at >.< ) and no scratches.

Under the microscope the magic seems to be simple physical organization - micro sponge! So I am doubtful it will be any more abrasive than tissue paper. Also works on camera lenses with high grease marks, as well as porcelain (the bottom of plates or cups) that are unsealed.

That said, there are versions WITH CLEANER IN THEM that I would avoid. I have used vinegar when a little extra oil removal is needed.

norman_b_robinson