JBX MAINTENANCE BLOG Laptop Thermal DIY
Clean Laptop Fan Thermal Paste
Laptop Maintenance • 6 Min Read

How to Clean Laptop Fans & Reapply Thermal Paste

By JBX Tech Experts • Published August 2026

Restoring Laptop Cooling Efficiency

Over 1-2 years of use, laptop fans accumulate thick dust mats in their copper heatsink fins, while factory thermal compound dries up and loses heat transfer capability.

Step-by-Step Repasting Guide:

  1. Disconnect Battery: Remove bottom cover screws and unplug the battery cable before removing the CPU/GPU heatsink assembly.
  2. Clean Old Dried Paste: Use 99% Isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free microfiber cloth to remove old dried thermal paste completely from silicon dies.
  3. Apply New Paste / PTM Pad: Place a small pea-sized dot of non-conductive thermal paste (Arctic MX-6, Noctua NT-H2) or Honeywell PTM7950 phase change pad.
  4. Tighten Heatsink Screws in Diagonal Order: Tighten copper heatpipe screws in numbered diagonal order (1-2-3-4) for even mounting pressure.

Check Laptop Hardware Upgrades →