How To Protect Your Netbook From Scratches

Chance Stevens 8 April 2010 383 views View Comments

One of the hardest realities to deal with is that at some point, likely without you knowing, that your netbook will get scratched. The scratch may end up on the lid, or it could end up on the screen but here are some of the best ways to make sure that you’re able to enjoy your netbook with as few dings as possible.

1 – Use a microfiber cloth – This may seem like a no brainer but its really important. The coating on your netbook is very sensitive. So sensitive in fact that even using a paper towel or napkin could do some major damage. Microfiber doesn’t have any grit to it which eliminates the friction needed to create any surface scratches in the coating of your netbook. If you wear glasses you probably have a few extra cloths laying around. If you don’t own one you can pick one up almost anywhere. Buy two or three so you have one for your office, one for your house and one which goes inside of your case.

2 – Get a case; use it – One of the things I loved about my 1000HE is that it came with its own carrying case. I mean how often does that happen? I did my best to remember it but most times I just picked my netbook up and went about my way. Over the months of me throwing it into my car’s backseat or just toting it without any kind of cover is that it was able to get damaged when I got clumsy. You can get a netbook case for as little as $10. It’s a nominal cost but well worth the peace of mind.

3 – Invisible shield/screen cover – Zagg does a great job protecting your stuff from scratches. The Invisible shield is a great invention which blends a custom cut pieces of plastic with an adhesive to make sure it stays on. I bought one for my Palm Pre and even though I’ve replaced my Pre four times (don’t ask) my Invisible shield is still ticking. It’s worth noting that the shield will only work to protect the lid of your netbook. If you want to protect the screen or palm rest you might want to consider a different solution.

The screen cover works in a very similar way. It’s specifically cut for your netbook depending on the size of the screen. The best combination would be to use a solution for both the screen and lid as those are the most susceptible to getting scratched.

4 – Wet sanding [EXPERTS ONLY] – I cannot stress enough that wet sanding is something which should only be done by professionals. The process involves, cleaning, waxing, sanding and buffing the area affected with scratches until they come out. It will work for surface scratches but if they are too deep than all hope just might be lost.

Do you know of any other ways to keep your netbook safe from scratches? If so – let me know in the comments.

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