On top of being a super geek, one of my other well known characteristics is that I am a bit anal when it comes to the quality of the products I buy. I’m hardly ever happy with a sub-par product. Even the littlest imperfection drives me nuts. So, needless to say, I was extremely irritated when I noticed that my brand new MacBook had started to discolor or look dirty. The discoloration had occurred in the palm rest area and it was driving me nuts. Some people would be able to look past this however, it really had me irritated.
When I first noticed the discolortaion, I immediately assumed that it was the same problem that several people had reported with earlier versions of the MacBook. Back when the MacBook first came out there were a number complaints about the MacBook discoloring in the palm rest area. Even though Apple has supposedly fixed this problem, I immediately assumed that my MacBook was suffering from the same problem.
Since I was concerned that my MacBook was discoloring due to a defect in my laptop, I went ahead and called Apple care. The individual that I spoke with told me that I had two options. #1, I could ship my MacBook back and have the palm rest replaced or #2, I could send my MacBook back and have an entirely new one sent to me. Since I haven’t spent a ton of time getting things setup, I decided to choose option #2. While on the phone, I was a little concerned because the product specialist that I spoke with told me that this problem no longer exists and that he hasn’t received a complaint like this in a long time.
Upon getting off the phone I started to wonder if the replacement MacBook would have the same problem. From what I understand, Apple changed the material that they use in their palm rests long before I purchased my laptop. So, by getting a new laptop I wasn’t sure that the problem that I was having would go away. Like a good geek, I headed over to the Apple discussion forums where I posted a question in which I asked if the replacement laptop that I was about to receive would have the same problem as my current laptop. One of the replies that I received suggested that maybe I should try and clean my laptop and that it may just be dirty. In order to clean it, the commenter suggested that I try and use a Mr. Clean Eraser. Since I had nothing to loose, I went to Wal-Mart and picked up two magic erasers.
After just a couple of swipes (don’t do it too hard) of the eraser my MacBook started to look new once again! I guess my problem wasn’t as severe as I initially thought it was. Since my MacBook now looks as good as new, I decided to cancel the exchange and keep my existing MacBook. In order to prevent this problem from happening again, I’ve gone ahead and purchaseed a Macpad from Macstyles.com. Hopefully this will protect the palm rest and help to keep my MacBook clean and looking good.
To be honest, I’m a little surprised that my MacBook looked dirty after having it for < 1 month. I would have thought that Apple would have figured out how to produce plastic that isn’t so susceptible to getting dirty. After all, when I spend $1400 on a laptop, I don’t expect it to look dirty after three weeks of use. Come on Apple, you can do better then this 
.
If your MacBook is starting to look a little dingy, I recommend that you try out the Mister clean eraser. It really made my dirty MacBook look clean again.
February 18th, 2007 at 5:13 am
I would think instead of blaming Apple you look at how you use your Mac.
Oils in your hands, grease, food, etc will be left on a laptop be it Mac or other. I guess since Apple uses lighter colours for their laptops discolourations from dirty hands will show up more readily than on say a black HP or a purple Sony.
There’s no way around it barring wearing latex gloves.
Oh and with the whole anal bit, you do realise anuses produce crap don’t you?
February 18th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I also have a white MacBook. I find the best way to clean it is with a slightly damp cloth, that cleans my MacBook up to looking like new every time.
February 19th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Thanks for the tip. I did try a damp cloth however, the magic eraser seemed to work better.
February 19th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Good point
March 6th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Being so proud of my beautiful white Macbook when it arrived, and having read about discolouration issues, I washed my hands religiously before going near my Macbook.
However, after 2 weeks of having my Macbook it has already begun to discolour. Explain that…!
September 17th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Hi, was having the same problem. Thanks for the tip.
September 25th, 2007 at 8:30 am
I have had my Macbook for about two weeks ago and the pad area is discolored! I think my hands are pretty clean — I wash them as often as one might expect. This is very annoying. I will try the eraser and buying the cover pad but I would not expect to have to do this on a brand new computer.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:48 am
Hey namesake!!!
))
I had exactly the same problem. Bought my MacBook (my first Mac after 20 years of Window$), started getting used to it but was horrified at seeing the pad area becoming reddish brown. No question about not washing my hands, Lou! I also tried everything. Went back to the Apple Store and bought some cleaning products they sell. No results. I also tried using a wet cloth, but to no avail. Eventually, I started surfing the Web and read your blog. And, man, Mr. Proper Eraser sure did wonders!!!!! My MacBook’s pad area is as white as it was on the day I bought it! I’m taking Mr. Proper Eraser to the Apple Store today to fill them in on it.
Thanks a lot, Alex!
Thanks a lot
October 16th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Is my macbook the only one Magic Eraser isn’t working on? I’ve heard such great thinking about it but it’s not working on mine. Help!!
October 20th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
If it’s white, what do you expect? It’s going to show everything. Get a clue.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Well, I’ve had white Macs for ages, and this is the first one to have this discoloration issue. I agree with all above who’ve said Apple must get a clue. This MacBook, all in all, has been subpar in comparison with previous models. The entire faceplate (including the palm rest) started to curl up at the ends of my husbands. I am an Apple loyalist, but this model is crap. Thanks for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, tip, Alex. You are a gem.
January 1st, 2008 at 10:56 pm
i’ve tried the magic eraser and it didn’t work. i got the macbook the day it came out. i know by now thats a lot of dirt built up but a few weeks of owning my macbook i noticed the dirt and tried the magic eraser and it didnt work then. does anybody know what cleaning chemicals are safe to use on this plastic?
January 13th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Gorgeous! I bought a macbook this past summer and was really ticked off when I saw dirt from some angles on the palm rests. I tried a lot of things, microfibre clothes, half rubbing alcohol half water solution (works on a lot of things) and to no avail.
thanks for this tip! i had some magic erasers lying around and they got put to good use!
January 21st, 2008 at 12:15 am
I tried nail polish remover, magic eraser, bleach, and even alcohol. NOTHING removes the marks on mine. Unfortunately I bought my macbook in July ‘06, so I can’t call up applecare and replace it.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:26 am
My mac is just a month old as well. I have the keypad protector that extends to the palm area. My problem now is that certain areas of my macbook have marks from the protector. I’m from the Philippines and I doubt we have that Magic Eraser here.
Can anyone suggest any other option? (other than using a damp cloth). Thank you.
January 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Joan: I’m from the Philippines too and I had the same problem with the keypad protector! My advice: take it out. Now.
I took mine out after three days of using it, Php1200 down the drain, but it was doing more harm than good. I still haven’t found a solution for the stains though
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:07 am
oh man you idiot. you phoned up apple because your macbook was getting dirty lol. that’s like phoning up nike because your trainers got dirty and swearing blind to them that you took care of them haha. and here’s me looking around trying to find a good cleaning solution for my macbook.
February 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 am
Woz,
Apparently you didn’t read the post because I do talk about how to clean a MacBook….
February 8th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
For Joan from the Philippines, use Hydrogen Peroxide. Go to any of you drug stores.
If that doesn’t work, get a salt (about 2 tbsp), dump it in a half a cup, containing hot/boiling water. Stir it until the salt melts and water becomes around the degrees of lukewarm to warm. Get a cotton ball and dip it in the mixture. Squeeze it and rub it off the discoloring surface.
Make sure remove your battery before applying any liquid or any form of substance to you MacBook. Goodluck!
February 9th, 2008 at 2:11 am
i just bought my macbook yesterday and there is already a dark smear by the palm area, it loooks like someone got a pencil and drew on it then rubbed it a lot. im gonna try the magic eraser thingy, and if that fails im getting a full keyboardcover, probably black, i dont know what thats gonna look like on a white one… but better than dirtyness
February 16th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
i got my mac in july 07 and was wondering if i got get replacement macbook because i tried everything and nutting is working, also im having other problems and was just shooting it out there?
February 23rd, 2008 at 6:49 pm
You might be my new best friend! I had these incredibly annoying spots on the place where my hands rest, and now they are gone! I just bought the Magic Eraser and now I keep some to get rid of the spots whenever I see them. You really saved teh day!
April 5th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
thank you alex! i was freaking out as I got my Macbook through work and have to return it once my contract is up and this sucker is beginning to look like shit after only a few months. I am going to try both the Glass Plus wipes for the keys and the Magic Eraser for the palm rest area. thanks
April 27th, 2008 at 3:24 am
My wife and I have identical macbooks. Mine gets dirty, hers does not. I spray a tiny bit of Formula 409 and a cloth, and it comes clean. I’ve come to the conclusion that my hands tend to have more oil than hers. And yes, I was them!
May 4th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Gracias por el consejo funciono super bien
Thanks for the tip It worked awesome!
Regards from Puerto Rico
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
do you just have dirty hands then? Dont blame apple. They may be good but they cant make dirt proof plastic. Your Standards are to high They cant work miracles
June 29th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
i had the same problem
July 4th, 2008 at 6:51 am
yea, im a bit of a dirty boy and i smoke a lot and am generally quite messy.
i was fortunate enough to have some sun light find its way through my curtain today after about two months of owning my white macbook and sitting in the dark a lot, i couldn’t believe it ,its sooo yellow! especially the track pad. i started to rub it with my sleeve and noticed my pointer flying around the screen and decided to turn it off before i tried to clean it more , ive used a slightly damp piece of tissue paper and have made it look alot nicer though not as nice as id like to, its still yellowy and ive noticed alot of small dusty bits down the gaps around the keys. its a difficult psychology because apple sells you these very aesthetically attractive machines and you buy them wanting them to stay that way ,but is it reality ? no its not and i think we are all best off liking what they can do rather than how they look , i love mine even if it is a bit dirty , same applies to my girlfriends ,hehe
July 10th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I’ve had my macbook pro for a couple of months now and there is some stuff forming at the bottom of the mac at the end handles. It’s not dirty but it feels hard and I’m worried that sun might have damaged the bottom sides. Does anyone know what that is? I tried removing the batter and cleaning it but it didn’t come off. Any suggestions?
July 21st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
ty verry much for this post tryed it on my macbook looks just like new
August 4th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
thanks! your great idea made my macbook look new! =)
August 12th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Thanks for posting. My new MacBook is just one week old. I wash my hands very frequently and my brand new machine has pinkish palm prints that I was sure would soon turn brown like everyone else’s. I’ll be sure to try this when I get home!
September 8th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I used the Mr Clean Magic Eraser…. And it is truly amazing,,, My MacBook Looks Brand new!!!! Thank you!!!!
September 10th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Hi… i was looking for an easy way to clean my white Macbook… I also had the discoloration problem and after trying with a little bit of alcohol, nothing happened… then I found all these solutions about cleaning with certain brand of wipes or a certain eraser but I live outside the US where these products don’t get so I just tried with a common pencil eraser, the ones we used at school and it worked! The final touch was a baby wipe and there you go… and easy way around for those who can’t buy the specific products…
September 10th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I think it’s definitely an oil problem. I was my hands all the time because of my job and they are kind of dry as a result. I have had my MacBook for almost three months, am on it all the time and it still looks brand new.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
*wash
October 6th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I used a clean white eraser and it worked perfectly!
October 11th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Hi,
I was wondering, does anyone know how to get lava stains out of a Mac Pro tower? This is a fully loaded machine with all hard drive bays occupied, the most powerful graphics card and maximum RAM supported. I was playing some solitaire on my brand new Mac Pro on the edge of an active volcano in Hawaii (I know, this sounds frivolous but my coworkers were rappelling down the side of the volcano and my back problems prohibit this) and when I won a very challenging hand, I got so excited that I smacked my Mac Pro broadside and it went cascading down the edge of the cauldron into the molten lava below, taking my 30″ Cinema Display with it. Fortunately I was able to retrieve my system via a grappling hook (which I always carry along with my BlueTooth wireless mouse) but sadly the metal case is badly stained from the experience–to be more accurate it has a kind of deformed, bubbly melted quality to it. iTunes still runs fine but I am feeling like the other partners in my law firm are starting to notice the gnarly appearance and sulfuric oder of my machine during client meetings. Will the Mr Clean Magic Eraser work on this kind of stain?
Thanks,
JM
October 12th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Used the white eraser on a white macbook that was about 2 months old … worked perfectly. Would def recommend for people looking to get small wrist marks out. Might not work on older stains, but you could give it a try. Thanks for the advice.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
should I wet the magic eraser or keep it dry?
December 4th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Dude. I just did it. That was so amazing. I’m in disbelief. THANKS!!
December 4th, 2008 at 2:35 am
ps – i’ve been using this macbook since march. it belongs to my friend. she got mad at me for discoloring the palm area. i tried a lot of sprays but nothing worked. my roommate matt and i randomly decided to look up how to clean a macbook and came across this site. we had magic erasers from when he put an ionic breeze next to a wall which turned the wall black. magic eraser cleared that up, so we decided to give it a shot. in literally 5 seconds the palm area was WHITE. not only that, they were so white it made the discoloration on the keys more prominent. very light swipes over the keys and BAM this thing looks brand new man. seriously, thanks for the tip. i’m sure it’ll get dirty again, and this time i’ll take before and after pictures for you non-believers. =)
December 27th, 2008 at 7:56 am
i tried it and it works well!!!! AWESOME product!!!!
January 6th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
wow just went nutso on my macbook with the magic eraser. thanks for the tidbit, looks like new now
February 18th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I am quite anal, as well, when it comes to the condition of my macbook. My dirty laptop has been bugging the crap right out of me. I was lost in a state of shame and guilt for letting it get this way. Thank you so much for this. I am going to go buy some Mr. clean right away!
March 30th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Hi, I just found a magic eraser under my cabinet
and i am scrubbing away. I think it IS doing something, but not much. I am going to keep trying! Thanks for the motivation, haha!
July 10th, 2009 at 2:20 am
[...] How to Clean Your White Macbook Free Mac Blog Macworld: How to clean my white Macbook … My Dirty MacBook Is Clean Again | AlexRaiano.com | All Things Alex Raiano… a few suugestions from people with white macs that probably suffer the same problem mr magic [...]
August 5th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
After months of scrubbing my hands like a surgeon before using my white Macbook I thought there has got to be a better way and I found it, my dishwasher, after use just pop it in on a hot wash and hey presto clean as the day it was born. Only problem now its fu…..d.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I have 24 Mac books onlya month old and Apple still has the problem. I willl not let my instructors allow the students see how filthy these machines look. 11-2009
January 26th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Just sharing, I used Kleen Glass Wipes to clean my MacBook.
Well, I was looking everywhere for the products I could find in forums that said it works but did not seem to be able to locate any of them in the local market.
And then I read somewhere a particular brand of glass wipes work. I could not find the brand that was mentioned and got Kleen Glass Wipes instead.
Work beautifully.
Cheerios
tane
February 9th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Normal window cleaner fluid in very small amounts applied on a rag works well too. Will try Magic Eraser too at some point.
February 10th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I just bought my mac last month and I have the same problem, I am anal about everything ! This occurs in the space bar and palm rest area ! Next time I go to Target I will get the magic eraser and let you know how it goes
thanks !
March 4th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
heey! ive had my mackbook for almost a year now. my trackapad is like grayish but idk how to fix it! my hands ARE NOT dirty i always wash them. can anyone help? im going to but the magic cleaner i hopes it works