Cleaning Vents Without Full Disassembly
Simple maintenance you can do yourself between full preventative services.
Why it's necessary
Dust accumulating on ventilation grilles and fan blades worsens heat dissipation — this leads to louder fan operation and increased component temperatures.
Safe method without disassembly
Canned compressed air, in short, intermittent bursts through the ventilation openings (usually on the bottom and side of the case), keeping the laptop turned off and disconnected from power.
What's important to do before cleaning
Be sure to turn off the laptop completely (not sleep mode) and disconnect the charger — compressed air can spin the fan to dangerous speeds if the system is powered on.
When this isn't enough
If fan noise or overheating hasn't improved after external cleaning — it's likely that dust has accumulated inside the cooling system, or the thermal paste has dried out. In that case, a full preventative service is needed (more details in a separate article about cleaning and thermal paste).
Recommended frequency
External cleaning with compressed air — every few months with normal use; more often if you work in a dusty environment.