In a perfect world, your laptop would remain in a sterile room that never reaches above 70 degrees. Still, that’s not the nature of that piece of equipment. It’s intended to be portable. It was made to travel with you.
So, your laptop is traveling with you, just as intended. You’re staying in a different town, state, or maybe even a different country. For whatever reason, you can’t leave the computer in a climate-controlled location, like a hotel room. Everything is fine with the laptop riding along in your car with you. Yes, everything is fine until you get to your location. It could be anywhere: a restaurant, an office building, or a store. Circumstances have deemed you unable to bring the laptop indoors with you.
“Fine,” you tell yourself. “I’ll leave the laptop in the car. I won’t be long.” But before you can open your car door, you take note of the temperature outside. 90 degrees. Phew. It’s a scorcher today. Now you have to wonder: how will your laptop fare inside this car? We all know cars turn into death traps in minutes on hot days, hence why there are many resources out there that teach how to prevent hot car death.
Computers run hot in general. If you’ve ever held a laptop on your actual lap for any amount of time, you’re well aware of this fact. Electronics like laptops are even made with built-in fans to keep it from overheating. Laptops are made to withstand temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (or 10 to 35 degrees Celsius). A car interior can reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit on a 70-degree day.
If you must leave your laptop in a hot car, it’s important to take the necessary precautions. Protect your investment in your laptop by following these tips for how to keep your laptop cool in a hot car.
Tip #1: Turn the Laptop Off
Under no circumstances should you leave your laptop in the car while it is still on. As mentioned before, laptops generate their own heat. Your car will be hot enough; your computer doesn’t need to help.
The laptop needs to be turned completely off. Sleep mode won’t cut it. Computers still create some heat in sleep or power-saving mode. Also, you need to shut down the laptop in the correct way. You may save two extra minutes, but you’ll risk your computer by choosing to hard shutdown via the power button. The proper shut down process allows the computer more time to safely cool off.
If you can, you really should wait for the computer to cool off completely before leaving. You want your laptop to be cool to the touch before locking it up in the car. This can take up to five minutes. If you don’t have that type of time, try shutting down your laptop before arriving at your location.
Likewise, after returning to your laptop, you need to allow it to return to room temperature before booting it up. Allowing your laptop time to cool down is essential to its electronic health. If possible, don’t start the laptop again until you are back indoors.
Tip #2: Remove the Battery if Possible
The battery is easily the most vulnerable part of a laptop. Today, most laptops are made with lithium-ion, or Li-ion, batteries. These sensitive batteries can’t withstand extremely high temperatures. If they do, chemical reactions occur inside the unit, causing irreversible damage.
If your battery is heat-damaged, you can expect slow charging times and even degradation. A degraded battery can mean more than just an unplanned shopping trip. A damaged Li-on battery can quickly become a fire hazard.
Of course, not all laptop batteries can be separated from the rest of the computer. If yours can be, remove it. It would be best if you could take the battery with you indoors. If you can’t, it can be stashed with your laptop, wherever you decide to hide in when you leave the car. Keeping the parts separate can prevent damage to the laptop if the battery does get damaged in the heat. If your battery cannot be removed, follow the rest of these tips to protect it in a hot car.
Tip #3: Avoid the Sun
This should go without saying, but it needs to be said. If you are leaving a valuable piece of electronic equipment in your car, park the vehicle in the shade. You need to at least give your laptop a fighting chance. Glance around your environment and see if you can find a spot under a shady tree.
If you don’t have a case, then at least cover your laptop with something light in color to block out the sun. A white towel or t-shirt draped over the laptop will help keep the sun off your computer. Don’t cover the laptop with dark-colored fabric. Dark hues absorb heat faster than light ones.
Sunshades are an easy way to block sunlight as well. At the bare minimum, cover your windshield with a large sunshade. Sunshades keep the sunlight and heat out using reflective material. You can even get one in a fun print, like this one that features the cast of Star Wars. You should also place a sunshade on your back windshield. Sun hits there too!
If you have time and patience, you can purchase a roll of Reflectix and cover every window in your car. Reflectix needs to be measured and cut to size, but a custom-fit is a secure one. I dare the sun to get past this reflective barrier and to your laptop. Just make sure to clear your windows before driving again.
Tip #4: Keep It Cool
Just like in real estate, protecting your laptop is all about location, location, and location. Avoid tossing your laptop in the passenger seat and leaving your car. Typically, the coolest part of your car is the trunk. Helpful hint: be careful when transporting your laptop to your trunk before leaving your vehicle. It can tip off observant would-be thieves that you have something valuable back there.
If the trunk isn’t a good option, the next best bet is stashed under the driver’s seat. Heat rises, so you want your laptop somewhere low. Since that heat rises, crack the windows as well to let some out.
These hiding spots are good, but they aren’t enough. Don’t depend on the trunk or seat to keep your laptop cool enough. You will need reinforcements. To keep your laptop seriously chill, bring in some ice. Ice packs can keep your laptop within the safe temperature range.
When shopping for an ice pack, make sure you find something leak-proof. The condensation from melting ice can spell disaster for electronics. These ice packs from SoYoung promise your ice pack will be “sweat-free.” No sweat is good news for your laptop. The ice pack itself comes in a decorative polyester sleeve that is machine washable. One customer review likens the sleeve to a raincoat!
Still, to ensure your laptop stays completely dry, you should wrap the ice pack in an absorbent towel putting placing it near your computer. You can even put the laptop and ice packs into a cooler or another insulated bag. Believe it or not, a pizza bag can do the job! This simple insulated carrier from New Star Food Service is all function and no-frills.
If you are feeling particularly antsy about the safety of your laptop, you can bring out the big guns. “Big guns,” in this case, refer to a small solar fan. A solar fan won’t drain your car battery. Thanks to sun-charged power, a solar fan will keep air circulating your laptop while you’re away. This clever solar fan is a great choice.
Tip #5: Have a Backup Plan
As in everything in life, it’s best to have a plan B. In this case, your plan B stands for “backup,” as in “backup your data.” Despite your best-laid plans, your laptop can still meet its maker in a hot car. It would be wise to back up all your data to an external hard drive beforehand.
Thankfully, you can now find external hard drives at reasonable prices. Western Digital has a model that holds up 2 TB and includes a two-year warranty. If you’re willing to splurge, this Seagate hard drive will protect a mind-blowing 8 TB of your data. Hopefully, it goes without saying, but make sure you store your external hard drive back at home and not in the hot car.
If your plans go awry, the heat in your car could still end up damaging your computer. Even if the laptop is beyond repair, your data will be safely backed up. Sure, you’ll still have to shell out the money for a new laptop, but at least you haven’t lost anything irreplaceable. Better safe than sorry!
Travel is great! You should enjoy all your explorations. Just make sure your laptop survives your adventures by keeping it cool in a hot car.