I use compressed air and something thin to reach/break apart the bigger pieces. I find it more efficient to pick out the bigger pieces of dust.
Blowing air into it is one way, but I took my vacuum and a brush attachment and sucked the dust OUT of it. Seemed more logical. I did the same with the innards that you can access with just a screw driver, because the were pretty dusty, too. When you blow dust around, it just ends up somewhere else, sucking it out is more foolproof IMO.
Yes. The best way to clean out your laptop fan is to buy a bottle of compressed air from walmart or another similar store and spray out the fan through the vents. Often this type of thing is found in the photo section of the store.
Dust cans and vacuum cleaners on reverse work well. The vacuum will be more powerful, so it's preferred, the only trouble is that in order to make sure you don't re-infect with more dust than before is to use a water based machine, such as a rainbow. I highly recommend that you DO NOT use typical filter/bag based machines with electronic equipment. Anyway, once you have your air-duster of choice, use an extended paperclip to reach into the vent and hold the fan still. Blow from one side, so that the air pressure forces the dust out the other side of the vent. Depending on the make of your laptop, it's often advantageous to simply take it apart for a good cleaning every 3 months or so.
