Cleaning inside of PC

V

Vaio

Enthusiast
What do you guys use for cleaning your components and removing dust?

I'm assuming alcohol wipes and a lint free microfiber cloth are good to use?

My only gripe with air compressors is that you're not really removing the dust, but just blowing it away to another area, I guess it's okay to use on the actual components themselves, such as the CPU fan and GPU?
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Vaio said:
What do you guys use for cleaning your components and removing dust?

I'm assuming alcohol wipes and a lint free microfiber cloth are good to use?

My only gripe with air compressors is that you're not really removing the dust, but just blowing it away to another area, I guess it's okay to use on the actual components themselves, such as the CPU fan and GPU?
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Should always use compressed air for dust as there's no need for contact which causes breakages.

If removing paste or something, then isopropyl alcohol 99% and lint free cloth, but for any PCB or fan, always use compressed air.

I use one of these and they are incredible, well worth the initial expense:

 
N

NorthDakota

Bronze Level Poster
SpyderTracks said:
Should always use compressed air for dust as there's no need for contact which causes breakages.

If removing paste or something, then isopropyl alcohol 99% and lint free cloth, but for any PCB or fan, always use compressed air.

I use one of these and they are incredible, well worth the initial expense:

Click to expand...


Can you use that electric air duster on a laptop as well, i.e. to remove dust from fans and any internal components?
 
Stephen M

Stephen M

Author Level
Those electric dust blowers are excellent, agree with Spydertracks, well worth the initial expense. i use mine on parts of the laptop as well, although try to take as much apart as possible and on most cases can get the fans out and blow dust well away from the laptop innards. If it is a tight space i prefer to use compressed air canisters.
 
Stephen M

Stephen M

Author Level
Nursemorph said:
I'm really tempted to buy that dust blower as I get bored with holding increasingly cold cans of compressed air..unfortunately, I not long ago bought a box of 12 air canisters and still have 11 left so may be some time before I run out :(
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I was in a similar situation but luckily am quite good at losing things, so instead of searching got the blower. That said, I do find the cans handy for the more fiddly parts of a laptop.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Stephen M said:
I was in a similar situation but luckily am quite good at losing things, so instead of searching got the blower. That said, I do find the cans handy for the more fiddly parts of a laptop.
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Me too (the can I mean).

WARNING: if you buy a can of compressed air make certain that it's low pressure and designed for cleaning computers. I once made the mistake of ordering (online) a can of compressed air without checking. It turned out to be quite high pressure, it was designed for cleaning switch-gear contacts. As you'll know, when a gas under pressure is allowed to expand it cools, and high pressure gas cools a lot. It froze the plastic on my satphone turning it brittle so it then fell apart. It froze (and destroyed) some component or other on the laptop I had then, which never worked again. And it also destroyed the components in a digital 70 Amp battery charger (this was on the boat), probably the same way. That was an expensive morning....
 
Scoped Badger

Scoped Badger

Enthusiast
SpyderTracks said:
Should always use compressed air for dust as there's no need for contact which causes breakages.

If removing paste or something, then isopropyl alcohol 99% and lint free cloth, but for any PCB or fan, always use compressed air.

I use one of these and they are incredible, well worth the initial expense:

Click to expand...
Had a little look around the forum with regards to cleaning and this looks like the best option.

Is it safe to assume you still recommend this, @SpyderTracks?
 
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