How do you safely clean dust from inside the computer case?

Answer 1

Hi There>
All answers state to get a can of compressed air.
One answer states to block the fans from turning, ex. with
a pencil- this is to prevent overstressing the bearings,
and to prevent "creating" electricity within the motor windings,
since, if you "turn" a motor, it becomes a generator.

One answer states NOT to vaccuum anywhere near a computer,
which is generally good advice, since, most vaccuum cleaners
prduce HUGE amounts of static electricity, which causes sparks
of high voltage electricity, easily 1/4 inch long. Hitting a keyboard
or mouse etc. will cause the spark to follow the cord INTO the
computer, and can travel across the entire motherboard,
silently blowing up a dozen chips on its way.
The other aspect of this is that "sucking" air, as in a vaccuum cleaner, is only efective in a very short range, while a blowing
blast of air can be felt a foot away.

One answer states that after blowing loose dust, use a 1 inch
brush to loosen any other dust, and clean again-- good advice.

Somone stated taking the case off - good advice.

I also take the case off the power supply, blow air, brush, sometimes use a damp cloth if the dust wont blow off, and use
a pencil or screwdriver to stop the fans from turning.

BUT, I gave up on canned air a long time ago, and use the exhaust port on a Shop Vaccuum, with a crevice tool, and
blow extremely high velocity air around the case. It is 10 times faster, more powerful, and since I already have a Shop Vac,
it is always available. If you are only doing one computer, once,
in a few years, the canned air is ok ( A bit whimpy, but ok ). If you
are doing a lot of computers, frequently, then the canned air
method is unnacceptable. The danger in using an ordinary vaccum is the static electricity, usaually generated by the plastic
hose generating electricity as it RUBS across carpeting and surfaces. If you take the hose out of the vaccuum port, and put it on the exhaust port ( many newer, cheaper, shop vacs do not have an exhaust hose port, and put the motor itself in the exhaust to cool the motor, and "diffuse" the escaping air ), and do not brush the crevice tool over carpeting, you generate very little electrical current. If you GROUND the tip by touching to the outer case when you start, you get rid of any momentary charge, and
if you keep the nozzel touching the outer case as much as possible, you also ground any momentary charges. Since using a shop vac is 10 times more powerful than a teeny can of air, you
are only blowing air for seconds, and doing a better job. Since I have many computers, I would not consider a "can" of air, with the teeny little red plastic nozzel, unless there were no alternatives. The warning to NEVER use a vaccuum any where near a computer, refers to people vaccuuming a room, with the
computer on a rug, and taking the highly charged vaccum end and putting it on the keyboard, mouse, printer, cables, etc. -- which can, and will ,blow up the computer's chips !!! Sometimes
being a neat freek, does not pay...

Re-cap :

1/ remove the computer case
2/ be certain to constanly touch your hand, and any tools to the
outer case during cleaning to make certain that everything is
grounded.
3/ Blow dust off components with forced air ( ie cans of air )
4/ If you have time, remove the power supply case, and the
front plastic computer case as well.
5/ Stop the fans from turning in the air stream before blowing on
them
6/ Use a gentle brush to remove any difficult dust areas (ground
the brush as musch as possible ) Use air again.
7/ You can use a damp cloth wrapped around a screwdriver for
very Difficult areas.

These instructions are generally ok for the infrequent, typical motherboard and computer case cleaning. Keep in mind that not all "dust" is the same. When I am in Los Angeles, near the airport,
the "dust" is laden with black, sticky jet exhaust, and "cleaning" takes on an entirely different meaning. If you are in an area with
lots of sand, again, the "dust" is different. Some areas have industry which produces white, sticky dust, while other areas might have concrete powder. If there are pets, you will get lots of
pet hair. If you are in a smoking area, you will find the dust is brownish red and sticky, with a solid film of grime on all parts.
I have been on many technical websites, and no one, in discussions of how to clean computers of "dust", has EVER mentioned that there are thousands of different kinds of dust, depending on where the computer is located - for example, if in an area that cuts, prints, binds and manufactures paper products, you can guess what king of "dust" is in all the cases.
Each city has its own "flavour" of dust as well, both from the countryside itself, as well as from the manufacturing and industry nearby. At the moment I am in an area surrounded by thousands of square miles of evergreen trees, and the dust is laden with yellow, sticky, pollen.
The motherboard I am using at the moment ,was VERY dirty, with grime laden with tobacco, and industrial pollution. I took it out, removed the battery, and put it in a sink of hot, soapy water, and scrubbed it with a brush. I rinsed it with hot water, and left it
overnight on its edge to dry. The next day, I used a hair dryer to
remove any hidden drops of water sitting UNDER the chips,
and left it to dry a second day. Motherboards are manufactured in
boiling solder, water, and strong chemicals, before you get them, so that ordinary water is somewhat trivial - however - the water must be completely removed before applying any power ! ! !

There are exceptions to any rule, and even stranger "dust", and
cleaning methods, but if you don't have a few hundred computers ( I do ), the simple air can, and careful cleaning should work just fine. Many computers are clogged and overheating, causing the
power supply and CPU heatsinks to fail. A simple cleaning can
save your computer.

hope this helps

robin

Answer 2

most popular way is to use a vacuum cleaner hose with crevice tool, and a half inch CLEAN paintbrush to loosen the dust. check all air vents, grilles and filters are clean. If any of the fans look choked, or the BIG heat-sink on the processor, then give them some serious attention. Before you start, turn off mains power, but leave the lead attached, to keep the PC grounded (Earthed) to prevent static damage - and take it EASY in there - OK? PS - if its an old box, then some of the fans my be running slow or rough - replacements are cheap to find on Ebay, and usually very easy to install.

Answer 3

Take the case off. Seriously. Undo the screws and then clean it.

Otherwise you can waste a bunch of money on some spray can of compressed air that justmoves the dust since it doesn't all escape the case.

Answer 4

Buy a can of compressed air (electronics dept. at Walmart or most department stores or a computer store), unplug your computer, remove the casing with a screw driver. Following the instructions on the can, remove dust from CPU fan, Power Supply Fan and other surfaces.

Answer 5

Use a handpump.Firstly safely remove the cabinet cover, then make
it lie on the ground safely and pump the handpump without touching any parts inside becoz as u pump all the dust will come in the oppposite direction.But take care that u don't touch any parts inside.

Answer 6

Go to any type computer store or warehouse club and get some "canned air". This is compressed air in a can with a plastic straw. Use this to blow the dust out of your computer.

Answer 7

Get a compressed air can from the computer store and blow it all out. Take the computer case away and vaccuum the dust out. DONT VACCUUM NEAR OR INSIDE THE COMPUTER!

Answer 8

I am a developer at Microsoft so I know a thing or two about computers. The best PC cleaner and antivirus program is CCleaner, it's very light and it's the only antivirus/cleaner with a 99.99% detection rate.

CCleaner is also a PC booster so your computer will be running faster than nomal. Download it here for free: http://bit.ly/1mQZhtQ

Answer 9

Use "canned air" that you can get at most stores, such as Wall mart.
Take the case covers off and proceed to blow it out. Make sure it is turned off. Be prepared for a dust storm if it is real dirty! If you can unhook everything, take the unit outside.(very carefully)

Answer 10

I blow it out with canned compressed air. Before you blow into a fan take a pencil & gently hold the blades from turning.

After blowing it out I take a one inch paintbrush & brush loose any remaining dirt then blow it out again.

You can get the cans of air at anyplace that sells computer stuff.