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Cleaning your computer, what do you use?

ED500/DATAVAC is not availble locally so I went with this for cleaning dust from my PC.
It works well on MIN or Low settings, setting it to MAX will blow the caps off your motherboard!

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I don't have photos of mine but this one is very similar. Dust does not survive the encounter.

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Overkill gang. I love it.

What about pet dryers? I'm thinking about getting one for my dog. Can I use it for my computer as well?
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That's just a hairdryer with extra steps, and a hose, so yeah, just don't turn on the heat.
 
one of my co-workers decided to take an initiative of doing some cleaning. 2 out of 10 PCs died in the process.

That is one scary statistic
 
Large air purifier (I go outside if things are bad) on highest setting directly next to me while directing everything towards it with paint brushes. Then I wash and fan dry all the removable filters/case pieces. Then I rewash everything again because I missed so much that only now is visible. Last is final cleanup with more paintbrushing and a damp microfiber cloth in front of the roaring air purifier. Largest contributing piece of equipment yet to be mentioned is a really bright portable light and some ingenuity to get it pointed where it does the most good while both hands are working.

"The Filthy, Rotten, Nasty, Helpdesk-Nightmare picture clubhouse" recently got me to notice how filthy my board components were. After years of brushing dust down over them a fair amount of very fine particles had collected I had easily looked past. Not hard to figure out this started the day I quit using compressed air. Suddenly my case stayed clean without dust magically appearing within minutes.
 
Ye olde 3000W vacuum cleaner in reverse (blows air) with a hose attachment that's half a plastic bottle, I also have the tactical perforated cap for "precision cleaning".

Cleans a heatsink in half a second at the price of jet engine noise echoing through the entire house. Blows enough air to move light cases, 100% worth it.

3000 watts!?! You would need a 220 volt circuit for that here in the USA. I think the max vacuum cleaner is around 1800 watts here in the USA.

After a thorough PC cleaning. PC is clean but house was demolished:

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That's the reason I have phobia of vacuum cleaners.
Me too. The air and debris molecules zipping past the nozzle can knock off free electrons in the out shells of those atoms, building up a HUGE static charge. So if pouring down rain outside, I might use a vacuum, but I wrap my hand around the end of the vacuum nozzle then extend my finger out and plant that against bare metal of the case interior to [hopefully] discharge and keep any further static charge from building up. That said, typically I just wait for it to stop raining.
 
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3000 watts!?! You would need a 220 volt circuit for that here in the USA. I think the max vacuum cleaner is around 1800 watts here in the USA.

After a thorough PC cleaning. PC is clean but house was demolished:

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Old motors weren't really efficient, but it still works, and the wall sockets allow for 16 amps though you'll practically never use that much with a single appliance.

Thing unironically comes with a 10kg weight that sits at the bottom of the drum because otherwise it'd go out flying or lose balance. Centrifugal forces are interesting.
 
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Shopvac blower outside.

Rare occasions suck mode inside.
 
Honestly, I just use cans of compressed air. Since I don't really use the tower much these days, the only device I'm really cleaning out is my laptop and it really doesn't take all that much to get the dust out. I do, however, need something like a small battery powered blower to clean off my camera lenses as opposed to one of those manual bulb blowers. I don't really buy more than a 2 pack of compressed air once a year at most. The cost doesn't seem to be worth it given my use case.
 
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That's the reason I have phobia of vacuum cleaners. Back in high school I used to work in a gaming pub (when it was still a thing), and one of my co-workers decided to take an initiative of doing some cleaning. 2 out of 10 PCs died in the process.

If you only need to do it about once-a-year, it makes perfect sense. I, however, have a workshop with tons of filthy uses for a $200 tiny compressor. Just fixing a BECM or relay block from some late 90s Range Rover makes me look like I just came out of a coal mine. Plus, you can blow all the spiders and cockroaches out of networking equipment while outside, not tethered to an outlet(same for cans). I think the only reason I haven't bought one yet, is because I had a hookup from a friend, who gets boxes of these cans at bulk prices.
I go to Greg Salazar -type madness when I clean my computer AKA I disassemble the whole build and use old toothbrushes etc for deep cleaning. :)
 
compressed air is best for getting junk out of your keyboards .
 
This.... On the Eco setting with the soft dust attachment it works pretty damn good..... Considering it cost more than a 3080 12G I wouldn't recommend it to anyone though just for pc cleaning :laugh:
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My preferred cleaning method is a four letter word that starts with W and ends with E. Shes mean as a rattlesnake, ornery as a grizzly bear and if she ever heard me describing her in such a way you can bet your boots I'd be eating through a straw!

Hehehe, As for cleaning my rig...
I use the vacuum with the brush attachment for the filters and rads. Glass cleaner for the fricka frackin finger print magnet. I stole one of the WifEs giant anti-static make up brushes for cleaning fan blades, sweeping up dusty areas and wiping off mb bits. Occasionally, I use the air compressor for those irritating spots on the rads that the vacuum just cant quite reach.
 
Why do you need a "synthetic" brush?

As I noted above, synthetic materials pose a greater risk of building up damaging static electricity levels than natural bristle brushes.
I'm actually not sure why I put synthetic. I'm not sure if I have ever even checked. I guess I assume synthetic, but I don't use it on anything that is static sensitive anyway. Just on the fans or unattached heat sinks. I never brush a PCB or anything that could be damaged by static. Whatever it is, it has to be really bad to use a brush on it. Just use some common sense, if it might be damaged by static, only use some sort of clean dry compressed air.
 
I never brush a PCB or anything that could be damaged by static. Whatever it is, it has to be really bad to use a brush on it.
LOL That is true. I assume you have never seen a neglected motherboard belonging to someone who smokes and owns cats? It almost takes a hammer and chisel to get clean!
 
Been cleaning my current setup with a hover last 10 years, i take out AIO every 3-4 years and give it a good vacum cleaning.
 
LOL That is true. I assume you have never seen a neglected motherboard belonging to someone who smokes and owns cats? It almost takes a hammer and chisel to get clean!
I have, unfortunately, many years ago now. I used to help out co-workers here and there. Now, if I do any side work, it is for businesses only. If I recall, a lot of rubbing alcohol and q-tips were used, a plastic putty knife too. It amazes me how much those old cheapo computers could take before they died.
 
LOL That is true. I assume you have never seen a neglected motherboard belonging to someone who smokes and owns cats? It almost takes a hammer and chisel to get clean!
Many years ago I went to clean a computer that used to be in a room with husband and wife both heavy chain smokers. The motherboard and inside of the case was literally covered in a thin layer of sticky tar.
 
Many years ago I went to clean a computer that used to be in a room with husband and wife both heavy chain smokers. The motherboard and inside of the case was literally covered in a thin layer of sticky tar.
404 - lungs not found

Just the smell of cigarettes is disgusting.
 
4. Distilled water
Seriously distilled to make a damp (Not wet! damp!) microfiber lint free cloth = clean PC. Just use a second dry one after, for a streak free finish.
This is ideal for dust build up on the case, keys on the keyboard, mousepad etc.
Distilled is cheap, and reduces the risk of anything shorting if you make a mistake.
While I'd recommend not to use this directly on electronics like a motherboard or GPU, if you're removing a stain, thermal paste etc it's perfectly safe to do if the PC is powered down and you make sure its dry before power on.
Or a dishwasher, apparently.
 
A important tip to keeping your computer clean do not eat or drink near it. it helps a lot.
 
It's a really amazing piece of kit I have to say.
I got the car vac accessory kit so I've got the floppy hose too - lets me stick that brush in all me nooks 'n crannies and get all the cobwebs out

Ryobi blastmaster does the rest
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