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Cleaning your computer, what do you use?

trparky

trparky

Joined
Mar 6, 2017
Messages
3,385 (1.14/day)
Location
North East Ohio, USA
System Specs
System Name My Ryzen 7 7700X Super Computer
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
Motherboard Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX
Cooling DeepCool AK620 with Arctic Silver 5
Memory 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO DDR5 EXPO (CL30)
Video Card(s) XFX AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
Storage Samsung 980 EVO 1 TB NVMe SSD (System Drive), Samsung 970 EVO 500 GB NVMe SSD (Game Drive)
Display(s) Acer Nitro XV272U (DisplayPort) and Acer Nitro XV270U (DisplayPort)
Case Lian Li LANCOOL II MESH C
Audio Device(s) On-Board Sound / Sony WH-XB910N Bluetooth Headphones
Power Supply MSI A850GF
Mouse Logitech M705
Keyboard Steelseries
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/liwjs3
I use my air compressor now, but before that I just used the blower port on my shop vac.
 
I just use those compressed air cans. You have to be careful not to spray with the can sideways or it seems to spray some liquid out. I've been meaning to get one of those PC blowers but I never have.
 
I take the PC out to the garage and the ED500 never lets me down. Vacuum cleaner for removable dust filters, but I haven't had those on my own PCs for years. Cans of air still very serviceable in a pinch, just a pain when they run low.

I've also been meaning to find a micro vacuum cleaner with a fine head for cleaning my keyboards. But it seems reputable/consistently well-reviewed ones aren't that easy to find.

ed500.jpg
 
trparky said:
What do you use to clean your computer other than those annoying cans of compressed air that get cold in your hands? Any suggestions?

I was thinking about picking up one of these...
Amazon.com: XPOWER A-2 Airrow Pro Multi-Use Electric Computer Duster Dryer Air Pump Blower - Blue : Electronics
But I wanted some of your suggestions.
Click to expand...
I have that exact unit. Works really well! Before that I would haul my computer over to my garage and blow it out with a compressor. After that I usually remove all the fans and wipe off the dust that remains, get whatever else I can.
 
+1 to the ED500 :cool:
 
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.
 
tabascosauz said:
I take the PC out to the garage and the ED500 never lets me down. Vacuum cleaner for removable dust filters, but I haven't had those on my own PCs for years. Cans of air still very serviceable in a pinch, just a pain when they run low.

I've also been meaning to find a micro vacuum cleaner with a fine head for cleaning my keyboards. But it seems reputable/consistently well-reviewed ones aren't that easy to find.

View attachment 258592
Click to expand...
I have a datavac as well. It's great and wow does it blow the dust out of my radiator.
 
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!

Screenshot 2022-08-19 at 08-52-45 stanley air blower - Google Search.png
 
Air
air.jpeg
 
Canned air and a microfiber cloth.

I blow it out in my room because I'm lazy, and then I wonder why it gets dusty again so quickly.

I've been wanting to get one of those little blowers for cleaning electronics, like others here.
 
I vacuum the exterior fan slots on my case often & keep the room it is in clean. This way dust never builds up enough to be a problem inside the case.
Besides that I tend to rebuild every 2 - 3 yrs anyway so....
In my experience, the cpu HS is the biggest collector of dust but that's easy to clean when rebuilding again with a vacuum cleaner unit.
 
I use:

1. Portable air compressor.
Always stop fans from spinning before use. ALWAYS.
I have ryobi drills and such, so i use their portable one. Often needs more than one fill to clean a PC (2 amp hour battery fills it 5-6 times), but its light and portable for taking with me on repair jobs.
"Help my laptop ate my cat and now it's at 99C at idle"

2. Paint brushes (one wide, one narrow)
These are great for loosening the dust the air compressor cant release

3. Isopropyl alcohol
For anything that isn't acrylic plastic, usually for removing thermal paste from where it doesnt belong

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

1660884361073.png
 
trparky said:
And now I'm looking at this one...
Amazon.com: Compressed Air Duster & Small Vacuum Cleaner 2-in-1, PC Air Duster Electric, USB Rechargeable Compressed Air Spray Cleaner, Portable Air Blower and Mini Vacuum Cleaner for Keyboard/Computer/Car Seat : Everything Else
It's a two-in-one device; blower and a vacuum. It has two speeds and it's cordless too. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
Click to expand...
That thing is quite crap 8Kpa is only 1.16PSI that wouldn't blow a flys balls sideways from an inch away

I prefer to disassemble and use a paint brush for dust and alcohol wipes for anything sticky and a bucket full of hot water and sugar soap for heatsinks (makes them look like brand spankin new) and if the case is looking a bit bedraggled I'll hit that with the water blaster
 
SpittinFax said:
I don't have photos of mine but this one is very similar. Dust does not survive the encounter.

View attachment 258604
Click to expand...
Oil based compressors like this can somtimes throw out small quantites of oil with the air. This can cause problems for some PC components.
I blew up A PSU using one similar to this. Just something to look out for.

You can place a white cloth over the nossle and inspect if any oil residue is present.
 
caroline! said:
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.
Click to expand...

I use vacuum cleaner (for filters) and brush but I just ordered this:
 
The King said:
Oil based compressors like this can somtimes throw out small quantites of oil with the air. This can cause problems for some PC components.
I blew up A PSU using one similar to this. Just something to look out for.

You can place a white cloth over the nossle and inspect if any oil residue is present.
Click to expand...

Yeah true, mine has a filter on the outlet but I've never seen it trap anything. Even when draining the air tank the liquid inside was mostly water. But that definitely could happen.
 
-lungs
-old toothbrush
-a wet microfiber cloth when I've disassembled the build
 
While those vacuums are cool and all - I'm still in favor of compressed air. I'm saving up some "lunch money" to get one of those portable compressors with 6L receiver. My friend bought one of those Ryobi compressors - and it's perfect for the job, plus can be used with standard accessories for your regular household/workshop stuff (filling up tires, used along w/ airbrush or pneumatic rotary tool etc).
 
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