The Filthy, Rotten, Nasty, Helpdesk-Nightmare picture clubhouse

[nomdeplume]

I think it's an appropriate thread to ask Is there anything that could be done to get rid of the heavy smoker's PC components odor? Synthetic chemicals, organic ones?

I have some rigs that could be put into use at least as a web browsing and media machines. I5 2400 and Athlon II X2 240 were at the same house, my best friend's uncle family. I dealt with theirs PCs before...
I mean, was thinking to get rid of those cases for starters, but the internals smell terrible as well. It doesn't evaporate over the years.

Preempted by comment above. That was eventually leading towards ghetto mods related recirculating positive pressure vessel with furnace filter on exit. Think box fan in a loop air sanitizing the baked in odors.

Maybe a dab of cologne afterwards. Just to establish yourself as a man of culture.

 

[Veseleil]

I haven't tried it but if it was me dealing with valuable hardware that reeked of cigarettes, I'd probably just sacrifice half a litre of 99% isopropyl alcohol into an oven tray or ceramic dish so that I could soak the PCBs and heatsinks for a while at go at them with a soft brush (ie toothbrush).

It's tar oil that permeates into every crevice. You'll need an organic solvent to get rid of it and the most effective is probably petrol, lighter fuel, or white spirit - but I'm not sure how good those are for the fibreglass of the PCB, so you should probably stick to isopropyl acohol - just make sure you get 99% not 70% which is near useless unless you're trying to disinfect a surface for hygiene reasons.

It goes without saying that you shouldn't get solvent into fan bearings or thermal pads, so remove and clean them as best you can using just the brush and compressed air.

Will try to find the 99% isopropyl alc. locally, if it's not too expensive. Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

Preempted by comment above. That was eventually leading towards ghetto mods related recirculating positive pressure vessel with furnace filter on exit. Think box fan in a loop air sanitizing the baked in odors.

Maybe a dab of cologne afterwards. Just to establish yourself as a man of culture.

I like the way you think. That might take a lot of time and effort though. Good idea nevertheless. Thanks.

 

[Chrispy_]

Will try to find the 99% isopropyl alc. locally, if it's not too expensive. Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

I like the way you think. That might take a lot of time and effort though. Good idea nevertheless. Thanks.

Don't know where you live but it's dirt cheap in the UK at about £7/Litre on Amazon/eBay

Another option is to use a dishwasher. Der8auer has a youtube guide on how he uses his dishwasher for motherboards and graphics cards.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Don't know where you live but it's dirt cheap in the UK at about £7/Litre on Amazon/eBay

Another option is to use a dishwasher. Der8auer has a youtube guide on how he uses his dishwasher for motherboards and graphics cards.

I would run it in a dishwasher and then try the alcohol. Get the bulk off then use the solvent.

 

[LabRat 891]

I haven't tried it but if it was me dealing with valuable hardware that reeked of cigarettes, I'd probably just sacrifice half a litre of 99% isopropyl alcohol into an oven tray or ceramic dish so that I could soak the PCBs and heatsinks for a while at go at them with a soft brush (ie toothbrush).

It's tar oil that permeates into every crevice. You'll need an organic solvent to get rid of it and the most effective is probably petrol, lighter fuel, or white spirit - but I'm not sure how good those are for the fibreglass of the PCB, so you should probably stick to isopropyl acohol - just make sure you get 99% not 70% which is near useless unless you're trying to disinfect a surface for hygiene reasons.

It goes without saying that you shouldn't get solvent into fan bearings or thermal pads, so remove and clean them as best you can using just the brush and compressed air.

A short 'bath' in ozone will remove the stink, without damaging things too badly.
Ozone will oxidize most materials, so the exposure needs to be limited.

Regardless, there's nothing else I've found effective at getting rid of mold-must and smoker's tar smells.

Note: this will not fully breakdown and remove the tar, but will 'finish out' a best-effort manual (surface) cleaning. (The trapped tar won't smell the same kinda bad, afterwards either.)

 

[lexluthermiester]

I think it's an appropriate thread to ask Is there anything that could be done to get rid of the heavy smoker's PC components odor? Synthetic chemicals, organic ones?

Yes, but it requires carefully taking things apart and washing them in actual water with a mild dish soap(DON'T use Dawn) & old toothbrush, rising them off with 90%+ IPA(in a spray bottle), blowing them off with compressed air and letting them dry for a day.

 

[Chrispy_]

A short 'bath' in ozone will remove the stink, without damaging things too badly.
Ozone will oxidize most materials, so the exposure needs to be limited.

Regardless, there's nothing else I've found effective at getting rid of mold-must and smoker's tar smells.

Note: this will not fully breakdown and remove the tar, but will 'finish out' a best-effort manual (surface) cleaning. (The trapped tar won't smell the same kinda bad, afterwards either.)

is Ozone a US brand name of some kind of cleaning fluid?

Ozone - as I know it - is an oxygen isotope and he only way to get an ozone bath would be to build an airtight box and put the components to be cleaned into it alongside a plasma arc generator. AFAIK the little plug-in ozone generators only produce a gram or two an hour which will do absolutely nothing.

 

[Veseleil]

is Ozone a US brand name of some kind of cleaning fluid?

Ozone - as I know it - is an oxygen isotope and he only way to get an ozone bath would be to build an airtight box and put the components to be cleaned into it alongside a plasma arc generator. AFAIK the little plug-in ozone generators only produce a gram or two an hour which will do absolutely nothing.

I think there is a cleaning machine used in car services related to O3 IIRC.

 

[Chrispy_]

I think there is a cleaning machine used in car services related to O3 IIRC.

Yeah, that's the ozone I was thinking of. Seemed like an odd suggestion as that's expensive, bulky commercial equipment worth several thousands of dollars and it's unlikely most people would have access to it.

 

[BoggledBeagle]

A layer of dust on a filter works as an excellent filter. All freshly cleaned filters should be pre-dusted with the right amount of dust so that they can perform well again!

Nothing worse than a bare freshly cleaned filter!

 

[1freedude]

Intense UV light also creates O³. TIG welding creates a substantial amount of ozone, but again, expensive equipment necessary. A welding shop might be messy and dirty, but germs, mold, and the like will be absent.

 

[de.das.dude]

i used to just clean them with distilled water, mild soap and a tooth brush. then put them in the oven for a bit to dry them quicker.
then i used to put them in the silica gel drawer that i had in my desk for 2-3 days. Boom, fresh as new

 

[LabRat 891]

Yeah, that's the ozone I was thinking of. Seemed like an odd suggestion as that's expensive, bulky commercial equipment worth several thousands of dollars and it's unlikely most people would have access to it.

You're thinking of full building / office HVAC-scale Ozone treatment, and those lil 'ion breeze' plug in pieces of junk (2 extremes, with many options between)

A. if one is an electronics tinkerer, one can DIY a corona discharge generator from scratch and scraps. (HV is hazardous; ill-advised)
B. one can half-DIY one w/ kits/parts off eBay. (Still hazardous, less so being more 'lego')
C. the $40-100 units on amazon, kick out more than enough ozone for a small area (cars, closets, garment boxes)
D. a $7-25 un-coated (185nm) Quartz UV-C Germicidal bulb will slowly produce ozone. (Alu. reflects deep-UV well, and can be used to both shield and create a reflection chamber for air)
E. There are small 'industrial' quality units available on eBay. Note: they were probably used somewhere stinky and nasty. (ex. the one I bought, was used for raising/breeding rodents. that was a fun cleanup job)

If you live in a humid climate, ozone generators are probably not the right option (without combining w/ dehumidification).
Humid air + corona discharge or dUV = Nitric Acid.
Ozone will attack materials, yes. But, nitric acid... It *really* likes metals, etc.

TBH, I love Ozone
just... not when it's destroying my tires and seals in the American Southwest

I think it's an appropriate thread to ask Is there anything that could be done to get rid of the heavy smoker's PC components odor? Synthetic chemicals, organic ones?

I have some rigs that could be put into use at least as a web browsing and media machines. I5 2400 and Athlon II X2 240 were at the same house, my best friend's uncle family. I dealt with theirs PCs before...
I mean, was thinking to get rid of those cases for starters, but the internals smell terrible as well. It doesn't evaporate over the years.

AFAIK "Dry Clean Chem" will remove smokers tar and smell, lickity split.
It's nasty stuff, and if used often or improperly will cause maiming and chronic health issues.
However, it is still available, and for this kind of use:

CRC® Lectra-Motive® Electric Parts Cleaner, 19 Wt Oz

An aggressive cleaner specifically for energized electrical equipment. Non-flammable formula dissolves grease, oil, dirt, & wax without having to remove parts.

www.crcindustries.com

I've used this stuff to blast TIM out of socket, etc. (CRC's QD Electronics Cleaner is good stuff too, and slightly less-toxic)

 

[Veseleil]

Just a random photo from the web. All of this cleaning talk got out of topic fast. And I've started it. It's just a matter of time when one of the mods will post a warning, unless we get back on track. I've already got enough useful info to begin with. Thanks.

 

[LabRat 891]

View attachment 337214

Just a random photo from the web. All of this cleaning talk got out of topic fast. And I've started it. It's just a matter of time when one of the mods will post a warning, unless we get back on track. I've already got enough useful info to begin with. Thanks.

Did you find a pic of my desk?!
(Semi-joking. There's a reason I research how to clean up smoker's filth )

 

[lexluthermiester]

View attachment 337214

Just a random photo from the web. All of this cleaning talk got out of topic fast. And I've started it. It's just a matter of time when one of the mods will post a warning, unless we get back on track. I've already got enough useful info to begin with. Thanks.

Holy crap!! How does that work?!? There is nothing not absolutely nasty about that...

 

[AsRock]

View attachment 337214

Just a random photo from the web. All of this cleaning talk got out of topic fast. And I've started it. It's just a matter of time when one of the mods will post a warning, unless we get back on track. I've already got enough useful info to begin with. Thanks.

Had a neighbor who lived like that, was a crack head dam disgusting, piles of rubbish in and out of bags. Guitar amp used as a table and all that kind of shit over it and could see clearly were people sat.

 

[Tartaros]

I think it's an appropriate thread to ask Is there anything that could be done to get rid of the heavy smoker's PC components odor? Synthetic chemicals, organic ones?

I have some rigs that could be put into use at least as a web browsing and media machines. I5 2400 and Athlon II X2 240 were at the same house, my best friend's uncle family. I dealt with theirs PCs before...
I mean, was thinking to get rid of those cases for starters, but the internals smell terrible as well. It doesn't evaporate over the years.

Apart of what @Chrispy_ said, you can use window cleaner on the case and fans, a lot of the smell concentrates there. If you have the means you can even wash everything except the fans with water and soap after cleaning it with isopropyl first. Then while wet you can soke it in isopropyl again and use a blower for electronics to dry it faster. Leave out in a ventilated place for some days and it should be good to go. One thing I realized when cleaning my mother's PC this way is at first the smell will still linger a little but after some days with fresh air it will stop smelling.

 

[de.das.dude]

Apart of what @Chrispy_ said, you can use window cleaner on the case and fans, a lot of the smell concentrates there. If you have the means you can even wash everything except the fans with water and soap after cleaning it with isopropyl first. Then while wet you can soke it in isopropyl again and use a blower for electronics to dry it faster. Leave out in a ventilated place for some days and it should be good to go. One thing I realized when cleaning my mother's PC this way is at first the smell will still linger a little but after some days with fresh air it will stop smelling.

just do it with isopropyl alcohol from the start. A soft brush and it will take away the stench.

 

[nomdeplume]

Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and source of heat that should help release tar from hiding places. Forgot to add this as a final step to my suggestion of using forced air to remove odors forced air put there.

 

[de.das.dude]

@avidgamer121 you may want to post here instead in the your PC ATM thread. unless you really clean the crap.

 

[Waldorf]

@Chrispy_
(dedicated, as in, not an air cleaner for rooms)
ozon generator is about 50-100$ for ~10000mg/h output, had one to get rid of rodent dying in between walls
(thanks america, for building homes with 2x4 and rock sheet).

 

[xrobwx71]

(DON'T use Dawn)

I'm curious, why?

 

[P4-630]

I'm curious, why?

Lex is no longer here.

 

[Edwired]

Lex is no longer here.

Don't know what going on here