tips for cleaning pc parts

[lomaxa]

Have you tried WD40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner to clean a dusty PC like the motherboard? Also, are 70 percent alcohol wipes good for cleaning motherboard and GPUs. Been watching alot of tech yes city latley just wanted to know. That and conmpressed air isnt getting all teh dust off so just wanted to know some advice 

 

[Enderman]

Uh, no, do not spray contact cleaner on all your PC components.

That is only for contacts.

It will damage some plastics and other stuff.

 

Some people use a soft paint brush or microfibre cloth to clean, but there is slight risk of static killing your components which is why people usually use compressed air.

Alcohol works well, much better than water because it dries fast and doesn't leave residue.

[Triventular]

7 minutes ago, lomaxa said:

Have you tried WD40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner to clean a dusty PC like the motherboard? Also, are 70 percent alcohol wipes good for cleaning motherboard and GPUs. Been watching alot of tech yes city latley just wanted to know. That and conmpressed air isnt getting all teh dust off so just wanted to know some advice 

 

well if he's able to clean a lot of pcs with damaging some of them at least he's not doing something wrong.. he's also using break cleaner (not sure if the same thing) sometimes. but i personally used alcohol wipes before with my 970 when i got it working with my pc and its still alive and well to this day.. for the ones i cant get, i turn off my pc and use a small paintbrush to brush off dust then vacuum it out

[lomaxa]

4 minutes ago, Triventular said:

well if he's able to clean a lot of pcs with damaging some of them at least he's not doing something wrong.. he's also using break cleaner (not sure if the same thing) sometimes. but i personally used alcohol wipes before with my 970 when i got it working with my pc and its still alive and well to this day.. for the ones i cant get, i turn off my pc and use a small paintbrush to brush off dust then vacuum it out

so in other words 70 percent alchol wipe will be fine for a motherboard ? 

[Triventular]

12 minutes ago, lomaxa said:

so in other words 70 percent alchol wipe will be fine for a motherboard ? 

i think its good enough.. or if you have a lot of time, take it out of your case then just brush it lightly.

[Guest]

for general cleaning of electronics get a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol ($2.50 at walmart, one bottle has lasted me years) and a microfiber cloth.   lint free handkerchief (one that has been washed many many times) will also work and less likely to snag.  use swabs for harder to reach places if needed.  chamois tip swabs are only needed for delicate things or where regular swabs might snag. apply alcohol to cloth or swab.  gently wipe or dab.  

deoxIT works well for contacts that have corrosion

[N1NJ4W4RR10R]

24 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Uh, no, do not spray contact cleaner on all your PC components.

That is only for contacts.

It will damage some plastics and other stuff.

 

Some people use a soft paint brush or microfibre cloth to clean, but there is slight risk of static killing your components which is why people usually use compressed air.

Alcohol works well, much better than water because it dries fast and doesn't leave residue.

Aren't there brushes specifically to avoid the static problem? Rubber brushes or something?

[Enderman]

1 minute ago, N1NJ4W4RR10R said:

Aren't there brushes specifically to avoid the static problem? Rubber brushes or something?

idk how well a rubber brush would get dust off though...

[N1NJ4W4RR10R]

4 minutes ago, Enderman said:

idk how well a rubber brush would get dust off though...

 

Not sure if it's rubber brushes I'm thinking of, but I'm pretty sure there are brushes specifically for cleaning things like motherboards, stuff that you don't wanna be zapping.

[NineEyeRon]

Just buy a microfibre cloth and a good quality electric air duster.

 

Also buying windowless cases helps as I’m just concerned about it being  rather than shiny and clean.

 

Its hard to recommend that basic air duster off amazon except for it does most of one PC before it needs to cool down. Lots of rads or a big space? Need to clean it in two parts

 

Buy a better air duster if you can afford it, it will pay for itself eventually vs cans. For my once every 3-6 month dustings the cheaper one is fine.

[NineEyeRon]

Posting error

Edited February 21, 2019 by NineEyeRon

[slashqpbyte]

On 2/21/2019 at 1:02 AM, N1NJ4W4RR10R said:

Aren't there brushes specifically to avoid the static problem? Rubber brushes or something?

https://www.amazon.com/UEETEK-Plastic-Brushes-Cleaning-Keyboard/dp/B076P4RPG8?ref_=Oct_RAsinC_Ajax_317973011_0&pf_rd_r=A1M6X5AE9B9W6SQ5DM3N&pf_rd_p=6d4f1672-ec08-56bb-8bc6-d9daefaaa7ea&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=317973011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

These are great btw, I use them all the time for removing flux on pcb's.