What do you use and do to clean the dust?

[TheTwist]

I'm interested in what everybody does when they clean the dust out of their computer. 

 

Do you use a:

-  compressed air can

-  compressed machine 

-  vacuum 

 

or do you use something else?

 

[Dedayog]

Just now, TheTwist said:

I'm interested in what everybody does when they clean the dust out of their computer. 

 

Do you use:

-a compressed air can

 

This.  Or this:

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787KXTFW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Spotty]

I got myself one of those electric dusters last month. It does the job quite well and has lots of blowing power.

[minibois]

I don't clean my PC often and don't really need it for other electronic repair, so a can of air works fine for me.

For some of the non-electronic components of my PC (i.e. dust filters) I do use a vacuum cleaner, but I don't recommend it for PC components cleanup (due to static buildup).

 

Some brushes can work wonders too, especially for fans or heatsinks with some dust sticking to it.

[Antistatic12]

A brush, cloth and MetroVac DataVac ESD Safe Electric Duster ED-500ESD.

[RejZoR]

I use vacuum cleaner for the filters and exterior, suitcase sized compressor for interior. Usually twice a year, spring and autumn when it's warm enough to blow dust out of the case outside.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

I take off the side panel, strap the PC to the wing of my plane (open side facing forward of course) and then go on a little trip.  By the time I land, all the dust is gone.

Only had one PC fall down mid-flight, but that was in the middle of a barrel roll. As long as you don't do stunts, it should be fine.

 

But mostly I rely on a little compressor without reservoir.  It's noisy as hell, but fortunately I have windowless cases so I only have to clean out the PCs once every year or so. 

[imreloadin]

28 minutes ago, TechNono said:

I use cc cleaner for almost all devices i have.

Dust cleaning capability must only be included in the Pro version...

[Pickles von Brine]

https://www.amazon.com/Metro-DataVac-500-Watt-0-75-HP-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

I use this. Cans of air are expensive, leave behind a residue denatonium benzoate (world's most bitter compound and anti-huffing agent), and loose pressure as they cool. Great for short quick work, but cleaning a computer they are not ideal. 

[DoctorNick]

ED500

 

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

14 minutes ago, DoctorNick said:

ED500

That one is good.  I prefer the older model though, the ED-209.

[GoodBytes]

I don't clean it, I let all the dust inside, and then it gets so hot, it becomes like ovens with the Self Cleaning feature, especially if you have a hot GPU, helps a lot.

 

 

But seriously, the only time I use the vacuum is to clean the front air filter of the case (assuming it is easy to access) when needed when I vacuum my place.

The inside of the case I use compressed can. I would get those electric dusters, but I do this once a year... so not worth it. I used the ED500 in my past job, was amazing. The reason why I don't get it, is that in Canada, I remember electric air duster used to be around 50$, and now it is 100$+... so I cannot justify the purchase, especially that I'll be using it rarely.

[Clarkius]

Vacuum to clean air filters on the case and a good ol' air compressor for the components.

 

On the rare occasion I have to blow out a laptop fan intake I just use a can of compressed air. 

[DesolationGod]

compressed air for the motherboard and fans, cloth for the flat surfaces

[circeseye]

i fill this up with my big air compressor in the garage and go to town on my comps
 

[Euchre]

Cheap paint brushes, cotton swabs, canned air, and an air compressor, depending on what parts are being cleaned.

 

Some things to be cautious about, mostly revolving around static charge and moisture:

 

• Before using paint brushes, try brushing them against a large piece of plastic like your TV's housing, then brush it against a grounded object like plumbing pipe. If you get a static discharge, use a different brush. Natural fiber brushes are less likely to do this.
• Do not hold canned air upside down when cleaning parts. Also, don't try 'supercooling' a component with them this way, unless you are willing to destroy the IC by cracking or shattering it.
• When using an air compressor, be sure the tank has been drained of condensation first. If you don't know how to drain it, or when it was last drained, don't use it. You can spray a fine mist of moisture deep into your system and components. If you plan to use your compressor for such cleaning regularly, get a line dryer. The more humid it is, the faster your compressor will accumulate moisture. If it is especially dry, static discharge can happen from sustained application of air.
• If you use a vacuum, the same danger of static discharge applies as for using a compressor in dry conditions.

I use swabs to get into fans and heatsinks without having to remove them. A damp paper towel is what I use on fans or heatsinks that are completely removed from the hardware.

[The Torrent]

1 minute ago, Genwyn said:

Cheap set of makeup brushes and a dental pick.

As long as there’s no power in the system you can wash most computer parts with warm water and soap, and I do. It’s almost a necessity in my line of work where I’m cleaning a decade of graphite oil off of motherboards sometimes.

What about charges left in caps?

[Kawaii Koneko]

I vacuum what I can as to minimize blowing dust around the room and blow out what I have to with compressed air.

[Liljuan56]

5 hours ago, Captain Chaos said:

I take off the side panel, strap the PC to the wing of my plane (open side facing forward of course) and then go on a little trip.  By the time I land, all the dust is gone.

Only had one PC fall down mid-flight, but that was in the middle of a barrel roll. As long as you don't do stunts, it should be fine.

 

But mostly I rely on a little compressor without reservoir.  It's noisy as hell, but fortunately I have windowless cases so I only have to clean out the PCs once every year or so. 

I usually just look for tornadoes in my area. Usually gets the job done.

[D.U.F.F.]

[DarkShame2]

A vaccum cleaner, i guess. As long you disconnect the power and such.

[wANKER]

50L air compressor on the filters.once every few month 

Cloth and alcohol to flat surfaces. Inside rarely needs cleaning out. 

 

Honestly, air compressors are seriously handy tools. 

If you're into all that

[RollinLower]

been using a vacuum cleaner for years, and never had a component die because of static.

with the F@H event going on i even cleaned out my main rig with the vacuum while it was under load. even dropped the temps a fair bit while doing so!

[NineEyeRon]

Compressed air cans should be banned.

 

Electric duster is amazing, the cheap one I got from amazon does an amazing job and lasted me years.

 

I will never use cans again.

[Syntaxvgm]

On a more humid day (don't do this if you live in a dry place) a good air compressor will successfully transport every single dust particle from your PC to the air in your shop in about 1 and a half seconds. 
Electric vacs and canned air don't have the power to remove as much dust as compressed air can without manual cleaning.