What do you use and do to clean the dust?

[TheSLSAMG]

I usually use a can of compressed air to knock down the thicker dust and tissues with isopropyl alcohol on them for cleaning stuff like GPU backplates and contacts on RAM sticks and PCIe connectors.

 

I also have a small air pump that I use when I don't have a can of compressed air on hand. I don't buy compressed air normally, since most places charge $5/can or more for it while Micro Center charges around $2/can.

[iKingRPG]

8 hours ago, 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

-  compressed machine 

-  vacuum 

 

or do you use something else?

 

I havent had my pc long enough to need to use compressed air or a vaccum yet, but a microfiber cloth does the job for now.

[Stormseeker9]

Got one of those leaf blowers you know

 

 

[Liljuan56]

I just blow on it like an old n64 cartridge.

[D.U.F.F.]

1 hour ago, Stormseeker9 said:

Got one of those leaf blowers you know

 

 

As you blow away the dust, I think a few components will fly away.

[Founders]

When I worked for a tech repair company the most satisfying thing was pulling the side panel off a computer that hadn't been cleaned for years and going ham with a data vac. 

[Bombastinator]

Unplug the thing completely, put it on a table, get a can of air and blow it out.  I’m a fan of positive pressure and filters so I’ve only had to do it once fairly recently, and only then because the cover got left off for a couple months in a cat containing household.  On a z97 machine that’s been running nearly continuously since I built it.  If the cover hadn’t been left off it would probably not have needed to be done.

 

i suppose method has more to do with how many machines and how much dust accumulates.  A specialty device would be totally wasted on me so canned air.

 

my filters are possibly overkill.  I use the stage 1 filter covers for Honeywell circular air filters.  More or less the same stuff that is used in aquarium filters.  Comes in a big sheet and it’s the same black as my machines.  I put stick on Velcro strips on the machines and just stuck it on the outside.  Not super pretty but it works good.  I vacuumed the filters occasionally when I was cleaning.  Which wasn’t very often (I’m a slob) They would make big tan disks over where the fans were.

[Bombastinator]

5 hours ago, NineEyeRon said:

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.

There is an ecological argument for that.  Used to be a chemical dependency one too but iirc that got fixed.  The ecological one applies to all aerosol cans though and really there are bigger ecological problems that need front line help atm IMHO.

[Paul Rudd]

14 hours ago, TheTwist said:

Do you use a: - compressed air can - compressed machine - vacuum or do you use something else?

 

Hits $3.00 to $4.00 at Walmart all the time. Works like a charm. I dust out my PC every 3-6 months. You'll know when just by looking through side glass with flashlight. One can usually lasts an entire year. Takes around 5-10 minutes tops to dust out my PC. I keep a log of every time I do it in a notepad on my PC. Mostly because I used to have to oil one of my case fans every 1-2 months. I replaced it since then so now I usually dust out my PC just 2-3 times a year.

 

I've used a vacuum before, they work really well. Just don't get so close because they're usually pretty powerful.

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

Why everyone has compressed air?

what else can it do..?

[Paul Rudd]

5 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

Why everyone has compressed air?

"Hits $3.00 to $4.00 at Walmart all the time. Works like a charm. One can usually lasts an entire year."

5 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

what else can it do..?

• Prolongs equipment life.
• Powerful, yet calm sprays.
• Specially formulated to remove lint, dust, metallic oxide deposits, microscopic contaminants and other soils.
• Safe for dusting laptops, keyboards, TVs, PCs, phones and printers.
• Will not leave any messy residue.
• Moisture-free to eliminate damage.
• Includes an extension tube for pinpoint cleaning.

[Pickles von Brine]

9 hours ago, DarkShame2 said:

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

Vacuums create static charge. Not a good idea. That is why blowers are preferred. They are not required to get close or touch electronics to do their job. 

[DoctorNick]

10 hours ago, NineEyeRon said:

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.

I agree. Please post the model. May be useful for all those compressed air Johns.

 

After using an electric duster, I will never use compressed air again. It just works 100 times better and is alot faster. I payed $100 for mine, and it has lasted me +5 years and works just as fine as when I got it. If you think it's too expensive, then start cleaning peoples PC's for $$

[NineEyeRon]

22 minutes ago, DoctorNick said:

I agree. Please post the model. 

It’s been posted before, both the models above have good reps.

[Mark Kaine]

IT duster, q-tips, with isopropyl if needed ,  dry microfiber cloth, damp microfiber cloth for certain parts - because I like to live dangerous - no, really because I know water does not harm a PC as long there's no current running.