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Cleaning the inside of my computer

tinpanalley

tinpanalley

Golden Member
I know that a vacuum isn't good for internal components but I find canned air so expensive for how long it lasts and the spraying of cold liquid on components always scares me. Is there not a better solution for blowing dust and dirt out computer cases and other devices? Anyone have any suggestions or maybe there's a better air can out there I don't know about.
 
How is canned air expensive? Costs a few euros per can, lasts several uses. I clean maybe a couple times a year if even that... the case's dust filters do a good enough preventive job. All in all canned air costs a few euros a year for me.

To avoid spraying the cold liquid anywhere, always use the can in upright position (you can bend the straw a bit to change the direction of airflow). Don't squeeze it too often - take a pause whenever the can is cold to the touch.
 
lehtv said:
How is canned air expensive?
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Well considering that the degree to which something is expensive is based on one's own personal definition of what something is worth then I don't see what purpose that question serves other than to challenge me saying that it's expensive because you don't agree. I love it when people criticise your question rather than just answering or not answering. I'm very likely using the can wrong.

A can that barely ever lasts one or two months by my use being close to 10 dollars or euros is not, to me, affordable. Plus, all those cans are wasteful in my opinion. I'm asking if there's anything more efficient and affordable out there.

sm625, what air compressor do you have? I've heard of these before.
 
tinpanalley said:
Well considering that the degree to which something is expensive is based on one's own personal definition of what something is worth then I don't see what purpose that question serves other than to challenge me saying that it's expensive because you don't agree. I love it when people criticise your question rather than just answering or not answering. I'm very likely using the can wrong.

A can that barely ever lasts one or two months by my use being close to 10 dollars or euros is not, to me, affordable. Plus, all those cans are wasteful in my opinion. I'm asking if there's anything more efficient and affordable out there.

sm625, what air compressor do you have? I've heard of these before.
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Do what I did and it is super cheap and it blows tons of air!
I bought this at @ Dicks Sporting goods store
https://twitter.com/inachu/status/604278844963602432/photo/1
Sorry the brand name is not showing but it is a "COLEMANS" electrical air pump for air mattresses and is great for blowing out dust and keyboards.
 
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I don't like to blow stuff around - it just settles somewhere else. There are good static proof tools for vacuums that are very good. I also like to use a gentle wipe down using Swiffer cloths. They eat dust and dirt very well and then can be thrown away.

Safe Vac Tools:
vactools.jpg
 
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Get a data vac and be done with it. They went up in price since I last got one, but they are still worth it imo. Just take your computer outside every month or two and give it a good blow down.

Edit: was beat to the punch by a couple minutes ..
 
corkyg said:
I don't like to blow stuff around - it just settles somewhere else.
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That's another huge point that I'm not a fan of either. Nice kit. Maybe I'll look into getting it. What is it about that kit that makes a vacuum safe to use?

Also, for anyone else mentioning it, the DataVac just isn't available in Europe for anything resembling a good price.
 
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tinpanalley said:
That's another huge point that I'm not a fan of either. Nice kit. Maybe I'll look into getting it. What is it about that kit that makes a vacuum safe to use?

Also, for anyone else mentioning it, the DataVac just isn't available in Europe for anything resembling a good price.
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These tools are made of anti-static material.
 
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corkyg said:
These tools are made of anti-static material.
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I see, I was always under the impression that people used canned air and other such products because it's actually the air itself being sucked up so fast that causes the static charge in the air.
 
tinpanalley said:
I see, I was always under the impression that people used canned air and other such products because it's actually the air itself being sucked up so fast that causes the static charge in the air.
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Nope, it's caused by dust, debris and airflow in and around the plastic of the vacuum's nozzle and hose.
 
Shop Vac + air compressor. Keep shop vac hose just outside of the case, and spray the inside with the air compressor from far, to get the worse of it out. Then work your way inside to get the harder to reach areas. Try to avoid making the fans spin super fast... even though it's very fun.

Keep in mind sometimes an air compressor will start to spray micro droplets of water, you can test on your hand throughout the cleaning to make sure it's not spraying water. I always do this with the PC turned off and unplugged to be on the safe side. You can also get "air dryer" attachments but every time I look for them I can't find them. I think they're basically tubes filled with those tiny "do not eat" pellets.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Shop Vac + air compressor. Keep shop vac hose just outside of the case, and spray the inside with the air compressor from far, to get the worse of it out. Then work your way inside to get the harder to reach areas. Try to avoid making the fans spin super fast... even though it's very fun.

Keep in mind sometimes an air compressor will start to spray micro droplets of water, you can test on your hand throughout the cleaning to make sure it's not spraying water. I always do this with the PC turned off and unplugged to be on the safe side. You can also get "air dryer" attachments but every time I look for them I can't find them. I think they're basically tubes filled with those tiny "do not eat" pellets.
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For the water there's a couple of things you can do there, if its a small enough compressor you can run it in your house, if it's lower humidity than the garage. Also, you can wait a bit after the compressor runs before spraying, to let any mist inside condensate to the bottom of the tank a little


And agreed on the fans. I usually hold them still with a finger and blow around
 
corkyg said:
I also like to use a gentle wipe down using Swiffer cloths. They eat dust and dirt very well and then can be thrown away.
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I gather you mean on non ESD-sensitive parts, right? Given that cloths like this to a large degree attract dust due to static electricity...
 
Swiffers do not attract by ESD - they are treated. and the weave traps dust physically. A box of them is not expensive, and they can be used to dust everything in the shack.

One of the best uses is to tape a Swiffer over the grille that is used by the air intake fan. That acts as a nifty dust trap, and can easily be changed once a month.

For some of us, air compressors and shop vacs are impractical. First, one has to buy one. And, having to move a floor mounted tower that is hard wired into a network, connected to several external devices, i.e., scanner, laser printer, inkjet, label/stamp printer, external drives, USB hubs, and power boxes is not a simple task.

Here is a "used" Swiffer sheet:

A6ZNDfC.jpg
 
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I got tired of buying a six-pack of the compressed air cans every so often -- I don't care what people say about the expense. They have inconsistent effectiveness as they progress toward total discharge. A little use, and the lower part of the can becomes very cold -- the air blast gets limp.

I paid the $50 or so for a Metro Vac ED500, and am as happy with it as I am with the kit of small parts someone already posted to use with a vacuum cleaner.

And -- yes -- it blows dust around. You can either take your computer outdoors, or do a good vacuuming job after the computer has been blown out. If dust accumulates on vents and filters, I lay them on the floor and hit them with the ED500. All the dust is now on the floor in a telltale pattern, which I then pick up with the vacuum cleaner.

People don't relish the cleaning routine, and I'll bet it is much ignored by "mainstreamers." Or, they think they can avoid dust by eliminating airflow while attempting to rely on water-cooling (which also requires airflow.)

Computer have to have airflow. Most electronic devices do, barring your cellphone or a tablet.
 
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The MetroVac is very good for blowing dust - a good option. Unfortunately, taking computer outside may sometimes be hugely involved and complex.
 
Garage air compressor works for me. It has a water separator so I don't have to worry about moisture. I hold the fan blades still as not to over spin them.

If I didn't have a garage compressor I would probably get one of those data vacs.
 
BonzaiDuck said:
People don't relish the cleaning routine, and I'll bet it is much ignored by "mainstreamers." Or, they think they can avoid dust by eliminating airflow while attempting to rely on water-cooling (which also requires airflow.)
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The amount of dust accumulation in a computer really depends on a ton of factors, including the case itself, the user's choice of fan design, and of course the environment. If one has a filtered case with a proper positive pressure fan setup and relatively low dust environment (no pets or smokers), then the inside of a PC can stay fairly dust-free for years at a time.
 
The more cats I have, the worse the inside of my computer becomes.

I have thought about just keeping the case off, but then the cat might get curious and stick a paw in there.
 
corkyg said:
having to move a floor mounted tower that is hard wired into a network, connected to several external devices, i.e., scanner, laser printer, inkjet, label/stamp printer, external drives, USB hubs, and power boxes is not a simple task.
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To this point... I totally agree. It always amazes me hearing people who have an everything-in-the-monitor mac and complain that they're so bulky because they have an external harddrive attached with that horribly ugly cable. One. One external harddrive. You know why I don't want to lift up my monitor, leave my apartment, find somewhere outdoors, put my desktop down gently, open it up, and blow air into it? Because I built this thing myself and have added to it over several years (with a lot of help from @mfenn actually :thumbsup🙂 and it would mean unplugging two printers, a scanner, a monitor, ethernet, A/V output to TV, keyboard and mouse, a few USB peripherals that only play nice with certain USB ports, and speakers, and it's just damned impractical and my strict, albeit basic, ideology is the less it moves the less chance my desktop has of being in an accident. My wife is very allergic, we hate things being dusty around the house because we have furniture, records, books, devices that we like keeping in nice condition and every time we clean the desktop with canned air, one of us has to stand there with the vacuum at a distance to not cause static problems with the components. It's infuriating. Any DIY-er or home hardware aficionado will tell you that compressed air in any form is only useful in a shop that is built to allow for a mess or outdoors. Plus, there is no way that you aren't just dispersing the dust to other parts of the computer. Sure, it goes up in the air. And then when you put the computer back together and the fans start up again drawing in any air around it into the vortexes created by the fans, where do you think that dust goes?

My only problem with swiffer sheets is that they shred and their micro-threads get stuck on anything remotely pointy. Qtips work great, qtips made from swiffer fabric for cleaning devices would be even better. Don't know why they don't make any.

Now, what I really need, if anyone can help is to find out if there is anything mesh-like I can put on my grill openings that has holes small enough to stop debris from falling into the roof of my tower but large enough to breath ok. My cats have a tendency to walk over the tower because I have to keep it low and they're super clean, but of course their feet will always have some tiny amount of powdered dust between their toes from the wood-based litter we use. Any thoughts?
 
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