The "static factor" always deterred me slightly as well. But then, who wouldn't take the time and extra steps to shut off and disconnect the power supply before doing any of this work?
The problem with blowing air: the kruft lands somewhere in the case or makes a mess around the computer that then requires extra attention. But there's little else you can do. Using a brush helps, but still tedious.
Filters always load up with kruft. I've tried wire-mesh filters, but they restrict airflow even when clean. Patches of the white vent filters sold at Home Depot can be used, but perhaps too fine like the wire-mesh. I finally settled on using the blue-or-green fiberglass panels made for your home heating and AC, but after cutting custom pieces, they are obviously frayed. I've put a bead of silicon-adhesive around the edge of these to make them neater. The good thing about those: you only need to take them out, blast them with a hose and dry them off.
And sometimes, fan-placement makes it unfeasible to use filters.
