Members Kaux Posted February 6, 2008 Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 Hi, i clean and repair pc's. I am sick of buying canned air and i was researching for options in internet. Wow! that a mess of information the internet can be. I see people telling you to use a paintbrush, other talking against it. Other saying an air compressor is the best, others sayin you whould avoid it!!! i even read a guy saying you should never use compressed air cans! So how do you clean your pc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pix Posted February 6, 2008 Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think the problem with the canned air is the sudden drop in temperature that can occur. You can use a good hair dryer as well, without turning on the heating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nos Posted February 6, 2008 Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 Don't use a Dustbuster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goofball Jones Posted February 6, 2008 Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 You can use canned air...just use it in short spurts without putting the nozzle too close. It's what I've always used, never had a problem. Years and years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kaux Posted February 6, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 Yes i use canned air without problems... the thing is i am sick of letting $5 to $8 dollars go in canned air of what i charge for a cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flat earth Posted February 6, 2008 Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 Im also a computer engineer, and have seen some pretty filthy PCs. (I once found a mouldy jam sandwich inside) We usually hoover out general dust build up in standard tower cases with a special brush attachment attached to a standard Dyson (with the pc turned off). When the CPU heatsink (underneath the fan) is badly clogged up with dust (the most common culprit for crashing, particullarly old P4 Prescott CPUs) , a stiffer brush is used to loosen the buildup, and sucked away with a hoover attachment held over the work area. I dont really like using compressed air, as i dont like having particals of dead skin, nicotine crap etc etc being blasted into my immediate vicinity that i have to breath in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kaux Posted February 6, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 I dont really like using compressed air, as i dont like having particals of dead skin, nicotine crap etc etc being blasted into my immediate vicinity that i have to breath in. I once found an english-spanish dictionary !!! I dont understand how that stuff can get into someone's pc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flat earth Posted February 6, 2008 Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 I dont understand how that stuff can get into someone's pc Alot of PCs cases have a fan at the front drawing the outside air through the case, to be expelled out the back (clearing heat), usually via another fan. Thats why i hate working on smokers PCs. BTX case form factor is a good design. (Doesnt seem to get so dusty) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kaux Posted February 6, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2008 The 2 arguments i have read against air complressors are: 1. they can put humidity in your mobo. I live in a really dry place and i always apply contact cleaner to all the mobo after dusting it. 2. The air particles can cause static in the IC's and fry them. but is the same with the compressed air right? What do you think? After looking at this guys i feel a lot better http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj7EdgEj0hg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kpatz Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I've used vacuum cleaners, compressed air, air compressors, and I like using an air compressor the best. Unlimited air for blowing dust out of fans, heatsinks, the PSU, etc., and none of the expense or environmental impact from those aerosol cans. I keep a vacuum cleaner running to suck up the dust I blow out of the pc. I even take the fans off of the heatsinks and clean them and the sinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I put mine in the dishwasher on delicate. But I have a mac; I don't know if this would be okay for a PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shaktisshadow Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I have a little system I use. First I clean around the fans outside of the box. Then I take a bic pen and take off the tip, the endcap, and the pen insert leaving me with just a small round plastic tube. Then i grab my vaccum with a hose nozzle. Then i grab some duct tape and I tape the pen into the nozzle, and duct tape the hell out of it so it is airtight. Then I open up the PC and carefully use my high powered suction device to suck the dust out of all the little nooks. I don't have to touch anything, it gets in small places, and theres no damage potential, not to mention no cfc's and other canned air chemicals.. 2cnts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members realtrance Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I dunk mine in a big bucket of honey and leave it overnight. Then I put it out on the back lawn for a week and the critters and bugs usually do a pretty good job of cleaning it all out. Then I put it in the bathtub to soak for a few days, then I put it back outside to dry out afterwards. Keeps me from having it inside to turn on waste time with very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Purity_Control Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 i think there might be a case in point for having a cat who's fur matches your pc case... or the other way around... but since my kitty's are co-ordinated with my gear, i've come somewhat unstuck: i keep meaning to put some sort of mesh over the sucky/blowy bits but haven't got round to it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P321 Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 Putting filters on any air intakes avoids most of the problem in the first place. Why the hell case companies don't spend the extra 50 cents (if that) on providing them, I'm not sure. They do restrict airflow slightly, but a quiet intake fan can solve that if that were an issue. For cleaning - paper towel, vacuum cleaner (although not too close, but it works well cleaning fans) + toothbrush. You use the paper towels to catch the dust loosened by the toothbrush so you don't need to clean where the dust falls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 Putting filters on any air intakes avoids most of the problem in the first place. Why the hell case companies don't spend the extra 50 cents (if that) on providing them, I'm not sure. They do restrict airflow slightly, but a quiet intake fan can solve that if that were an issue. There's a couple I've seen that do, and you can buy fan filters at your local enthusiast store as well. The biggest problem I can see is that most people don't exactly open their PC box a lot to change or clean their filter. Eventually that slightly restricted airflow, I bet, would become a quite restricted airflow over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kaux Posted February 7, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I've used vacuum cleaners, compressed air, air compressors, and I like using an air compressor the best. Unlimited air for blowing dust out of fans, heatsinks, the PSU, etc., and none of the expense or environmental impact from those aerosol cans.I keep a vacuum cleaner running to suck up the dust I blow out of the pc. I even take the fans off of the heatsinks and clean them and the sinks. Do you use any kind of filter with your air compressor? They say compressors condensate water and can put moist in your components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nevandal Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 Hmm..I heard a vacuum cleaner or air compressor would cause too much static electricity and fry components, so I just use canned air >. Maybe I should get a vacuum with a nice small attachment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J3RK Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 A small air compressor is fine. Canned air is fine. I've never had a problem using a paintbrush either. I only use a vacuum cleaner on the outside of the case (for fan grills, the ATX connector area, etc. It's probably best not to shove the canned air or air compressor fitting too close to anything. Try to use it from the maximum effective distance. PCs are a bit tougher than people give them credit for, but it's a good idea to be careful anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Awake77 Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I take mine apart every now and again and clean each part individually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BonsoWonderDog Posted February 7, 2008 Members Share Posted February 7, 2008 I've never cleaned a PC in my life. In my experience, by the time they're dirty enough to clean, it's probably time to chuck it out & buy a new one anyway....... I do occasionally wipe my laptop's LDC though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JohnN Posted February 8, 2008 Members Share Posted February 8, 2008 We usually hoover out general dust build up in standard tower cases with a special brush attachment attached to a standard Dyson (with the pc turned off)...Good to hear! I always use our Dyson with the brush attatchment together with a paint brush for the heatsinks/fans. But I have also read some people saying you should never go near a PC with a "hoover" - all the electrical noise / static etc. Interestingly, only last night I had to clean out my graphics card; it had become totally blocked and was crashing in games. BRJN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khazul Posted February 8, 2008 Members Share Posted February 8, 2008 With a hoover... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poumtschak Posted February 8, 2008 Members Share Posted February 8, 2008 A small consumer grade air compressor, in open space.And a soft paintbrush after that. As for humidity, never had problem even though there is obviously some, depending on the weather. I think you can mount an air dryer on the compressor tube if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bgi Posted February 8, 2008 Members Share Posted February 8, 2008 Take the skin off. Take it outside. Use a standard shop air compressor with air nozzle and blow away the dust. Keep the pressure under 50 psi or so. Stay upwind. Blow lots of air into the power supply and watch the dust cloud bloom up! Vacuum cleaners WILL KILL YOUR PC. The static generated by a vacuum cleaner is tremendous. Static kills electronics. Don't get near an open PC with a vacuum cleaner. It's OK to suck the dust off a PC with one on the outside. NOT INSIDE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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