Regardless of the effort you put into maintaining your PC and keeping it from a dust buildup; dust particles are bound to sneak their way in overtime. Therefore, the need for a deep clean is bound to arise eventually.
Although you should take maximum precautions by keeping your PC away from floor-bound fluff, carpets, lint free cloth, and using a dust filter at all times, it is still nearly impossible to keep the dust build-up from creeping in. Therefore, a thorough cleaning process is essential to keep your PC from heating up and to keep the temperatures of your components regulated.
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How Often Do You Need To Clean Your PC From Dust?
The frequency with which you clean your PC directly depends on your environment. A major factor is the placement of your computer. For example, if you keep your computer on the floor, hair, dust, skin cells, and carpet particles are likely to get into it easier. On the contrary, if you keep the computer on your desk or at an elevated level, particles are less likely to creep into your computer.
If you’re a habitual smoker and tend to smoke in the vicinity of your computer, various internal components such as ash, gunk, and tar are likely to enter your computer’s fans and rest on its inside surfaces. In such scenarios, it is integral to clean out your computer components every 6 months to optimize your computer’s performance.
Another scenario will require you to clean your computer relatively more often if you own a pet that sheds hair. The computer’s fans and other inside areas of your computer are highly prone to get clogged with fur.
However, if you take care of your computer by keeping it above the floor, are not a habitual smoker, and do not own any pets that shed fur, even cleaning your computer once every year may be enough. If you do fit any of these scenarios, it is recommended for you to properly clean your computer from all the dust, fur, and ash every 3 to 6 months.
Lastly, if your computer is heating up more than usual, this is the biggest sign to open it up and clean the dust, hair, or other gunk that may have accumulated inside.
How To Clean Dust From PC
It is integral to clean dust from the sensitive components to keep it from overheating. When cleaning your computer case, the most significant end goal is to let fresh air into the computer and let hot air out. This, however, is not possible if your dust filter is clogged. Extra dust collected around the heat sinks will disrupt this function and cause your system to overheat. Therefore, you can follow the following steps to ensure that your computer is free of dust:
Step 1: Precautions/Preparations
First and foremost, it is integral for you to take all necessary precautions.
- The first step is to unplug the PC and ensure that your PC is turned off. For complete certainty, it is important to unplug the power cables entirely. Any electrical connection to the computer should be cut off.
- Furthermore, You should ideally wear a respirator or dust mask to keep the dust particles from entering your airway as you remove it from the case.
- Moving onto the preparations stage, taking care of static electricity is essential. To avoid damage due to this, using an anti static wristband is a good idea. However, if you don’t have access to one, in most cases, grounding yourself by touching your PSU housing or computer’s case also works.
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- Moreover, it would be best if you ideally moved your PC to a well-ventilated place or opened the door or window for access to fresh air.
Step 2: Open The PC case
The next step is to unfasten your computer by removing the side panel and the front panel of your case. You can target the screws holding the computer case together and gently put them aside. You will need the screws and the panels once you’ve completed the cleaning process. If you have a tempered glass case, start by cleaning the glass now. You can clean any oily or fingerprint marks on the computer surface using a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol for the optimal look. Once you’ve done so, ensure that you leave them to dry before reassembling the computer.
Step 3: Clean The Dust From Your PC
When you come down to the cleaning part an air duster (electrical not canned) is integral to carrying out a deep dusting.
Here’s how you can clean each of the components:
Dust Filter
You can use a lint-free cloth or a damp cloth to clean out the dust filter. However, an air duster is ideal for this task. Hold the duster upright while spraying 3-4 short and sharp shots of air onto the dust filter. This will ensure that you get most of the dust out in one sitting. Use a vaccum to clean up any dust that drops to the floor.
Heat Sink
If you’ve removed the CPU heat sink to perform a deep clean, it is integral to remove excess thermal paste and then re-apply it. The air duster will also play an important part here because you can use it to clean out the heat sink as well.
Fan Blades
If the case fans are covered with dust, they are likely to fail in spinning and regulating the temperature within the PC. It is integral to hold the fan blades steady as you wipe each blade with a dry cloth or blow the dust off individually. Cleaning fans are integral because these are an important internal component within the PC. Additionally, the CPU fan and CPU cooler directly impact the PC’s heat management and, therefore, should be individually catered to.
Motherboard or Mainboard
First and foremost, blow away the instantly visible dust. Use the air duster to blow out the dust from the motherboard with 2-3 sharp bursts.
For further precision, you should use cotton swabs, q tips, and rubbing alcohol to clean out any dust or dirt that may be stuck in small spaces. Make sure to not touch any of the pins or sensors.
RAM and Other Components
Cleaning the ram slots is also integral when extensively cleaning your PC. You can use a air duster to clean these out. Moreover, other components, such as the computer’s graphics card, may require you to disassemble it because dust may be stuck within a covered area. You will need specific tools to open it up and then thoroughly clean it with q tips and cotton swabs.
Step 4: Clear The Back Filter Of The Case, Wipe The Exterior With Alcohol, And Vacuum Away!
Once you’re done thoroughly cleaning the inside, the final step is to clean the side panel and the front panel through rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. The back filter of the case should be as clean as the inside components of the PC itself, and alcohol is the best option to ensure its cleanliness. Finally, the last step is to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the room from all the accumulated dust that probably came out of your PC.
