The air between the keys gets dusty. The dust migrates to the fan intake. Dust form a gentle insulator on the heatsink.
It is imperceptible because it slowly accumulates over time, and you likely do not notice. But its effects are audible. Airflow become obstructed; fans spin more rapidly.
Temperature increase; components overheat. Throttling kick in to protect from damage. Your system sounds grumpy and runs sluggishly long before it actualy is old.
One of the cheapest way to maintain your gear is to clean out your keyboard and computer. You do not need any special equipment or skill. Just a can of compressed air will fix airflow issue and make your stuff last longer.
Wrong. Most folks mess this up by damaging fragile internals with moisture or blasting away at such high pressure that they blow dust further inside their components. Here’s how to do it correctly, and a little strategy are involved.
Step By Step Guide To Cleaning PC
Why Dust Accumulation Matters
When most folks hear the need to clean their PC, they grab an air duster from around house. Bad move. Household air duster aren’t made to handle fine electronics work; they’re meant for blasting dust from furnitures.
Their nozzles tend to be large and their spray pressure vary widely. Many also contain propellants that leave behind a nasty film. In essence, you’re coating your parts in goop.
Choosing the Right Air Duster
Use only electronic-specific cans instead. Brands like d-Boy or Dust-Off produce sprays intended for computers and similar device. These contain inert gases that won’t damage circuitry.
Safety Preparation Before Cleaning
It sounds unimportant, but it isn’t. Eliminate static electricity before you even consider spraying. Sensitive chips don’t like it.
A single spark can fries a motherboard or a GPU. Before you touch anything, ground yourself. Reach over and touch some non-sensitive piece of metal on your PC case.
Plug it in first but leave it powered off. For desktop towers, take out the side panel. That allow you to get into the guts.
What about laptops? Be extra cautious. It’s more compact inside.
Don’t mess with opening the laptop case at all if you can help it. Most laptops are safe to blow air through the vent holes. Using the can properly require a bit more skill than everyone thinks.
You just point and go right? No! You end up making some mistake.
Proper Compressed Air Technique
The largest mistake is inverting the can. Inverting the can cause the liquid propellant to come out. This stuff get very cold.
It’s cold enough that the liquid can freezes plastic parts or condense into water on your components. Again, not good for electronics and water. So keep the can upright.
Tilt if needed, but only slightly. A slight angle is ok. Upside down is never ok.
Second thing to consider is keeping your distance from surface. About six to eight inches is ideal. This gives you better control and less chance of getting any sort of condensation.
Bursts are your friend. Don’t leave that trigger depressed. Long sprays of air are a waste, and they’ll make the can hot.
Hot cans is unstable. Precision is yours with short bursts. You can aim exactly where you want.
Go for those heatsink fins and fan blades. Dust bunnies love to hide there. Gently use your other hand to hold the fan blade still.
Don’t let them spin too quickly or they might create back voltage as they spin from that compressed air. Back voltage damage motherboards. Holding the fans still avoids this risk.
Cleaning Keyboards and Keycaps
PC cases aren’t the only thing that get dirty. Keyboards do too. Under the keys.
Inside the switches. Here’s where a can of air comes into play. Tilt the keyboard at an angle.
Angle it down so the dust come off the board. Again, use short bursts. You don’t want to blow it out and send it sideways into other key.
You want to loosen it up enough so you can dislodge it. If you’re running a mechanical keyboard, feel free to take your keycaps off. That’ll let you get underneath the switches.
Rubber dome keyboards is tougher. Don’t go trying to pop the domes out. Just shoot around the edges.
Disposal and Recycling Air Cans
After the air has done its thing, a soft brush should of help sweep some of those loose bits away. The last one (the part everybody skips over) is disposal. Don’t just leave half a can sitting around.
That’s a waste of money and, quite honest, it’s unsightly. Fortunately, most of these cans will recycle. But they must be empty.
Squeeze the nozzle ’till it won’t squeeze anymore. Do this outdoors. Who wants propellant gas inside?
When empty, you can crush it a bit. That tells the recycling bins it is safe. Know your local recycling regulations.
Some areas requires special handling of aerosol cans. Just follow their instructions. Your work space stay clean.
How to clean your computer and keyboard This ten-minute job pay off for months to come. Your components will be cooler. Your fans will be quieter.
Your keyboard will feel crisp once more. Dust always finds its way in there. You can’t prevent it from getting in but you can control where it’s going.
Using air the right way make things run smoothly. Your PC will love you for it. So will your ears.
