Computer cleaning

[myfamilyguy76]

I am thinking about cleaning the inside of my laptop since there's some dust
accumulating and this is my first time. Anyone have any advice.

 

[Speedo]

Just use those cans of compressed air or a vacuum cleaner that can blow, if you have one. Just use your finger to keep the fans from spinning as you blow air across them; they can send a power surge through the system and cause damage.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

Just use those cans of compressed air or a vacuum cleaner that can blow, if you have one. Just use your finger to keep the fans from spinning as you blow air across them; they can send a power surge through the system and cause damage.

I would try to use them in unison, but if you had to choose between the vacuum cleaner or compressed air, choose the vacuum.

The compressed air just blows the dust around, the vacuums can capture some/most of it.

 

[myfamilyguy76]

From the stuff i heard using compressed air is more safer than vaccum cleaners

 

[Genocidicbunny]

I dont see how there would be any difference. Where did you hear this?

 

[Speedo]

I would try to use them in unison, but if you had to choose between the vacuum cleaner or compressed air, choose the vacuum.

The compressed air just blows the dust around, the vacuums can capture some/most of it.

Only use a vacuum cleaner if yours has option to blow air out not the regular sucking air in.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Only use a vacuum cleaner if yours has option to blow air out not the regular sucking air in.

If you dont mind me asking, why would this be a problem? I always use the blow out function, but I don't know why sucking in is so bad.
Is it because the suction can pull small components off the circuit board?

 

[myfamilyguy76]

Okay can we get back on subject. This is not a fight about vaccum cleaners and compressed air

 

[Cutlass]

a vacuum doesn't really do all that well except on surface dust. that's why canned air does better. One thing I found was that under the fan in the CPU heatsink get filled with dust to the point where it has to have the fan removed to clean. with a vacuum there is the possibility that because you touch the vacuum to what you are cleaning, it's possible to scratch a circuit board.

 

[myfamilyguy76]

How do you even open the computer?

 

[Genocidicbunny]

That depends on the case. Usually at the back of it, there are screws or small bolts holding either the side panel, or the entire outer skin to the frame. You unscrew those to get at it.

 

[Speedo]

If you dont mind me asking, why would this be a problem? I always use the blow out function, but I don't know why sucking in is so bad.
Is it because the suction can pull small components off the circuit board?

To get any decent cleaning with a suction vacuum, you have to hold the hose extremely close to the surface you're cleaning. This means there's a pretty significant chance of (1) sucking in wires/cables, which can damage the cable itself or its connectors if it gets ripped out of a drive or the mobo, or (2) having the suction ram the nozzle up against some components, which has a very real chance to damaging PCB's.

Not to mention that blowing air through is about 10x as effective at getting dust out.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Ah. I usually use a combination of blowing out and sucking in. Blow out the dust from the heatsinks/fans/pcb's and then vacuum it up at the bottom of the case there there are no cables.

 

[kuukkeli]

I've used a combination of vacuum cleaner and lungs for years with success (I'm yet to try a great idea of using a straw to better focus blowing). No need to be fancier than that.