How Often Should You Clean Your Computer?

It's important to clean your PC - but how often do you really need to bother with it?

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[NigelMelanisticSmith]

The worst part to clean is always the heat sink on the top of the cpu, it seems like the rest of the PC can be squeaky clean and that thing will still capture dirt

[MmntechCa]

I remember a time before cases came with dust filters. Man, those were an absolute god send. Best tip I've got is to keep your chassis off the floor, and preferably in a room without carpets. If using a compressor, make sure to set the outlet pressure to a low PSI. Also don't use one in a humid environment, as you'll just be blasting your rig with water vapor.

[TheGameBench]

Here's the trick... it's hard to say considering the amount of variables involved and some people have MUCH dustier environments. Some people can't make it a couple of months. I imagine there are a lot of people that could reduce a lot of the dust in their home with a vent cleaning and regularly changing their furnace filter.

[Appl_Jax]

Dang... that fan tip when cleaning is invaluable. Never crossed my mind to hold it in place.

[bou]

Thanks for the informational content. I can share this with friends and family. To help them maintain their equipment. Thank you LMG and James!

[fohhee]

The more frequent you clear your PC, the less time it take to clean it each time.
I find makeup brush work well when dusting inside and out of PC.

[RipleySawzen]

My PC has a filter in the front that keeps out all but the smallest dust particles. Those really tiny ones tend not to settle anywhere in the case, so I end up only cleaning the outside a few times a year. I've only blown out the inside of the case once in like 4 years.

[DrewGlenzer]

This is one of the reasons that see through panels on cases is a good trend. It's easy to see when it needs to be cleaned.

[rk]

Good to know! Yesterday I cleaned my PC for the first time after 3 years as I installed some new components. Looks like I did everything right except the spinning the fans part.
Was pretty dusty as I use a Meshify C. I think a lot of dust was sucked in because of the top venting holes that has no dust filter. To prevent that I also installed two old fans there and set them to minimum spinning speed to always blow a little bit of air out.

[doctordothraki]

I used Xtreme Klean disposable compressed air dusters from Fry's Electronics until they closed in February 2021. After that, I switched to an Opolar brand battery electric air duster. And I clean my 9-year-old gaming rig every 6 months (June/July and December)

2:42 looks like a Gigabyte motherboard from the early 2010s, similar to what's in my gaming rig

[wizardwithsmg]

One benefit of the glass cases with lighting everywhere is the dust is always visible which should hopefully convince you to clean it when it's dirty. Closes off cases usually sit on the floor and get ignored, making a roach hotel.

[Nickerian]

I do use a compressor myself to blow things off but its good to remember that compressing air create water which is ejected when you use the "airgun".
Water/oil separator is pretty much required to make sure there is no "drops" flying into your mobo. It does not remove all the water from the air but it removes any chance of droplets.

[_vizec]

Note on using an air compressor: most compressors will build up gunk and water from condensation on the inside of the tank over time, but even a newly cleaned one can still blast water and particles out of it. Because of this it’s best practice to have a desiccant between the hose and the compressor, then a filter on the end of the hose before the nozzle. That’s what I have and this setup also allows you to do automotive painting.

[theBabyDead]

1 ) Get a mesh filter so you don't have to clean the components themselves.

2 ) I've used a vacuum for over 20 years as a techie and I've literally never had any negative consequences from it. I have, however, had negative consequences from canned air, like blowing dust INTO places it shouldn't be.

[cyberbird]

The point is that you can clean different parts at different rates. The exterior, for instance, can easily be wiped with microfibre cloth or vacuumed every week, while the fans can be quite quickly cleaned once every couple months and the PC as a whole given a thorough cleaning every semester or so. Little but continuous effort can save you from having to spend many (exhausting) hours cleaning your pc from top to bottom, usually after something went wrong. This kind of effort not only keeps everything going smoothly but also makes your setup look prettier, more energy efficient and reliable. It's also nice to always cover the fans with some kind of dust filter. And clean your room, too, as well as yourself.

[jorgemtds]

Great tip about stopping the fan while using a compressor!!! I'll start doing it now!!!

[PPlankBeam]

Dust filters every few weeks. Then every 3-6 months a proper clean - having a glass sided case doesn't always let you see the dust build up, especially if it's smoked glass. I will use a can of compressed air to blow the big stuff and have a vacuum cleaner nozzle taped nearby (6-12 inches away) to suck up the dust particles from the air. I also use small makeup brushes to help get the dust off the case and CPU fans and all the little nooks and crannies, and do the same for my GPU. I remove it from the PC, unscrew the fans and treat them to a nice dusting with the makeup brushes then reassemble it all and slot it back in. I sometimes will remove the PSU to give it a "better" cleaning as I rely heavily on the dust filters to keep it clean. I've been doing it this way for 7+ years now and usually set aside a couple of hours to do it all.

[MrEpyLeptik]

Actually, I have a little set of paint brush, different size to clean different surfaces, and a lil table vacuum cleaner that I hold mid air to catch everything I wipe with the brushes. Really effective, cheap, reusable, and so much cleaner than just blowing air on the thing

[Temac]

Since it’s so hot this summer, it would be nice to hear about some how to cool your pc tips

[TheFinalFrontiersman]

Electroboom's static discharge tests with Linus make me think that the vacuum or compressed air methods of cleaning are just fine. Maybe a video about it? 👉👈