[SOLVED] Cleaning PC: Using Wet Wipes

[Zorozephyr09]

So I'm planning on giving my pc a relatively thorough cleaning in a couple of months, and I was wondering whether it would be okay to use isopropyl alcohol wet wipes during cleaning? I'm going to be using primarily compresssed air for getting rid of most of the dust and muck, but for the smaller areas with still a light sheen of dust, and more importantly, parts with dust that is harder to remove (like on fan blades) I was looking to use some wipes, or at least cover some qtips with the alcohol wet wipes to help get as much dust off as possible. Also I'm not looking to all the way to removing every part and cleaning them individually, just get the major dust hotspots and maybe take off a fan or two if needed (no removing the cpu and having to reapply thermal paste, either). I've only cleaned my pc a couple of times in the past so I just want to make sure I'm all good to go for when I do it.

 

[jay32267]

That should be OK. Just make sure everything dries completely before you power up.

That being said.....I don't think PCs need to be cleaned as much as people think.

I'm responsible for lots of PCs in a filthy plant and have been for almost 30 years.....and dirt is not my problem.

Other things like power surges and power failures and just plain failures (which I don't attribute to dirt) are my problem.

 

[Zorozephyr09]

That should be OK. Just make sure everything dries completely before you power up.

That being said.....I don't think PCs need to be cleaned as much as people think.

I'm responsible for lots of PCs in a filthy plant and have been for almost 30 years.....and dirt is not my problem.

Other things like power surges and power failures and just plain failures (which I don't attribute to dirt) are my problem.

Thanks for the reply; I actually haven't cleaned my pc in at least a year and I was already going to open it up to upgrade some parts, so I figured I might as well clean it at the same time. But yeah some people recommend to have them cleaned every 2-3 months which seems like overkill... I think at least once a year is good enough or maybe every 6 months unless you have it in a place that accumulates dust very quickly.

Also, do you think it matters what strength of isopropyl alcohol wipes I use? I've seen anywhere from 70% alcohol up to 99% and wasn't sure whether it mattered.

 

[jay32267]

I don't think the strength matters.
Keep in mind that there are a few oddball plastics that don't like rubbing alcohol and it can also cloud clear plastic....but I've used it to clean circuit boards without any issues.

I would suggest you don't need to do the alcohol at all.

I don't use any liquid when I clean except maybe a damp cloth on the case.

Here is what I do and it's been working well for me since the 80's.

All I do is use compressed air at a distance of about a foot or two.. I even have a compressed air tank I take out to the plant floor for this. I just open the case and blow all the dust out.

You don't want to get too close with the nozzle or you can damage things.

That's ALL I do.....and I generally don't get failures due to dirt.

As I said.....I get way more failures due to incoming power issues....so rather than clean.....I should be putting all the PCs on UPSs....but the money isn't there.

 

[Zorozephyr09]

I don't think the strength matters.
Keep in mind that there are a few oddball plastics that don't like rubbing alcohol and it can also cloud clear plastic....but I've used it to clean circuit boards without any issues.

I would suggest you don't need to do the alcohol at all.

I don't use any liquid when I clean except maybe a damp cloth on the case.

Here is what I do and it's been working well for me since the 80's.

All I do is use compressed air at a distance of about a foot or two.. I even have a compressed air tank I take out to the plant floor for this. I just open the case and blow all the dust out.

You don't want to get too close with the nozzle or you can damage things.

That's ALL I do.....and I generally don't get failures due to dirt.

As I said.....I get way more failures due to incoming power issues....so rather than clean.....I should be putting all the PCs on UPSs....but the money isn't there.

Alright, thanks again! I'll probably stick to mostly the compressed air but maybe I'll still use some wet wipe (non-alcohol) or damp cloth of some sort; I appreciate the advice

 

[cryoburner]

Higher percentage isopropyl alcohol should evaporate quicker, making it arguably better for cleaning electronics. The remaining percentage will be distilled water, which will slow evaporation to some degree. The higher percentage tends to be more flammable though, and will tend to dry out your skin more.

 

[jay32267]

Alright, thanks again! I'll probably stick to mostly the compressed air but maybe I'll still use some wet wipe (non-alcohol) or damp cloth of some sort; I appreciate the advice

You're welcome.