[SOLVED] How to clean off thermal paste?

[user.anonymous]

I heard that using isopropyl alcohol will do the trick but I just want to know if this will harm my cpu socket or not if i attempt to clean off the thermal paste with this material. is there a better solution or material i can use or is this fine to use?

 

[FoxVoxDK]

Isopropyl alcohol(70% or higher, the only difference is the time it takes to evaporate) is perfectly safe, it will evaporate quickly and leave behind no trace or extremely little(effectively none).

Ethanol is also safe, but has a slower evaporation time depending on percentage used, you should go for 96%(Denatured Ethanol or regular) purity. Ethanol also leaves behind a noticeable film which requires a microfiber cloth to remove, and thus should NOT be spilled onto the motherboard or socket.

 

[user.anonymous]

Isopropyl alcohol(70% or higher, the only difference is the time it takes to evaporate) is perfectly safe, it will evaporate quickly and leave behind no trace or extremely little(effectively none).

Ethanol is also safe, but has a slower evaporation time depending on percentage used, you should go for 96%(Denatured Ethanol or regular) purity. Ethanol also leaves behind a noticeable film which requires a microfiber cloth to remove, and thus should NOT be spilled onto the motherboard or socket.

Aight, thanks! Also, can I use a plain material like towel or paper towel to help in the process?

 

[FoxVoxDK]

Avoid towels(cloth can snag on resistors and capacitors and pull them off), but sturdy paper towels that do not fall apart easily are ok, preferably use a microfiber(for glass or TV screens, they have a smooth surface and very short fibers) cloth and use it for just this purpose.

 

[SamirD]

I actually don't even use a liquid when taking off paste as it is usually semi-solid and comes off easily with a tissue. I then polish the surface using the tissue until the tissue is clean and then use a pink eraser to get all the remainder off. Once the eraser is clean and the tissue is clean, it's ready for some new paste and back to work.