[SOLVED] How to properly clean your PC?

[Minecarrot]

Hi all,
I have had my self-built PC for several years now and I have never come around to properly cleaning it out until now.
As far as I can tell the main idea is to go around all your components/fans/grills with a can of compressed air to remove dust and blockages.

What I'm looking for is any info about:
-Cleaning technique/things to focus on
-What other cleaning methods I should use
-What I should be careful with in terms of damaging components

Appreciate all feedback,
Cheers.

 

[Newtonius]

Just make sure you're in a well-ventilated room. For fans I'd recommend removing them from the case to properly clean them, along with any meshes that catch dirt. You may also want to get a new tube of thermal paste and re-paste your CPU and GPU heatsinks. Please watch a few tutorials online on how to properly do this.

That's pretty much it, it's not difficult just tedious. As to how to prevent damage, make sure you're wearing an anti-static wrist band or simply touch any nearby metal to rid your body of any static charge before touching your components.

 

[saabir2007]

It's probably not recommended but I personally use a low powered electric leaf blower ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merry-ELECTRIC-BLOWER-DRIER-100761/dp/B00BKXW6S0 ). Blows 99% of the dust right away.

When you're blowing around case and GPU fans, don't let them spin. I wipe both sides of all fans with a microfibre cloth instead. I use a microfibre cloth inside the rest of the case where dust is stuck. As for components, if it's really dusty, I might use an anti-static ESD brush but usually the blower will take off most dust.

I stopped using the cans as you need to buy them pretty often (and they might squirt out that liquid onto your PC...).