Is it safe to clean my PC with an air pump and toothbrush?

[Phobos956]

I've been searching the internet and everybody is talking about static electricty being conducted when cleaning you case and components. Got quite frightened. In the past i used a cloth to clean my old pc, not very effective now that i have a more expensive machine i would like to take a better care of it so please tell me, if i use an air pump like this one (instead of compressed air) dont really want to give my money for air. Will it be perfectly safe?
Here's the pump
And also what about a soft bristled toothbrush to clean the dust harder to remove? Will it conduct static electricity or will it damage my parts in a different way?
Thank you in advance for the answers.

 

[Lee-m]

The air pump wouldn't bother me, but i'd keep the toothbrush for cleaning teeth and not capacitors and the like. Stick with a clean cloth would be my advice. In theory there wouldn't be anything that can of compressed air you don't want to buy shouldn't be able to clean. Thats all I ever use.

 

[neiler0847]

I use the cans of compressed air to blow the dust out, but I have often wondered the same thing about a toothbrush. And would it make a difference if you're grounded (using one of those anti-static wrist straps)?

 

[mcnumpty23]

never tried a tooth brush lol

i use a soft bristled paint brush--not nylon bristles natural ones

might not be what some would recommend but never damaged any thing in 20 years so far

 

[Wolfshadw]

I've always used a toothbrush to clean the fins of my GPU/CPU heatsinks. For the rest, I've just used a can of compressed air.

-Wolf sends

 

[SinxarKnights]

never tried a tooth brush lol

i use a soft bristled paint brush--not nylon bristles natural ones

might not be what some would recommend but never damaged any thing in 20 years so far

I use a paint brush as well.

There are two things to watch out for, compressors and vacuums not designed for cleaning electronics. A compressor, besides the fact the air pressure can actually rip components off the motherboard if great enough will often spray a fine mist of oil (people ruin reflector telescopes like this). Vacuums of the plug in household type generate a huge static charge on the tip of the nozzle so not something you should use on your PC.

 

[coozie7]

Hints:
Don't use a vacuum cleaner, as SinxarKnights advises.

And the same goes for garage type air compressors or air lines, again, as advised by SinxarKnights.

If you're asthmatic, suffer from hayfever or have a dust allergy do this job outside, for obvious reasons.

A cloth is fine for use on the case but keep it well away from the electronic parts, it's very easy to get it trapped on one of those tiny, tiny surface mounted parts that litter the motherboard and very difficult to get it free without damage.

The pump should work like a charm, just be careful to keep the nozzle a safe distance from the parts you're cleaning.

A long bristled 1/4" paintbrush is a better tool than a toothbrush, it's gentler and the long bristles keep the hard handle and metal ferrule well away from your hardware. And use a natural bristle brush, nylon/rayon or other polymer bristles can in the extreme build up a static charge.

That paintbrush is also an ace tool for getting into the fins of CPU and GPU coolers, although you'll probably need to remove the cooler fans and cover to get right into the heatsink fins of a graphics card.

Never, EVER clean a CPU or GPU cooler fan with anything other than a cotton bud and even then be gentle, the blades can be extremely fragile, use just finger and thumb pressure and if required, get the bud wet to help it clean off more stubborn deposits.

Static is a vastly overrated threat, all you need to do is touch something externally grounded and you'll be fine: A masonry wall, a water pipe, a heating/AC duct, a gas pipe or a grounded metal cased electrical appliance that is plugged in will all suffice to keep static at bay. Assuming you're not doing this while: Stroking a cat with an amber rod, using a Vandergraff Generator, sliding up and down on a Nylon carpet or rubbing a balloon against a woollen jumper. 😉

 

[Phobos956]

Thank you all for your opinions and answers. coozie i will thank you a second time for the comprehensive and thorough answer. I'll bear in mind your tip about the cat and the amber rod 😀