Dirt represents the biggest hazard for your computer’s components and peripherals. In order to prevent overheating and dust build-up, you need to clean all of your computer elements on a regular basis. Although most people feel reluctant when they need to unscrew and open their computer case, you’ll be happy to find out that the whole cleaning process can be done in less than 30 minutes and you don’t need to remove RAM or video card while doing it.
How often you should clean your unit?
This depends on many different factors. These are some of the things that determine dirt buildup around your computer’s components and peripherals:
- Computer placement- Desktop computers that are placed on the floor attract more dust, hair and carpet particles;
- Smoking or nonsmoking room- Smoking around your computer increases ash and chemical build-up inside the case;
- Pet friendly room- Desktop computer owners with pets, usually find much more hair and shredded fur inside the CPU fan and need to clean their computers more frequently;
- Couch (computer) potato(-ism)- People who spend a lot of time in front of their machines and tend to eat and drink while playing their favorite games or browsing the internet can find food and drink leftovers in-between keys or inside the case.
Tools
Computer cleaning can be done with a wide variety of different tools. You should gather the whole cleaning tool set before you open your case. This tool set should include:
- Small-caliber screwdriver set- to open the case and disassemble and reassemble components and peripherals;
- Can of compressed air or small vacuum cleaner- to blow off the dust;
- Camera or smartphone- to take photos of the placement of computer parts and of the cable scheme (or to ask Google for help);
- Small paint or tooth brush- for places that can’t be reached by compressed air;
- Cotton swab and alcohol- for delicate cleaning;
- Thermal paste- to protect the processor and fan from extensive heat;
- Microfiber cloth and glass cleaner- to clean the monitor;
Cleaning process
Before you open your computer case or any peripheral unit, you need to make sure that all power cables are disconnected. Start with cleaning your peripherals.
Keyboard
Before you start, take a photo of the keyboard, in case you forget the key scheme. Remove each key and clean it thoroughly with cotton swab and alcohol. For surface under the keys you can use a small vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air.
Printer
Image source: http://toledoprinterrepair.net//wp-content/uploads/2012/09/repair.png
Dirty printer head often causes printing problems. You need to clean it with alcohol or with a product specially designed for printer head cleaning. You should also clean printer rollers, which will eliminate further paper jam issues. Also, don’t forget to clean the ribbon and stabilizer bar. Area around toner cartridges should also be cleaned. You can use this opportunity to refill printing cartridges, but remember to always use an appropriate ink for this purpose. So, if you use Ricoh printer, fill cartridges with original Ricoh ink. For HP, always choose branded HP refills, and so on.
Computer screen
Apply glass or specialized screen cleaner on microfiber cloth and clean the monitor with gentle circular moves. In the end, wipe the monitor with a dry cloth in order to remove excess moisture.
Opening computer cabinet
Computer cabinet should be opened with a screwdriver. Most desktop computers can be opened with 6-32 screwdrivers, while for some cabinets you will need an M3. Screws are usually on the back of the case. When you open the case, blow off the dust with compressed air, and then start disconnecting and unscrewing each computer component. Don’t forget to take a photo of your computer’s scheme and fold all the cables to make reconnecting them easier.
Fan
Fan is the first thing you should clean. You can clean it with compressed air, just make sure not to blow fan dust back to your computer cabinet. To clean the fan thoroughly, you need to unscrew it and clean it with cotton swab soaked in alcohol (some people use damp tooth brush for this task). When you’re reinstalling your fan, watch out for the sign that indicates which way the air is being pushed into the computer case.
Mother board
If you want to clean your motherboard just a bit, you should use compressed air can and simply blow off the dust. But, if you want your motherboard to be fully cleaned and shiny, remove each element from it (CPU, cards, RAM etc.) and clean it with a cotton swab. This kind of motherboard spring cleaning can be done once a year, and it will solve all of your mother board, CPU, RAM and GPU dust issues.
Processor
CPUs are wrapped in thermal paste in most computers, and there are two ways to clean them. You can simply blow the dust and thermal paste’s residual material off with a can of compressed air, or you can unscrew the processor and thoroughly clean its heatsink with alcohol applied on a cotton swab. Second option will leave you with a spotless processor, but you will need to apply a new layer of thermal paste, before attaching it back to the motherboard.
Desktop spring cleaning is very useful, not only for removing dust from your computer’s components, but also for conducting on the spot diagnostics that will determine which components and parts are ready for a refresh or a change. You should also use this opportunity to arrange your cables with zip ties, which will make your next computer cleaning much easier.
This article was written by Raul Harman, a KnowledgeBlog.Net Contributor; a Tech Geek and an Editor of Technivorz.
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