I recently returned home after a weekend trip and, upon powering up my computer, realized that I hadn’t cleaned it since I built it a couple of months ago. Knowing that a PC’s two biggest enemies are heat and dust, I decided to pop the case open just to see if, in its short lifetime, any specks of foreign dust particles had settled themselves among the jumpers and circuits. What I saw really surprised me. There was not only dust inside, but in some parts it was actually pretty thick. I put an end to that in short order with a two-pronged attack: the venerable old Hoover and a can of compressed air. (These household items also happen to be the two things that frighten my dog more than anything else in the entire world. I just learned this.)
Cleaning my computer reminded me of a conversation I’d had several years ago with a refrigerator maintenance guy. My fridge had suddenly stopped making ice and I called him out to fix it. All he did was unplug it, remove the back panel, and vacuum the dust off the coiled pipes. Like magic, the icemaker started working again. It took all of ten minutes. “Dust causes 75 percent of all refrigerator problems,” he said. “Just vacuum it out every six months and I won’t need to pay you any more visits.” I did and he didn’t.
Keeping your computer dust-free is not a fun task, but it really can help your system’s performance. Dust is like a blanket that keeps your components toasty warm, except that your components can’t just kick off the blanket when the temperature goes up. They just sit there and bake. And it doesn’t take much to do the damage — just .005 millimeters of dust can raise your system temperature by 5 percent. The more dust, the worse it gets. If you live anywhere in Arizona or Nevada, you need no further description.
As far as vacuum cleaners go, I’ve seen some neat models that are designed specifically to clean delicate objects like PCs. But that’s one of those “nice to have” items that most of us will never buy, so just use the attachments on your regular vacuum. But be careful. Remember that your Hoover was made to clean deep-seated dirt off of large carpet areas, not dust particles off of motherboards. Don’t let the vacuum attachment come into physical contact with your computer parts. Just kind of hover it over them and watch the offending dust jump off the components and into the vacuum’s air stream. It’s actually kind of neat to watch. In fact, in my case, it’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to performing a magic trick. After you vacuum, use a can of compressed air with one of those straw-like nozzles and spray all those hard-to-reach areas. Then — and this is important — as the dust is flying all around, be sure to spray the air above the PC so the dust doesn’t settle back into the system.
While you’ve got the vacuum out, you might as well clean your monitor as well. Sure, monitors are a bit more durable than internal components, but they can also do with a good vacuuming every now and again. (And while I’m at it: don’t be one of those people who blocks off your monitor’s heat vents by using it as a bookshelf. Not smart. You’re not one of those people, are you? Good. I knew it.)
The traditional rule of thumb is to clean out your computer twice a year, but after my recent experience, I recommend doing it every three months. Double that if you’re an overclocker, or if you have a dog that sheds.
One more thing: if, instead of compressed air, you mistakenly use a can of WD-40, be prepared to buy a new computer. Trust me on this.
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