How to Clean a Desktop Computer Case
1. Remove the case side panels
You are going to want to open up the case of your computer. Before doing so make sure that your computer is off and that you touch a metal part of the case to ground yourself. If you have any static electricity on you and you accidentally touch any electrical components in your case you can severely damage it. It is also generally not a good idea to work on an electronic device while it has power. When it comes to opening your case every computer is different, you will want to find your computer’s manual or look online for resources specific to your computer.
2. Wipe down fans and surfaces
Using a dry paper towel or tissue you are going to want to wipe the dust off the surfaces of the fan fins and the side walls of the case. You want to do this before blowing the inside of your case out because otherwise you are going to end up with clumps of dust floating around that you are going to need to pick out anyway. You do not want to wipe down any circuit boards because you can damage them if you press too hard and rip off components.
3. Use canned air
Trust me when I say that putting your face in your computer and blowing it not good for your lungs. Most of the dusk just ends up in your face and it’s no fun. You will want to follow the directions on the can, which usually say to hold the can at least six inches from a surface, and I would advise holding it farther. You do not want to hold it any closer for two reasons. The first is that the air leaves the can with a decent amount of force and it is possibly if you hold it too close that it could sheer a component off a circuit board and ruin that board. The other reason is that the contents of the can are liquid and when you spray a surface at too close a range the contents can land on that surface in liquid form. This liquid can once again damage your circuit boards. There is one other thing you do not want to do with canned air, blow your fans. This is why I had you wipe them down in step 2. If you blow your fans and get them spinning fasted than they are supposed to you can damage their motor and bearings. Also, when an electric motor spins it has the ability to generate a voltage which will be put across what ever it is plugged into, which can be your mother board, and damage the connection.
If you do all of these steps periodically you can keep your computer relatively dust free and extend the life of your components. Dust can be a major problem is it builds up causing your mother board to short out or cause excessive heating inside of your case.
