How do you clean your rigs?

[Duvi]

How do you guys clean the inside of your rigs? Aside from a couple of dust sprays, a couple times in the first year I built my rig, I haven't touched the inside to clean. What's the best and safest way to clean inside?

 

[Duvi]

Anyone clean theirs? Lol.

 

[Josiah23]

Errrgg. Not really, lol.

I built my PC a while ago and I don't have the energy to really give it a clean... for some reason it's not really dusty either, it stays clean on it's own. Which is less work for me! Lol.

I'll clean the outside of the case with a wet wipe but that's about it.

 

[mtf1380]

Vacuum and Air spray is only way I know.

 

[sd4f]

Blowing it with compressed air or vacuuming is usually best. Depending on components, a soft brush can also be used, however, I'd be very careful with electronic components, as agitating them can remove some components, if they aren't soldered on very well.

If it's not incredibly covered in dust, then better off to just leave well enough alone. Usually, it's just the fans and heatsinks that need a decent clean.

 

[Guytronic]

Compressed air...

I carry the box out to the garage, remove the side panel and blow it out with 125 lbs of compressed air.

 

[Duvi]

Thanks folks. I bought 3 or 4 cans to use.

 

[midnightfrolic]

I bought an air compressor for blowing off dust from electronics. I disconnect and take them outside and blow them out every 4-6 months. I open the case and blow everything out that is not screwed down.

 

[mtf1380]

Thanks folks. I bought 3 or 4 cans to use.

I forgot one very useful tool for a through cleaning...that is a GOOD soft bristle cleaning brush; something like this: https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Gri...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3646191 , or similar.

be careful when using a brush, not to do damage.

 

[chsoriano]

Like others I use compressed air, but I've found having good filters on all the intake fans help keep a lot of dust out. I have a case with tempered glass inside so dust is visible easily so I give it a good clean every couple months.

 

[causalityWin]

Besides filters, having positive air pressure in the case also helps against dust.

 

[Peter1984]

I can't believe how much dust my machine seems to attract. At least weekly I have to clear the dust traps that thankfully the Corsair 750D come with.

I vacuum and use a duster. Gonna pick up some compressed air today in fact

 

[Will Gilliland]

Compressed air...

I carry the box out to the garage, remove the side panel and blow it out with 125 lbs of compressed air.

My "light" cleaning is keeping PC in place and using compressed air-in-a-can while vacuuming at the same time to keep the dust from blowing around too much.

For thorough cleaning, I have a large compressor in my garage and I put the blower nozzle on and carry the computer to the garage. I don't worry about the dust I blow everywhere since it's my garage. I also use about 125 lbs pressure. It gets things thoroughly clean but not enough to blow connectors off.

I have a sealed liquid with radiator cooling system. When I do the thorough cleaning, I disassemble the radiator to blow through the cooling fins. It makes a huge difference. My cooling fans stay at low speed and silent ..... for about 3 months until the dust builds up again.

 

[raycpl]

I get my nerdy friends to clean it,.... in exchange for a bowl of ramen



... !

 

[eddlang]

Compressed air...

I carry the box out to the garage, remove the side panel and blow it out with 125 lbs of compressed air.

That's what I do too, although not my garage but the car service shop near my building.

 

[Vicious Enzyme]

Cotton buds dampened with soapy water, and a full wash and dry if necessary on the parts.

Prevention being better than cure large filter mays are my preference, not pressed against the fans but boxed onto them with a large surface area to keep airflow good.

Really really wish they would fit magnetic mounted fans to the gpu so you can slide em out, those are murder to clean. I dont have gpu liquid cooling but have it on the CPU and that makes it a million times easier. Hoover for the motherboard.

 

[editguy]

Car wash.

 

[schlubadub]

I've always used a vacuum cleaner without any issues. I haven't used a vacuum on my current PC yet (after 1 year), as it has front and bottom filters. I take out the filters and wash them under the tap, then dry before putting them back in. Cotton-buds are a good way, but you do have to be careful. I've never tried or bothered with compressed air.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I have a vacuum specifically designed for PC cleaning.
Metro Vacuum MDV-1BA DataVac Pro 4.5-AMP Computer Vac/Blower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IAO...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3699443

 

[KelvBlue]

I preferred to open the box and tie it to the roof of the car and take it for a spin in highway.