How often do you clean your computer dust?

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**StormX**

Just wondering. Because i'm wondering if i should start dusting off the insides more regularly to protect every thing.

And what do you use to do it?

I just use a vacuum cleaner, but i think i need to get a air compressor.

**Ouze**

Regular vacuum cleaners generate significant static electricity and should be avoided.

They do make specialty electronics safe vacuums, but I personally just use canned air.

**dodgemetal**

I get a lot of dust where my computer is, so I have doubled up on dust filters and built it for keeping most dust out, I vacuum the filters every 2 weeks and give the insides a blast of air every 2 months, keeps it nice and clean.
If you use a air compressor don't use too much pressure, It is possible to force dust into the wrong places with 180psi as I know from experience lol.

**Kalamadea**

How timely, I'm about to do a thorough cleaning to install some upgrades. I clean it less often than I should, considering how much dust I deal with in my room and I think it just cost me a graphics card. Been acting up for weeks and is on it's way out, pretty sure it's been overheating because the dust is suffocating it.

Usually I'll hit the intakes/exhausts with a vacuum/brush if I notice them getting too bad and I bring it in to work once a year or so and give it a good blow out. We have compressors with water traps and I can blow it all out completely w/o dealing with CO2 cans, but I've been really lax this year and my 4 year old GFX card is randomly locking up. So I've got a new card on order and a 1TB SSD I got on sale a couple months back. Past time I got around to cloning my HD and installing it, time to give it a good cleaning

**Maréchal des Logis Walter**

Practically never, mostly when any component has to be changed or when the computer is investigated into.

**Necros**

I mostly just do it if I have to crack it open to install something new, then I'll use canned air and spray the dust chunks all over the room.

**Gangland**

I check once a month but I try to keep the area around it clean so it doesn’t always need a cleaning.

**Overread**

Ouze wrote:
Regular vacuum cleaners generate significant static electricity and should be avoided.

They do make specialty electronics safe vacuums, but I personally just use canned air.

Are they really that much of a threat considering that the motor is a long way from the end of the plastic nozzle that you'll use to suck out the dust?
I would think they'd have to generate a vast amount of static in order to be a threat at the far end of a nozzle.

I've had my eye on one of thse https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073F9NY1X/?coliid=I33THS2GJX7HXS&colid=123GLFJA4CZ61&psc=1 for a while.
Better than canned air as it doesn't have to be replaced and should be powerful enough to blow anything out.

I don't clean mine as often as I should - the biggest gripe I've got is that my case has really nice air filters on the bottom.. .and front.... but not the freaking top which is full of holes and thus lets dust fall inside super easily!

**StormX**

Well i have had the side door of my computer case opened for over a year or more, so that probably doesn't help. But the door is broken so i might get a new case.

**ZergSmasher**

I don't do it regularly, but I did do it recently. I just used a can of compressed air and it did the job adequately.

**Excommunicatus**

I have never dusted the innards of any computer in my 37 years on this poxy little planet.

My keyboard gets emptied of ash, tobacco, dog hair and other miscellaneous detritus on a daily basis.

**StormX**

You dont vape!?!?!?. Or what is the ash from, the Mt Helen's volcano eruption?.

**Ouze**

Overread wrote:
Are they really that much of a threat considering that the motor is a long way from the end of the plastic nozzle that you'll use to suck out the dust?
I would think they'd have to generate a vast amount of static in order to be a threat at the far end of a nozzle.

I'm taking no chances with the almost 3 grand of components inside my case

**SamusDrake**

I use a Henry for the frame, fans and overall casing. For the motherboard its an air-can. Its served us well for 30 years of computing.

**Ratius**

Mine is water cooled rather than fan cooled.
Should I still be de-dusting it? (no idea).

**Skinnereal**

I should do mine more often.
I 'dust' by blowing on it all. Puffing down the heat sinks.
Spinning the fans and pulling dusty lumps away by hand.

But, once the temperature goes up, and the fans kick in more often, it is time for a blow.

**dodgemetal**

Ratius wrote:
Mine is water cooled rather than fan cooled.
Should I still be de-dusting it? (no idea).

Yeh if your water cooled you should have a radiator, that will need cleaning out of dust, and if you get dust in your cabinet it's best to blow it out before it builds up, depends on how it's been built though. Low dust environment and good box design can keep most dust out and you might be good for a year or two.

Also keep an eye on your fans, I run 7 in mine and I usually have to replace one every 6mths or so, there not ment to last forever. I do beat mine up a bit because of all the filters though, and it runs 16-18hrs a day..

**tneva82**

Ratius wrote:
Mine is water cooled rather than fan cooled.
Should I still be de-dusting it? (no idea).

I would at least consider it. What about your power supply? I don't know what did it but I left dust for too long and one day simply processor/motherboard zzapped out. No warning. It just stopped working.

**Ratius**

The power supply is actually an external unit but I'll have a look at it anyway I think. Cheers.

**AllSeeingSkink**

When I think it needs it is when I clean it. I've lived a few different places in the past decade and they all have varying levels of dust, one place every 6 months or so the computer would need a clean, another place I stayed for about 2 years and very little dust had built up.

At my current place I just take it outside and use my compressor (that I use for airbrushing) to blow it out.

Never do it inside.

Stick your fingers in fans before blowing high pressure air through them to stop them spinning up otherwise you're likely to break them.

I clean my keyboard out every year or so, I use a mechanical keyboard so I pull the keys off individually, clean them, blow out the dust and grime and put the keys back on.