DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

A Guide To Cleaning Ur PC Inside-Out

36 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/a-guide-to-cleaning-ur-pc-inside-out.89384/

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paranj Original post #1
Jun 1, 2008 at 9:57 PM
Cleaning ur PC is essential today. Got ur new hardware and Windows? Happy with the power and features? LLet a month past and ull start seeing all the dust it got on it.So how do u get rid of it? This thread is aimed at healthily cleaning ur PC while getting it back in one piece.

When and when u shud clean? Well it maybe once in a month or two. It could be boring and IT WILL TAKE TIME but its essential.

Why Do It? Well dust tends o kill the ellegence of ur PC and more if it stays stationary, it may cause malfunctioning in fans and other components.

What things to use for the job? The things i tend to use is a cloth(dry and smooth) and a blower(hot or cold air dont matter.) And u need to have a brush (tooth or painting one) handy for small places. And as usuall all the stuff to open ur cabinet.

How to do it? Well the main part. Gentally start by unplugging ur wires(remeber them i u still havent to as to where to plug them!)Open the cabinet and be sure to place on it on sturdy table-top or something. Use ur wares or directly open if u have thumb screws. Gently clean the panels inside and out with the cloth and blow air afterwards. Use the brush for small places. keep the panels in a clean place so all ur work dosent go in vain. Well now moving inside, first clean the base of the inside with the cloth and use brushes again for small places between connectors and stuuf. Clean each fin of each fan with the brush in one hand while using the other to hold the fan steady. did it? Now moving to components. Take the HDD first. Its minimal effort to clean it as its a considerably large component. Use the cloth and brush as for now.Than take the optical drives. Now it needs care as u MAY damage it. Only use gentle brush strokes and be sure to get each crevass(hehe). Moving to ur GPU(if u have a dedicated. Its farely easy, dont use the cloth as to ensure safety. use long vertical strokes on the PCB and be sure to clean between each heatsink stick. Use the fan method on the GPU's fan. CPU is not as easy to clean as they have a big fan. Dont get frustated. Call another person if u like. Dont use the blower as that will just move the fan(actually,try it as its fun to see:D) use the cloth on the non-occupied parts of the mobo. Be careful while cleaning the RAM. its delicate. U need to plug it out. refer the manual of ur mobo to learn how to unplug it. Just use brush strokes and cloth on the heat-sink. Than blow it with the blower and plug it again. Give each compnent some blowing using the blower. Fit the case as it was and keep it there. We'll clean the wires:D. Its common sense. Use the brush(Its the best tool aint it?) to do it. U may use cloth for big connectors. No need to use the blower. Keep them aside and YES BE SURE TO CLEAN THAT PART OF THE DESK. Moving on to the monitor. If u have a LCD than its hassale free. Just use the cloth and give it a finishing touch with the blower. If its a CRT than duh! Work again :) Use the cloth to wipe the screen. Go gentelly all over the body with strokes from the cloth. Use the brush for areas near the stand as they tend to have samll places which are a hot-spot for dust(This point applies to LCDs too). Speakers are fairly easy. Woofers are mainly flat and the sattelites dont have much small places. The cloth will take care of it. Ah! the good old keyboard is a pain. U will have to use the brush to clean the space around each key. YES ALL 4 SIDES OF EACH KEY. but that is if u want a clean keyboard, otherwise just use the cloth and blower. Mouse is easy.

So now? Now? Now enjoy healthy computing. Not only it will give ur system more life, but will also save u from disease.

Caution - Dont do if u have a dust allergy. Just ask for help than. AND take care of ur components. They are expensive and delicate.

This shud be done at a regular time interval although it could be boring and very tiresome. BUT IT does not mean u make it a hobby and keep on doing it everyday but i know no one will do it:D

Hope u got sumthing from this thread and it will help

Happy Computing friends :)
ring_wraith
Jun 2, 2008 at 8:45 AM
Nice, but consider changing it to a list, and adding some pictures.
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paranj #3
Jun 2, 2008 at 10:25 AM
^^I will try my best.
skeletor
Jun 2, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Thanx for the Tutorial Paranj.....

Whats the approximate price of a blower BTW?? My friend needs one.....
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paranj #5
Jun 3, 2008 at 1:49 PM
@gagandeep, any blower will work. A hair blower too!

@ax3, m trying best to upload pics.
Cool G5
Cool G5 #6
Jun 3, 2008 at 2:27 PM
I would like to add :

1) Don't use the hair blower for too long, the heat may damage the components. Use the vaccum pump is great alternative to hair blower. You can get a Vaccum Pump in any computer store for Rs.100.

2) Open the pc in adequate lighting in your room. I prefer to open it on the floor.

3) Use Ear swabs .. the one to clean our ears, to clean the keys on your keyboard. It doesn an excellent job than brush.

4) Use Pencil Eraser to clean the ram stripes. Do it gently, don't apply too much force.

5) Use a linth free cloth to clean the components.

BTW nice guide paranj *gigasmilies.googlepages.com/34a.gif
M
Jun 3, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Good job buddy!!

please put some pics and links to make it more understandable..

i just hate reading looooong texts.. haha... picture attracts me ;)
Renny
Renny #9
Jun 3, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Nice tut dude, almost got out a kilo of dust form my PC especially from the PSU and CPU Fan :D .
blueshift
blueshift #10
Jun 3, 2008 at 4:37 PM
For cleaning the keyboard thoroughly, I remove all the keys and wipe each key and the board. Any other way??

btw nice guide paranj.
Rahim
Rahim #11
Jun 3, 2008 at 6:45 PM
nice guide. Just wondering of outsourcing this job to my kaamwaali :D
fun2sh
fun2sh #12
Jun 3, 2008 at 7:43 PM
nice TUTORIAL!
can any1 Plz post tut to clean laptops?
Tech.Masti
Jun 3, 2008 at 8:20 PM
^^ laptop cleaning.... To do it you have to broke seal i think.....
bikdel
bikdel #15
Jun 4, 2008 at 1:20 PM
Actually bro u forgot 1 important thing.
First u hav to get rid of any static electricity that has been built up in ur body, that can cause serious. U know how to do that i suppose? U just hav to touch the cabinet while its earthed, or better still, wear a grounding strap while handling electricals.
Thats it.

Signing off; Bikalpa Paudel
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paranj #16
Jun 4, 2008 at 1:22 PM
^^my friend notified it to me but forgot to post so guys take care of the static electricity.

THANKS A LOT bikdel
S
Jun 4, 2008 at 2:09 PM
I would like to add :

1) Don't use the hair blower for too long, the heat may damage the components. Use the vaccum pump is great alternative to hair blower. You can get a Vaccum Pump in any computer store for Rs.100.

2) Open the pc in adequate lighting in your room. I prefer to open it on the floor.

3) Use Ear swabs .. the one to clean our ears, to clean the keys on your keyboard. It doesn an excellent job than brush.

4) Use Pencil Eraser to clean the ram stripes. Do it gently, don't apply too much force.

5) Use a linth free cloth to clean the components.

BTW nice guide paranj *gigasmilies.googlepages.com/34a.gif
Thx buddy, short nd point-wise
VarDOS
VarDOS #18
Jun 5, 2008 at 2:59 PM
Nice Tutorial But Can You Add Some Pictures
johnjjx
johnjjx #19
Jun 6, 2008 at 2:25 AM
Usb vaccuum is waste. Instead use hand blower 15rs. Tht does gud job. Cleanin psu, cpu hsf n gpu hsf is worst:(.
Wud like to add y it is important to clean. During monsoon dust may mixup with moisture n tht can badly damage ur pc parts. Gud guide.;-)
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paranj #20
Jun 6, 2008 at 7:14 AM
Guys i may add pics but everyones PC s different and so would be cabinet design and all:(
channabasanna
Jun 6, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Very nice tutorial........................................... :)

Really helpful in how to clean the PC..
topgear
topgear #22
Jun 6, 2008 at 12:15 PM
very useful tutorial ( though with some pictures it will be awesome ) - thinking about cleaning my pc :D
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paranj #23
Jun 6, 2008 at 12:18 PM
^^sure and if u face probs. ask me

i m PhD:D
hell_024
hell_024 #24
Jul 11, 2008 at 6:34 PM
Gr8 tutorial :cool:
rhitwick
rhitwick #25
Sep 16, 2008 at 12:02 AM
blower or vacuum cleaner??
what to use?
blower blows the dust and vacuum cleaner sucks it?? So..........
I was planning to buy a vacuum cleaner.........now bit hesitating b/w blower and it??
Any guidance??
pushkaraj
pushkaraj #26
Sep 16, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Nice tut.

@Rhitwick, imho the blower works better than the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is of low power and hence a bit inefficient in removing all the dust.
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Cool Joe #27
Sep 16, 2008 at 8:05 PM
This is a great tut.
I actually enjoy opening up my cabinet and tinkering with the components. So it isn't much of a boring job for me.
The Incredible
Sep 18, 2008 at 4:58 PM
i once heard of using two fans in the cabinet - one for intake and another for outflow with the intake one having a filter for dust. do such things exist ?? and are they really effective ?? cos i dun keep my pc in an room with ac, in fact the room is somewhat open so my cabinet catches dust in not more than 20-25 days. any tips ??
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Cool Joe #29
Sep 18, 2008 at 7:09 PM
^^Of course, they exist. Since your PC is in an ACed room, you don't really need it.
The Incredible
Sep 23, 2008 at 11:42 PM
cos i dun keep my pc in an room with ac,

i meant because i don't (do not) keep my PC in an room with AC.

anyways where can i get those, none have heard of them in my city atleast.
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Cool Joe #31
Sep 24, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Cooler Master cabinets offer good airflow and there is more than 1 fan. They are available for less than Rs 4000. If they are not available in your city, then order it from another city.
Sreekuttan
Oct 16, 2008 at 10:33 AM
good work..thanks man..
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Sam123456 #33
Mar 14, 2010 at 6:14 PM
Gr8 Guide
It was d first time i opened my cabinet
:grin::grin:
Cool G5
Cool G5 #34
Mar 14, 2010 at 10:47 PM
^thanks.
MEGA BUMP though!
hot zubs
hot zubs #35
Mar 16, 2010 at 1:45 AM
hey guys what would be the price of a blower now...
i really need ta buy one...
rhitwick
rhitwick #36
Mar 16, 2010 at 9:29 AM
Last week checked in MORE (retail shop) Philips, MorphyRechards (pardon spell), Panasonic were selling @850/--950/- range.

I guess it won't cost u more than 1200/- at max.