Spring Cleaning

Ok, it is spring. You are cleaning out all the junk you have acquired during the winter, setting it out to the curb for pick-up, but what about cleaning that PC that is sitting under that desk, collecting dust.

I have had many of my clients ask about what to use to clean the inside of the PC. So I made a short list. If you choose to do so, disconnect all power from the PC. Locate yourself outside, or in the garage, dust will fly all over in the house, this may put you in the “dog house” fellas! Remove the side panel, and then carefully follow these instructions:

Never use compressed air from an air compressor

The air that is compressed contains moisture, and is applied with a very high velocity; this can damage the bearings on internal fans, and “soak” PC parts with a ultra-fine mist of water. Even if you have a line dryer, all the moisture is never gone. Purchase instead a can of “Dry” compressed air from the store. Use a straw to insert between the blades of all the fans, to help protect the bearings. Spinning fans with compressed air can damage the fine ball bearings, causing the fans to seize, and thus causing further untold damage.

Use a Vacuum with a crevice attachment

Clean out all the large dust bunnies, take care not to dislodge any electrical connections, using the canned air, and the vacuum, spray the power supply fans, the CPU fan, and heat sinks. Clean the front to the back, for this is the direction of the air that travels through your PC. Lightly spray the motherboard, and any other signs of dust clumping. Never use feather dusters, or Stiff brushes, instead use a soft brush like a “blush brush”, guys ask a woman, she knows.

Re-Check your connections

After you have finished, re-check all the connections you may have brushed up against, or touched on with the crevice attachment. Gently push to check connections, never use twisting or bending motions. If you feel confident, you may close it back up now, re-connect all cables and try it out. This cleaning should be done in the spring and fall. If you are faint of heart, or, worry of damaging your PC, you can always bring it in for a Seasonal cleaning at Hunt Technology.

Thanks for reading, and keep your PC secure and your family safer.  Remember at Hunt Technology, you always get Quality Service & Individual Attention you deserve.