Computers reduce temperature by using a number of fans that allow air to move through the case. Unfortunately, dust and other small particles often ride that circulating air and end up inside your system. Over time, this will put more of a burden on your fans. They will ultimately break down if this dust is not handled. When your fans break down, you will need to get new ones or your hardware will overheat. Overheating components will break down very quickly. Many users don’t figure out that their fans are not working until a piece of hardware is lost.
However, there are no more than a couple safe ways to clear dust from your system. The same devices that clear dust can also hurt system parts. Even the safest methods should be used in moderation. There must be a balance between these two concerns.
The safest and easiest tool for removing dust is a can of compressed air. When you buy canned air, you want to check that the specific product is safe for computer parts. Since canned air is cheap, price should not be an problem in this situation.
If you have a desktop, you will need to open the case to clear the dust from your system. As you start spraying the canned air inside your case, you might see a white foam forming on the surface. This is liquid butane being pushed out by the air (often because you’re holding the can sideways) and it evaporates quickly. While this does no damage to your computer, you may want to strive to keep the can perfectly upright as you’re spraying so that it lasts longer. You might need to stop the fans from moving by placing a soft object next to the fan blade. This is a divisive step; many users clean their fans without doing this. Use your own discretion. You should be careful to blow the dust off of all of the fans in your system. There may be multiple case fans. You also may have a fan on the heat sink of your CPU. If you have a high quality graphics card, it may have a fan as well. Your power supply fan is the most important one to clean; a dusty power supply fan can literally catch on fire.
You will also want to clear dust sitting on all of the other components inside your system. By the time you have completed this, you might note a change for the better in the operating temperature of your system. If so, you have likely waited too long to dust your machine.
If you have a laptop, this will be slightly more complex. You can dust off the exterior very easily. Yet, the inside will get dirty too. You can get into the fan intake and exhaust with the tiny straw that will come with most canned air purchases. For most users, this will solve your problem. You may need to open up your laptop once in a while to clean the rest of the inside area. This is an advanced step. If you don’t know how to open up your laptop safely, you should probably not experiment with this.
You don’t want to fanatically clear dust from your system, though. Cleaning too frequently may hurt your fans or other parts. However, you should try to do it every couple of months. This will add years to the life of your computer parts.
Geek Choice understands that a dust-free system will survive a lot longer. As a nationwide computer service and repair company, Geek Choice is dedicated to helping everyone learn good pc maintenance habits. Geek Choice provides on-site expertise for any computer repair crisis. If your fans are not properly cooling your system, reach out to a customer service representative at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).
