Have you ever opened your computer up and seen how dirty it gets inside?
By saundyl
@saundyl (9783)
Canada
June 11, 2008 4:49pm CST
For those that own a desktop computer, when was the last time you cleaned your computer especially the inside of your computer case? Haven’t tried or afraid to break something inside?
Its a good idea to occasionally open the computer up and blow out the dust bunnies.
If Dust bunnies, dirt, dryer lint (I've see this) Cigarette Smoke (which forms a nasty yellow paste when in contact with dust) or animal Hair (cats dogs etc) stop up or clog one of the fans and prevent it from spinning, it can cause those parts of the computer to overheat and become damaged as well as damage other heat sensitive parts inside.
I'd say it should be cleaned out at least once a year. Others recommend once every six months.
You can use a can of canned air to blow it out, and an old toothbrush to get under the fans. CAREFULLY while the computer is off.
A good reference on how to clean out the inside of your computer is:
http://www.technibble.com/how-to-clean-the-inside-of-a-computer-case/
4 people like this
29 responses
@ferdzNK (3211)
• Philippines
12 Jun 08
Does the PC in your photo still working? Its very risky to clean those one if dust has accumulated in it for a long time. Chances are when one clean it out, some of the dust would interfere with the contacts and would probably not boot. Its really a good idea to have it clean regularly.
2 people like this
@MatejScorp13 (926)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
11 Jun 08
you just remember me to that, i finnaly forget about cleaning it and now need to do it again becouse id eosnt clean it from inside for about a 4 or 5 months ... thanks for this, now i have something do with my life :)
3 people like this
@Timothy31 (649)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Mine has never gotten that dirty inside. My case has dust filters on the side panels that keep a lot of it out. Some gets in but not as bad as i've seen my parents computers get. The HP that we have was completely awful until my dad cleaned it out.
2 people like this
@uautkarsh (414)
• India
12 Jun 08
I didn't open it up ever, but now i think i will open up,
Thanks for the website you provided.
It will help me to clean up my CPU,
Thanks!!
1 person likes this
@TrevaUK (142)
•
12 Jun 08
Yes, It's a good idea to cleanout the dust from your computer, Especially from computer fans, CPU heatsink or Display Card fans, as this improves air circulation, and reduces heat which can fry your components. Just the other day I removed my Graphics card, and cleaned out the dust, afterwards the Graphics card ran a whole 10c cooler. These 8800GTX's put out a lot of heat.
1 person likes this
@TrevaUK (142)
•
13 Jun 08
Yes, It is an awesome card, and it needs an awesome power supply to run it. It fried my previous power supply, lol. But it's worth it. It can run 'Call of Duty 4' at 1280x1024 full graphics at 60 fps,without even breaking a sweat. It could go higher but thats the limit of my LCD monitor.
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
12 Jun 08
I just got a new computer at the beginning of the year and I'm sure it's already junked up inside. One of my old computers was infested with bugs. And, a big spider was living inside another one. The spider web got across the circuits inside and killed the computer. Thanks for the helpful link!
1 person likes this
@cinderella2007 (2662)
•
12 Jun 08
It is shocking how dusty it can get, i keep meaning to unscrew the back of my keyboard and some glitter bits fell between the keys, though they still work properly!!
I will have to get a toothbrush to clean the fans but its one of those things that you mean to do but easily put off!!
1 person likes this
@cinderella2007 (2662)
•
12 Jun 08
I havent got the pateience to sit there and attempt to pop every key off but will give it a go!!
1 person likes this
@cinderella2007 (2662)
•
13 Jun 08
If I did a few at a time I would probably put the keys in the wrong order!!
Do you fancy coming round and doing it for me?? Think i need an expert for it!! lol
@Chispa514 (871)
• Montreal, Quebec
2 Jul 08
I open up my desktop computer once every 3 months to clean out the inside of it,fans and peices, because I have 3 cats that shed alot, especially in the summer, and they love to sit by the tower to sleep, so their fur gets inside the computer, plus I hate too much dust around me, cause of my severe allergies, so I keep it clean
1 person likes this
@TheManager24 (1302)
• Philippines
12 Jun 08
i asked a technician to open my computer for some cleaning last year.
i was having problems with the keyboard and all.
when he opened it, i was amazed on how much dirt my cpu had amassed. 
i was having problems with the keyboard and all. when he opened it, i was amazed on how much dirt my cpu had amassed.
1 person likes this
@nikhil_sun (576)
• India
14 Jun 08
Not at all.Since we purchased our Computer we haven't cleaned it inside.Though we do clean the surface as it gets really dirty what with the dust settling down on it.
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
I haen't opened it up myself, but I did have a guy at a compuer store near the cofee shop blow the fan out for me, when it stopped working, last week.
1 person likes this
@Liasonfan (1702)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
Thanks so much for the links. My 'puter hasn't been running so smoothly lately and hubby has opened it up and yep we saw all the dust and dirt inside. He takes really good care of me though, and keeps me online. I would be lost without hubby. He is my safety net and makes me feel comfortable about trying new things, cause he is always there to clean up any messes I get into or mistakes I make! Mine gets cleaned out every few months when hubby fixes things for me. But maybe that is because I have so many different programs running on my system too. Thanks again for the info!
@julietscreations (205)
• Philippines
12 Jun 08
I am running a homebase internet cafe and assemble all the pc myself because it's much cheaper than to buy branded ones, I also open and clean it regularly. I also format each pc from time to time specially when viruses cause it to run slowly.
1 person likes this
@meiyeec511 (405)
• Malaysia
12 Jun 08
Yes, I opened my desktop when there's hardware problem. Normally my boy friend will help me out.
After sometimes, the ash so thick, inches thick. So, it's better to clean up your desktop once a while when you free. Else it's so troublesome to clean it up with the inches thick ash.
1 person likes this
@Zergonipal (807)
• Poland
12 Jun 08
I am regularly cleaning inside of my desktop computer. It isn't anything pleasant although it's quite necessary. I think that everyone should do it from time to time.
1 person likes this
@notyboyviv (12)
• India
12 Jun 08
I forgot it, you just reminded me of that. Its been a long time since i cleaned it from inside. Last time it was cleaned up when i got some more RAM to add to it So its been very long that i can't even remember. But thanks to you I'll clean it sometime tomorrow. My computer vendor cleaned it by blowing some air fron the vacuum cleaner so i guees thats good enough for such work. I'd look to check out your reference guide for more info. Now finally my PC will get cleaned up after a long while.
1 person likes this
