How To Keep Dust Out Of The Computer With Pictures

Many computer desks will have a tower shelf that is raised up off the ground to help promote airflow. You can use just about anything to raise your computer tower, as long as it’s stable.

Compressed air 99% isopropyl alcohol New soft-bristle toothbrush Phillips screwdriver

Try to avoid blowing to long directly on the components in the case. If dust is caked on, you’ll be using the brush and alcohol to remove it.

Make sure that the toothbrush is new so that you aren’t introducing contaminants to the components. Hold the exposed metal of the case while scrubbing to keep yourself grounded.

For things like disk drives, you’ll likely need to take both sides of the case off. If you remove the CPU cooler, you’ll need to reapply thermal paste before reconnecting it. See Apply Thermal Paste for tips.

If you only clean once a year, it’s best to do the cleaning ahead of the warm season. This is especially true if your house doesn’t have air conditioning and gets very hot in the summer.

You may need a Phillips screwdriver to detach the fan enclosures from the case.

If you can’t find an arrow on the fan, it is almost always going to be blowing out of the side with the label.

For example, if you have three fans, you’ll want two pointing into your case and one pointing out. Exhaust fans work best on the back and side. Intake fans work best on the top and front.