How to Safely and Properly Clean the Inside of Your Desktop Computer / PC

The picture on the left is no exaggeration; I've personally seen worse than this. Help make the world a better place--clean the inside of your desktop computer every so often. We'll even show you how.

But first, a warning: we will not be held responsible if you damage any part of your computer or suffer electric shock.

OK, now that we got that out of the way let's get down to business.

Computers seem to be dust magnets; this is because they are constantly drawing in air from the surrounding areas to cool the parts inside. If there are animals or a smoker in the building, the problem is worse. Cleaning the inside twice a year can help prevent overheating and fan failure.

You'll need some canned air (a.k.a. compressed gas duster; purchase at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Office Max, etc) and a good vacuum with a hose attachment.

Start by unplugging all of the cables and wires from the back of your desktop machine (this will help you avoid the pain of electric shock). Now grab a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment. Just about any vacuum will work (upright, shopvac, Dirt Devil, etc). Don't open the tower yet, just clean the front part and also the back to grab any loose dust that could be hiding out by your CD/DVD or floppy drive and the ports on the back.

Now comes the tricky part. Hold the power button in for a few seconds to discharge any phantom power. You may see the lights blink quickly, this is normal. Open the case by removing one of the side panels. The one to remove is the one opposite all the ports on the back. Do not touch anything inside the computer with your hands or the vacuum attachment. Static electricity on your body and the vacuum attachment can fry your motherboard (I've replaced a few that were killed this way), the processor, memory, and other sensitive parts. You can however touch the bottom inside of the case (just don't touch the other parts) with the attachment to grab any loose dust bunnies that are sitting there.

Now, grab your canned air (try to hold the can upright and level at all times) and get ready for the possibility of having dust blow everywhere. You will use the vacuum to suck a lot of this up. Start with the power supply (where the main AC cord plugs into) and blow from outside the the computer toward the inside. Position the vacuum hose close to the other end of the power supply on the inside of the PC (remember: don't touch anything with that hose). Blow the dust out of the power supply and suck it up. Switch the gas duster and the hose and repeat.

Now, we need to clean the fan and processor heat sink. Hold the canned air and vacuum hose close (don't touch!), about 1"-2" from the fan/heat sink combo. Blow the dust and suck it up with the vacuum. The fan should spin. Once that is clear of debris, start at the top of the inside of the machine and just work your way down with the canned air, blowing the dust out and sucking it up (you know by now not to touch anything with the hose or your hands, right?). Vacuum any loose dust from the bottom of the inside of the case, seal it up, and connect all the cables. If you followed my directions and didn't fry your computer, it should boot up and come on. Repeat every so often depending on the conditions in the area.