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Cleaning Computers and Other Electronics?
Pru asks: "What is the best way to clean out those old computers systems now caked with dust? The Slashdot community would probably be a great one to ask.. How should I clean out that old computer system? With dust caked on it and marks and scuffs all over the case; I would like to take a couple of the old systems I have around and put them back to work. But I would like to clean them up some first. My question is: How important is it to keep it free of dust? heat considerations, damaging the parts with cleaning and so on.. Maybe some of the veteran /.'ers that know some great advice and tips and tricks on this can help out the fairly new users here."
Simple instructions to keep your PC Clean:
1. Dont use a feather duster, or anything of the like that would cause lots of static, and besides, those just move the dirt around, not remove it.
2. Compressed air in a can is good, but if you have access to an honest-to-god air compressor, use it. They work WONDERS on that caked-on dirt. Just be carefull of how much pressure it can put out. You dont want to go chasing after the 128 Meg DIMM you just sent hurtling across the garage.
3. Use an alcohol-based solvent (preferably plain rubbing alcohol, but windex and the like work too, just dont use one with a lot of detergent) to loosen up the mud and then use a nice wipe to clean it off. Dont worry about using too much, as it's alcohol and will evaporate really quickly. Just avoid turning the PC on before it's done drying.
4. If your PC's fans have filters (some do, some dont) throw them in a sink full of water, the washing machine, or in the bath with you. If they dont have filters, use the alcohol and a wipe to clean out individual fan blades and around the housing of the fan. Those are usually REALLY dirty places.
5. On boards and cards themselves, compressed air is best, but once again, you can use alcohol, just as long as you let it dry. I've fixed more than one memory and video card problem by removing the offending DIMMS or cards and cleaning the gold contacts (male and female) with a little alcohol. Use a q-tip to get into the female PCI and mem sockets, just be really really careful not to leave little bits of cotton behind.
6. Inside the power supply is usualy HORRIBLY dirty, and I dont reccomend opening it up unless you know what not to touch. So, compressed air is the only option. Just remember one thing: The dust you're blowing has to go somewhere. Do it outside and remove all the components from the system first, or you'll have a nice and clean PS, but a filty system.
7. CDROM drives usually fail due to dust, so these are also great places to keep clean. Compressed air is good for this. Open the drawer, and put the nozzel right in the widest spot and blow. Try and get it from the back, too, just blow near an opening by the IDE connector, and the PS connector.
8. Hard drives are sealed, so you dont really have to worry about these. =)
9. Floppy drives you can clean just about the same way as the CD ROMs, just blow from each side.
10. On the outside, wipe it down with more alcohol and try and scrub all that yellow and brown dust off the front of the case, and make it all perty.
11. CPU fans also get really dusty, and can even fail if not cleaned, causing big headaches later. Just blow them with comp. air and use a q-tip and some alcohol again.
To recap: When using comp. air, the dust has to go somewhere, so know which direction you're blowing. And let the alcohol dry before turning the system on. It's not really conductive, but can cause problems.
You could do all this, or just do what I do. Use a garden hose. Takes a lot less time.
-Josh
vodka. dunk em in vodka.nothing like a good vodka to clean yer stuff. and you can drink it later too.
What works best depends on how grody the guts ar to start with, and what all they consist of. It's actually easiest to deal with pure electronics, since they can withstand some things that mechanical parts often can't.
Generally, try to knock as much of the big crud off as you can first, either by brushing or vacuuming. You might want to check for CMOS componentry before you start and if there's ay, be careful about static electricity. (Search the net for how.) We just remodeled out house, and I've vacuumed out the computer twice now and it's working fine - the keyboard is toast, though, which was a real surprise to me. (Ceramic tile dust is really abasive, and when you rip out old tile, it gets *everywhere*!)
If that doesn't do the trick, the best thing to follow up with is a cleaner like Freon TF. Freon is perfect, but the enviros have made it quite difficult to get anymore. The nicest thing about it is that it's so inert it really won't hurt anything, even delicate plastics, and it leaves no residue - like I said, it's about perfect. Freon TF is a strong degreaser, though, so if you apply it to any mechanical parts, they'll likely need lubing afterwards.
If you can't get Freon, then you can use either other solvents/degreasers like chlorothene (ok for most circuit boards as long as they don't swim in it, but it attacks most plastics, so be careful.) I've also used mineral oil in some cases - it's inert, non-conductive, and safe for all the plastics I've tried, but leaves a residue that could require degreasing. I have successfully used a sequence of mineral oil followed by GoJo hand cleaner to degrease and a distilled water rinse on severely dusty oil-soaked stuff.
Another alternative if you really need to scrub off the crud is just plain *distilled* water. Make sure it's distilled, not just filtered, since you don't want any mineral salts left behind causing you problems. I've successfully cleaned up lots of electronics with this method (including my Palm Pilot and cellphone) - just make sure everything is thoroughly dry before firing it up again. Oh, and don't try to speed up the process by drying it in a microwave oven... [grin]
Obviously, any of the above advice may be bad or wrong in your particular situation, so use your best judgement. Reserve extreme measures for extreme cases, and good luck. Almost anything is cleanable if you're careful.
"The future's good and the present is nothing to sneeze at." - Roblimo's last
I forgot about cases. Mineral oil removes sticky labels and a lot of scuff marks from plastic. (Goof Off is the best thing for removing sticky things off of non-plastics, but it will *ruin* the finish of most plastics on contact.)
I've also found Dow Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom cleaner to be very good at cleaning cases (it's also great for tennis shoes.)
Finally, although it smells like it would eat anything, brake cleaner is safe on many plastics (as always, try it first in an hidden area) and cleans off nearly anything. You can use this stuff to clean really nasty engine grease out of a white shirt without a trace - just make sure you do this *before* running it through the wash. This stuff is so handy, I keep a can around the house all the time now.
"The future's good and the present is nothing to sneeze at." - Roblimo's last
Brake fluid is NOT recommended as cleaning solvent as it has been known to violently and spontaneously combust on a several types of man-made cloth, as well as in the presence of peroxides and chlorine.. 'Tide with Bleach' and DOT-3 brake fluid is credited with one fire locally..
Additionally, it's toxic. Dip your hand in some DOT-3 and see how long it takes you to pass out!
This said, try carbochlor for grease on metals (wear gloves!), naptha if on plastic, and a tube of plain old Goop handcleaner for clothing.. If it's not a spot cleaning cleaning, cheapo foaming engine degreaser will take almost anything off with a tiny scrubbing. Even safe on those old 'Dip and dry' Model-M's!! Plastics, metals and paint are safe.. You may wish to top it off with a quick treatment of soap and water, because some brands leave residue...
.sig: Now legally binding!