Despite how often we all use our PCs, it's easy to forget how important it is to clean them. In fact, you should be cleaning your PC about every three to six months, depending on its surroundings. After all, whether it's simple office work or intense PC gaming, you need to keep your machine clean to keep it at top performance.
It's worth noting that laptops are a different case. Most of them are not designed to open up, so you're better off leaving it alone in most situations. If you bring your laptop in somewhere for a repair, they might clean parts during the process, otherwise, it's something you shouldn't concern yourself with.
Of course, it still remains a vital part of PC maintenance, so that's why we're here to tell you how to go about cleaning your PC.
Why should you clean your PC?
The interior of your PC's case will inevitably build up dust over time. If left alone, eventually even the fan won't be able to keep up, and that's when you get serious issues. Dust and debris around the motherboard and other vital components can be damaging, and it's not cheap to replace core PC parts.
The fan is also very important to clean. It's responsible for keeping the inner parts from overheating, but if dust has built up, it can slow down or even be fully unable to do its job. In turn, this leads to your PC overheating, which can also risk damaging vital parts. It's always important to keep the airflow of your PC in mind, so don't push it flush against a wall.
What should you use to clean your PC?
Considering your PC is a collection of delicate electronics, you should never use anything liquid or even wet to clean it. Instead, you should opt for compressed air. Cans of compressed air are relatively cheap and easy to use. This way you can blow the dust away without any risk of damaging the parts. Just keep in mind that it can get quite cold, so avoid spraying your skin.
You don't want to use something like a vacuum cleaner. Firstly, compressed air pushes dust away gently, whereas the suction runs the risk of damaging sensitive parts of the PC. You also don't want to aggressively brush the interior parts for much of the same reason.
How to clean your PC?
First things first, power down and unplug your PC, just to be safe. After that, you'll want to open up one of the large sides of the tower case. For some models, you may need to unscrew it, whereas it may be as simple as unclipping for others.
Once inside, you might not spot much dust straight away, but it's still worth being thorough. As you can probably guess, we suggest focusing on the fan first, as it tends to build up dust quicker than other parts and is more likely to be obstructed by it. From personal experience, we can attest that dust build-up can be a fan-killer.
Afterwards, you can focus on the other sections such as the CPU, GPU, and motherboard. Be very careful with these parts, especially the motherboard, as they aren't cheap to replace if damaged. If the compressed air isn't able to move all of the dust, you could use a small dry cloth to gently catch and move the remaining debris.
Kyle Purves is a Commercial Content Writer for What’s The Best, with an avid interest in all things gaming and tech.
They’re well-versed in reviewing a variety of tech products, with a soft spot for speakers and earphones. They’re also no stranger to hunting down the best savings, always wanting to get the best deal possible.
Outside of work, they can often be found playing through an RPG, listening to Japanese noise rock, or trying to catch up with their ever-expanding list of shows and anime to watch. If possible, they try to play Dungeons and Dragons a couple of times a week, but getting six adults to be free at the same time is easier said than done.
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