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How to Clean Dust From PC Without Compressed Air?

I don’t know whether it is just me or somebody else who has also faced the same issue – recently, my PC has been experiencing unusually high temperatures.

I even scanned for malware, as I thought it to be mining program issues or something in the background – but nothing.

Then, a Reddit comment about cleaning the PC hit me hard as I haven’t cleaned it for almost a year. 

As soon as I dismantled my CPU and the PC – I found it caked with dust.

Well, according to Quora and Reddit, the foremost solution is compressed air – but I don’t have it – what to do, now?

As I have heard, when there is a will, there is a way – so I pushed in and brainstormed more. And, to my surprise, there’s not one but many m ways to clean a computer without compressed air.


What Will Happen if You Don’t Clean the Dust from Your Computer Regularly?


I think there’s more like me who doesn’t like to clean computers regularly – but in the long run, my PC was the one which suffered and so did my work. 

How would you feel with layers of dust in your brain? Well, that’s how it works when your CPU has accumulated dust in it. 

And, just like your brain won’t work till you clean the dust, the CPU won’t work at its best as well. So, cleaning both is necessary.


What do you need to clean a computer without compressed air?


  • Old toothbrush or paintbrush
  • Screwdriver
  • Isopropyl Alcohol
  • Piece of microfiber cloth
  • Cotton pads and swabs
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Hot water
  • Kitchen Sink
  • Hairdryer

Methods of how to remove dust from PC


With Silicone blower

If you are looking forward to knowing how to clean a computer without compressed air, then I can bet this one to be one of the cheapest methods out there. Though it works much like an air canister, being cheaper, it relies on the grip strength of your hand.

All I did was apply enough pressure to clean the dust on the surface of electronic components without touching them. 

It cost me around $4, and let me tell you – the results were top-notch.

With a hairdryer

Yes, I removed my PC dust with my sister’s hairdryer – who would have imagined that my sister’s hairdryer would come so handy someday!

Hairdryer blows hair, and that’s all I needed – but here’s the catch. The air from the hairdryer is quite hot, hot enough to melt several plastic components if exposed for a long period of time. So, how to make it happen?

I suggest blowing air in intervals. The air gets hotter when the motor of the hairdryer runs for a prolonged period of time. Instead, you can blow, stop, blow, stop – just to let the motor get cooler after each usage. 

With heatsink and brushes

You don’t need to build a sink for this; I did in my kitchen sink!

You ever wondered how your CPU became hotter after prolonged use? Well, the heatsink in your PC caused that. 

The good news is, there’s no electric component in the heatsink, so cleaning it is quite cheaper. 

All you need is a toothbrush or a paintbrush to rub the dust accumulated areas and give the heatsinks a nice wash. 

With vacuum cleaner

I didn’t believe the hack till I cleaned my PC with a vacuum cleaner.

Some vacuum cleaners have two-in-one functions. It can suck dust and dirt at the same time, while the other side can be used as a wind blower. Well, I had the same one in my house since last Thanksgiving!

When I did it first, I had no idea that the air pressure was almost nothing compared to compressed air. 

But I could always add in a little dedication and research – to make up for the price I couldn’t afford. And so, I did

Though it wasn’t enough for the PC, I managed to circulate the minimal air through the heatsinks and the fans. That way, you can ensure the PC’s heatsinks and fans have a spacier room to distribute cool/hot air.

With a fan

If you have got nothing of the above to your rescue, you can always opt for a handy fan or even a toy fan with great speed like my friend Joe did.

A portable fan is an ideal way to blow away that dirt and dust. Just remember – that if you’re using anything that blows out or circulates hot air, use it at a decent distance.

Just make sure the air that’s being blown out of your device doesn’t work against you and make your computer even hotter.

With rubbing alcohol

It would help if you had a clean microfiber cloth to do it on your own, along with some rubbing alcohol. 

I used 99% isopropyl alcohol, or else the solution could leave behind a slight residue.

Pro tip:

My cousin didn’t have a microfiber cloth, so he used a coffee filter instead of a microfiber cloth as it’s easy to wipe off grease and other hard-to-clean grime from the computer. The tightly knit fibers of the filter work in almost the same way as microfiber!

Just take a blob of isopropyl alcohol in the cloth and wipe down spots that look dark and greasy. However, don’t spread the alcohol everywhere, especially in the hard drive and the processor. The motherboard is more liquid-tolerant, but you should still avoid it while rubbing alcohol.


Step-By-Step Guide on how to clean dust from PC without compressed Air


Step 1: Turn off the PC

Not to get too surprised, turning off the PC completely from its origin plug point is important for your own safety. 

Step 2: Once switched off, move it outside in the open or under a shed

Especially if you are using any devices that blow air, the dust from your PC will fly around and coat any surfaces nearby. This means that if you are cleaning in your room, beware that your desk, floor, and other surfaces might become full of dust.

Step 3: Dismantle and Clean

One by one, dismantle each part of your case and wipe with a clean cloth primarily.

Step 4: Clean the Hardware

Once other things have been made dust-proof, divide the hardware cleaning up into 4 sections; the CPU, graphics card, power supply, motherboard, and clean.

Step 5: Wrap it up and wash your hands

It would take almost about an hour to complete the whole procedure, and once you’re done, don’t forget to wash your hands.

How Often Do You Need to Clean?

Though most experts advise you to clean the dust from your PC every 6 months, it depends on what kind of environment you keep your computer in. If the air is way too polluted, then I would ask you to bring it down to a 3-months gap. 

Precautions

Put the computer case on a mat and not on the floor.

Unplug the power cable and leave it for half an hour if you’ve used the computer recently.

Take the case outside so your house doesn’t get dusty.

Never use your own breath to clean the dust; doing so may Irritate your eyes and cause you a headache.

Make sure the lighting is good, so you don’t miss any part.

Make sure your machine is grounded, so no static changes build up and cause damage to the electronic parts.

It was one hell of a guide on how to clean your pc from dust! I know, the options are quirky and seem too cheap to be real – but trust me on this, nothing can count to more guarantee than the phrase, “been there, done that.” And I, for one, tried and tested almost all of them. So, happy cleaning!

About the author

Baishaly Roy

Baishaly is an experienced content creator and she writes articles in different niches. She has been enjoying her writing journey ever since she started putting her thoughts onto the paper and the web.

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  • Hey Baishaly,

    First of all thanks for sharing such a useful guide with us, it’s really useful for me. And due to your step-by-step instruction, I’ve finally been able to do that without any headaches. Keep posting like that. 🙂

    – Best Regards.

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