Chances are, your computer sits somewhere near the back of your desk, with the CPU on the floor gathering dust and other particles. If you smoke, if you have pets, or you just happen to have your computer in a dusty place, you probably have not paid enough attention to cleaning your computer fan.
All computer fans are prone to gathering dust, but not too many people pay attention to cleaning their computers free of dust and grime. Over time, dust buildup can seriously harm your computer: dust restricts airflow, generates static electricity, and may potentially seriously harm your computer’s sensitive components. Dust that accumulates inside your computer fan also makes your fans work harder, which adds to more unneeded heat and stress. Cleaning your computer’s cooling fans are the least you could do to keep your computer running at optimum efficiency. And it’s really easy to do: all you need is 10 minutes and proper equipment.
Equipment and preparation
To clean your computer’s fan, you need a can of compressed air, cotton swabs, a face mask, and a clean handkerchief or wiping cloth or antibacterial wipes. If anyone at your home or office is allergic to dust or is asthmatic, carry the unit over to the garage or basement. Because you’ll be using compressed air, wear the face mask for safety.
Most home and office PCs today have tower-type cases, so unscrew the left panel and remove it. You should then see your computer’s interior. Here’s where the "hard work" begins.
The cleaning process
Be sure to stick the directing tube into the nozzle of the compressed air can before spraying compressed air into your computer’s power supply fan and cooling fans. Always keep the can upright to ensure optimal air pressure. Starting with the power supply chassis, direct the nozzle and the directing tube into the slits of the power supply box, and blow outward to the rear ventilation holes. Do not blow from the rear holes into the power supply: the point is to get dust out, and not in. Do the same for your case fan. Wipe the ventilation holes with a clean cloth, or better yet, use moist antibacterial wipes to get rid of bacteria that may be hanging around the holes. To get to caked-on dust particles, carefully remove them with cotton swabs.
Turn on your computer for a while and for a second, blow out the remaining dust with the compressed air. Then it’s a simple matter of replacing the case lid: that’s all there is to it.
Cleaning do’s and don’ts
Compressed air should do the job: do not use a vaccum cleaner to clean your computer fan. Whether the vaccum is in suction or in blower mode, it’s too powerful. Vaccum cleaners or commercial-type blowers may suck in or blow out parts from the power supply or worse, the motherboard. If your computer fan still makes noisy whirring noises, take it to your local computer dealer for repair and maintenance.
Cleaning your computer fan is easy: it only takes ten minutes, a few basic tools, and some patience to do it over the weekend.