Well maybe not rats. Most people don't realize the performance and stability impact dust build up can have on your machine. Common household dust is mainly composed of decayed skin particles. Can you imagine your computer taking this in then blowing it back out - affecting your health as well as your computers.

No matter how clean you keep your house, computers attract dust. Without regular maintenance this dust can build up and cause any number of issues with your computer's health - not to mention affecting the quality of the air that you and your family breath.

Changes in a computer's operating temperature has varying degrees of effect on the performance and stability of your computer. Most computers come with cooling fans to help the air flow in the case in order to keep down temperatures on critical devices such as CPU, memory and graphic cards. Build up of heat on any of these devices can case significant damage to them or even cause them to fail completely.

Know when you computer needs cleaning

There are signs that you can see on your computer that will indicate that you need to look at getting your computer serviced.

1. Fluff like build-up around the intake and outlet vents of your computer.

2. Machine freezing (especially under load i.e. Playing a game or video editing)

3. Lack of air flow from case ( you can tell this by placing your hand near a vent to feel the airflow)

4. Burning smell ( if you get this best to turn off your computer right away)

How to clean your computer

Cleaning is best done by professionals. If you have never seen the inside of a computer you would do better to take it to your local store and ask them to do it. The following guide is written for home users who are are familiar with the internal workings of their computer.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information and content within this guide is accurate and reliable, ComputerHQ cannot be held responsible for any damage that may occur to your computer. Use of this guide or actions taken from information in this quide are solely at the user's own risk.

ONLY ATTEMPT TO CLEAN OUT YOUR OWN COMPUTER IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE INSIDE WORKINGS OF YOUR COMPUTER!

You will need the following:

1. A can of compressed air (make sure it has one of those thin tubes that will allow you angle you the spray)

2. A large Paint Brush ( Soft and of decent quality)

3. Both a Philips and a Flat head screwdriver

4. CPU Grease

5. CPU Grease remover (Isoclene wipes work well)

6. A soft duster

7. An anti-atatic wrist strap

8. The outdoors (trust me you do not want to do this in the house)

9. One of those cheap face masks - you do not want to breath this stuff in.

10. Cable Ties ( for later)

First you will need to remove all the case sides and front panel. Now, depending on the amount of dust, you may just need to use the can of compressed air to blow the dust out. However, if your computer is really bad then you will need to remove the following as well:

1. Case fans (make sure you note down which way these fans are facing)

2. CPU heat sink and fan (Be vary careful with this as you could damage your CPU if incorrectly done)

3. Remove PSU ( make note of everything that is plugged in and where )

4. Remove all internal cables (do NOT unplug the cables that lead to the power switch and LEDs at the front of the case – if you do not have the motherboard manual you might not be able to reconnect these)

5. Remove any add-on cards, such as graphic cards and memory modules. Make sure you remove these devices correctly and that the are stored safely away when you doing your cleaning.

Remember to use the anti-static wrist strap when handling these components to prevent a static discharge from damaging them. This is very important when handling memory.

Cleaning the CPU Fan

Start off with the smaller components. Once you have correctly removed the CPU fan and heat sink you will need to look at removing the FAN from the heat sink. You will generally need the Philips screw driver for this, but some types of fans are just clipped on. Make sure that you note down the way the fan is facing on the heat sink.

First clean off the CPU grease using dry wipes to remove any excess grease. Then use Isoclene wipes, you want to make sure that there is no old grease left on the heat sink. You will need to do this several times before you get it all off. It is important so make sure it is done thoroughly. If incorrectly done you will hinder the thermal transfer from the CPU to the heat sink. Be careful not to get the CPU grease on your clothing, it is pain to clean off.

This would also be a good time to clean the CPU grease off the processor. Leaving the Processor on the motherboard (you do not want to risk damaging the processor pins) and using gentle motions, clean the CPU grease off with the dry wipes then the Isoclene wipes You may have to do this several times until you remove the grease completely.

Next remove the fan from the heat sink. You should be able to see how much dust has accumulated under the fan and is blocking the fins on the processor. This is were your paint brush comes in handy. Brush all the dust out of the fans until you have cleared it all out - this is very messy and we usually go outside to do this! Once the bulk of the dust is gone, use your can of compressed air to blow out the rest.

When you are done you should be able to see the light shining through the fins when you hold it up to a lamp. If you can 't then you have some dirt stuck in there, use the paint brush to clear it out or use the Isoclene wipes. Be careful as you do not want to bend the fins.

Now the fan can be cleaned with the paint brush or the dust cloth. Be careful not to damage the fan. Once this is done you can refit the fan to the heat sink. Make sure you don't fit it the wrong way round as this will lead to poor air flow through the heat sink.

Do not re-fit the fan and heat sink to the motherboard yet, save that for later so you don't get more dust into the fins on the heat sink as you are cleaning the rest of the machine.

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Cleaning the Power Supply

Under no circumstance open the power supply! There are usually charged capacitors that can still give you a nasty shock even when the PSU has been unplugged.

You just need to use the can of compressed air to blow the dust out of the power supply through the vents. You want to make sure that you have cleared the vents completely and that when you blow air into the power supply no more dust comes out.

Above Picture is of a different power supply as the old one above had failed and was not worth cleaning.

Do not refit the power supply just yet as it will hinder the cleaning of the case and motherboard.

Cleaning the Internal Cables

Once you have all the cables out of the case, use a damp cloth to remove any dust that may be gathered on the cables.

You can use the Isoclene wipes to do this but a damp cloth should be enough. Use the can of compressed air to blow out the connectors on the cables.

Do not re-fit the cables yet as they will get in the way of cleaning out the rest of the machine.

Cleaning out the case and motherboard

This is the really messy part. You should do this in a well ventilated space and wear a mask - trust me breathing in this stuff is not pleasant!

Use the can of compressed air with the tube nozzle on to blow out the case until you get no more dust coming out of it. This may take a while as you will have to get into all the places where dust will settle and then re-settle. It is best to work to a pattern and follow the pattern several times.

This includes the motherboard. Make sure that you spray between all the components on the motherboard until they gleam.

Once this is done you can use a damp dust cloth to wipe down the case (do not use the cloth on the motherboard, it should be clean enough from using the can of compressed air). This should clear up all remaining stubborn dirt from the inside and out side of the case. You also want to make sure that any intake and outlet vents are clear. If you have one of those plastic bezels that cover the vents, you will need to clean them as well.

Cleaning the Add-on Cards

Very carefully use the can of compressed air to blow any dust off these devices, in the case of the graphic cards you may be able to remove the fan and clean that separately. However, if you can not see a simple way to do this then don't try. Rather use the can of compressed air directly.

To clean the connectors, use the Isoclene wipes. This stuff evaporates fast and will not leave any residue on the connectors.

Be careful when handling memory modules. You should always be grounded before you touch them. Wear the anti-Static wrist strap.

Cleaning the Case Fans

This should be simple enough. Use the paint brush to remove the majority of the dirt then the can of compressed air to blow the dust out of the fans. Then use Isoclene wipes to clean the blades of the fan.

Once done, spin the fan by hand. It should turn easily with no resistance, if you get heavy resistance then the chances are the bearings on the fan have become clogged with dust and dirt and you would be better off replacing the fan rather than repairing it.

Now put it all back together

Now that we have finished cleaning the important stuff, we will need to put it all back together.

Fan and Heat sink Installation

Now that you fan and heat sink are nice and clean we need to re-fit it to the motherboard. Apply new CPU grease to the CPU, you do not want to use too much as that will hinder the heat transference to the heat sink. Apply just enough to cover the CPU but not so much that it will ooze out the side when you install the heat sink. Usually we put a dollop in the centre and then spread it outwards, leaving the edges of the CPU clear so that the pressure of the heat sink will spread it to cover the CPU.

Re-attach the heat sink and plug the fan back in. Make sure that the cable from the fan does not interfere with the fan itself. You want to make sure that it is securely out the way and won't stop the fan from spinning.

Re-Fit the Power Supply

This part is fairly straight forward. When re-fitting the power supply you will want to think about where you will be running the cables. You want to make sure that you have as few as possible crossing over the motherboard. This will help the airflow in the case and keep the amount of dust down in the future. Most dust settles in a case because messy cables prevent good air flow. Use the cable ties for this.

Re-Fit the Cables

Again, with this think about where you want the cables to fit, try keep them as far away from the centre of the case as possible. Cable ties are great - right?

Re-Fit the On on Cards

You want to make sure that when you put these devices backup' they are securely fitted. If you don't it may cause damage to them or your motherboard.

Remember to wear the anti-static wrist strap when handling these.

Put you Case back together

Once all the internal cables and components have been installed you will be able to refit your case fans, and put the case back together.

ALL DONE

If everything went smoothly you should now be able to power backup your computer. Not only should you now have a healthy clean machine you should also notice better performance and a quieter machine.

All the products we use to clean computers can be found in our online store.