Have you vacuumed your computer lately?

You really should, at least once a year.

I know, I know… you’re probably thinking “this is darn picky Neil.”  But trust me, it’s not.

• Heat kills computer components.
  
• Heat slows down your computer’s processor and harddrive.
• Heat shortens the lifespan of your processor, harddrive and cards.

Dust and hair in your office WILL find it’s way inside your computer -indeed, your computer SUCKS dust and hair into itself via the cooling fan. And that’s why you need to open up your computer at least once a year and vacuum it inside and out.  

This isn’t about your cleaning habits. This is about physics and science!  The electrical ”charge” in those components is a DUST MAGNET, and makes it “stick.”

If you have carpeting and a CAT or DOG, then you REALLY need to vacuum out your computer twice a year.

Here on the right is picture of my computer six months after the last time I vacuumed it. My dog and my cat like to be in the office with me. And just a little bit of their hair held on the vent by the sucking of the computer fan catches the dust too.

How to Do this Right:

Turn off your computer and UNPLUG IT.

Open up the case. It doesn’t do any good to just vacuum the outside of the case where the fan holes are.

Some cases have screws you must remove to get the access panel off. Many panels ’slide’ off when you hit a plastic button or switch. Depends on your computer brand.

Open it up and touch the metal case before touching any of the inside components so that any static charge you may have on you will be grounded. Keep touching the metal case the entire time to be on the safe side. (This isn’t about electrocution, it’s about static) Then carefully vacuum EVERYTHING inside the computer. 

Use an upholstery brush attachment to carefully vacuum out the inside of the case and on the components. A hard plastic vacuum nozzle might bump something. Need to be ginger inside there!

Remove or swing open the plastic shroud or duct covering your processor. This duct leads from the fan to the processor and needs to be vacuumed. In most cases, it can be unsnapped or swung out. When you open it, you’ll probably see aluminum “fins” on top of the processor. Vacuum them and put the duct back on.

Vacuum in and around the harddrive (a square box) and around the power unit (usually at the top towards the back).

Close up the case and vacuum the outside vents too.

While we’re on the subject of HEAT…  make sure your computer sits in an open area with good ventilation around it.

Don’t put your computer in a cabinet, or in one of those “slots” they put in computer desks. You need circulation around it.

In my office desk, I CUT OUT THE BACK of the desk to allow for more ventilation. The backs are usually made of super-thin plywood or cardboard. Often they only come with a small hole to feed wire through. Cut a BIG hole to let air move. As you can see on the RIGHT, my computer sucks air in through it’s front grills. But the it also pushes air out the back. PLUS, the air AROUND the case needs some place to go. It will be warm if it doesn’t, and that will trap more heat inside your computer.

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While you’re cleaning the INSIDE of your computer, now would be a good time to clean the operating system. Go download a free copy of CCleaner from www.ccleaner.com. This widely known and respected utility is recommended by Microsoft and most techies as a way to see what can be safely deleted from your computer. Have a computer techie help you with this if this is your first time.

<>< Neil

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