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Anyone here have experience with these? They shoot compressed air as a way to remove dust from the inside of your computer. I've seen them sold on various PC hardware sites. I've generally used just a duster, but they never manage to get rid of all the dust in hard to reach places.
Post edited March 09, 2018 by Crosmando
Using a compressed air spray. It's a fundamental tool to have around, for me. And it lasts quite some time. And also it is fun.
Air guns, as in the cans of compressed air.
Use them all the time. they work very well, but avoid the cheap ones. The cheap ones have less power and run out quickly.

Use in short sharp bursts not continuous blasts.

You can use an air compressor like for spray painting, but only used industrial ones so not sure how well consumer units clean.

Warning they get very cold with over use, once the can gets cold the air power drops and can give you frost burns. put it down to warm up.
Post edited March 09, 2018 by mechmouse
Some years ago I was tired of purchasing compressed air sprays, so I purchased a "small" (lt.24) proper compressor which is now in a corner of my computer/library/TV room. When I need to clean something (computers, mechanical keyboard etc.) I just recharge the thing for a couple of minutes and then I BLOW EVERYTHING (outside, on the balcony).

Except for the hellish noise the compressor makes when recharging, I found it to be the best and definitive solution to my computer cleaning needs.
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Crosmando: Anyone here have experience with these? They shoot compressed air as a way to remove dust from the inside of your computer. I've seen them sold on various PC hardware sites. I've generally used just a duster, but they never manage to get rid of all the dust in hard to reach places.
Over the years I've gone through thousands of cans of that stuff. About ten years ago I bought an electronic duster, a "Metro Datavac", which works much better and cost a lot less in the long run. The downside is that it's loud, but I can live with that.
So this is about the compressed air cans, rather than some kind of electromechanical tools that generate air (that you can use to blow the dust away)?

I use compressed air cans whenever I open up a PC (laptop) for cleaning. They are especially important for laptops as there are lots of hard to reach places inside with dust, unless you really open it up completely, up to removing also the motherboard from the laptop.

I don't understand why so many laptops are designed so that the fan(s) are quite hard to reach, as those are usually the first things you want to clean, and sometimes also replace if they're broken. Why can't you simply open some hatch under the laptop in order to completely reach them (even removing them), but generally you have to take out the whole laptop keyboard and top parts of it, AND in some laptops on top of that you also have to remove the whole damn motherboard before you can completely see the fans?!? Is this intentional so that it is harder for people to clean and replace the fans themselves? ASUS G75VW has sort of "fan hatches" where you can see the rotating part of the fans, but in order to e.g. remove the fan, you have to go through the other way, remove the keyboard.


Back to topic: I am just amazed how much a can of compressed air costs. It is just air, right? I easily use up even half of a can if I completely clean a laptop. Such can can cost like 6 euros. 6 euros of air? No wonder I am enticed by the idea of blowing with my mouth instead, even if I know my saliva is poison to electronics.

Hence, I've been looking for any kind of device which would produce a similar concentrated air blast, without having to keep buying air cans all the time. Are there such tools? I mean, a bit like a reverse vacuum cleaner, miniature model, meant for cleaning electronics? Or are the compressed air cans really the only option?

Also, sometimes it DOES seem to me as if those air cans spit some kind of liquid out, something that evaporates to the air within seconds. What is that "liquid", and is it also harmful if it ends up on the electronics? It may come out if e.g. the can is not straight up.
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KingofGnG: Some years ago I was tired of purchasing compressed air sprays, so I purchased a "small" (lt.24) proper compressor which is now in a corner of my computer/library/TV room. When I need to clean something (computers, mechanical keyboard etc.) I just recharge the thing for a couple of minutes and then I BLOW EVERYTHING (outside, on the balcony).

Except for the hellish noise the compressor makes when recharging, I found it to be the best and definitive solution to my computer cleaning needs.
THIS! So do you have links to such devices, how much they cost etc.? Are they meant for cleaning electronics, or what?

I mean, aren't there even some plastic toys that can produce some sort of air blast? I'd much rather use some tool, than keep buying air cans for 6€ a pop.
Post edited March 09, 2018 by timppu
Ok, so there is e.g. this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAcSKUCgI_c

So what's that, 60 USD or so? Very cheap if so, just the price of ten cans of air, and if you clean electronics, you easily use that amount of air cans in a short time.

The only thing I didn't like about it in that review was that you apparently need to hold the whole device in your hand? Why can't it have some long flexible tube so that the device can remain on the floor or table, and you move around the tube?
Post edited March 09, 2018 by timppu
We have a once a year server cleaning day where I go in and blow out the servers. Also bring them off line and run full tests on the hardware to make sure nothing is hiding.

The datacenter has a compressor that's been stepped down for stuff like this but I just use the cans. The little straw nozzle makes it easier to get into spaces like under the power supplies.
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timppu: Ok, so there is e.g. this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAcSKUCgI_c

So what's that, 60 USD or so? Very cheap if so, just the price of ten cans of air, and if you clean electronics, you easily use that amount of air cans in a short time.

The only thing I didn't like about it in that review was that you apparently need to hold the whole device in your hand? Why can't it have some long flexible tube so that the device can remain on the floor or table, and you move around the tube?
Looks good.. Checking Metrovac products, it is possible to buy 180cm flexible hose for that.
Consumer Electronics / IT -product line also has ESD Safe versions.
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timppu: Ok, so there is e.g. this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAcSKUCgI_c

So what's that, 60 USD or so? Very cheap if so, just the price of ten cans of air, and if you clean electronics, you easily use that amount of air cans in a short time.

The only thing I didn't like about it in that review was that you apparently need to hold the whole device in your hand? Why can't it have some long flexible tube so that the device can remain on the floor or table, and you move around the tube?
THere's a $6.00 kit with a flexible hose and other attachments you can buy that will really open up your options.
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Crosmando: Anyone here have experience with these? They shoot compressed air as a way to remove dust from the inside of your computer. I've seen them sold on various PC hardware sites. I've generally used just a duster, but they never manage to get rid of all the dust in hard to reach places.
Those cans of "compressed air" are garbage. People call them "compressed air," but they are not actually air (the labels on the cans themselves don't describe those products as "compressed air" either, because if they did, then they could probably be sued for lying). They are full of all sorts of weird chemicals and they also shoot out drops of liquid all over your expensive hardware components, and they freeze up and become useless after a few seconds of spraying, and they leak those frosty chemicals all over your hands too. And you have to throw them out after you've sprayed them a few times, because the strange chemicals become exhausted.

A way better idea is to use a Metro Datavac. That shoots only air, and it never freezes up (it does get extremely hot though, so you have to be careful about that). And it doesn't need to be thrown out after a few sprays. That's what I use and I'm way happier with that than I was when I instead used those fake "compressed air" cans.
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MiKiL: Looks good.. Checking Metrovac products, it is possible to buy 180cm flexible hose for that.
Consumer Electronics / IT -product line also has ESD Safe versions.
The ESD safe versions are a huge ripoff though. If the user wants ESD safety, then a far better value is to buy an ESD grounding wrist strap for <$5 and then use it in conjunction with the standard Datavac model.
Post edited March 09, 2018 by Ancient-Red-Dragon
I once saw some mini-compressor sold 2nd hand for €10. Now I wish I had bought that. Never thought about using it for cleaning computers. Using the extra small mouthpiece (or whatever it is called) on the hoover works fairly well for me then just blowing air on the spots it did not work.

A quick search and I find several mini-compressors for under €50, some a lot under that.
Post edited March 09, 2018 by Themken
I use an air blower to clean my PC's like this one. They're very good at cleaning and not too expensive. When you're cleaning the fans make sure to hold them from spinning.

At my workplace we receive very dirty computers, they look really great after cleaning them with it. The look on customers' faces sometimes is priceless :)
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Ganni1987:
Wear a glove!
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Ganni1987:
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Themken: Wear a glove!
heh heh :)

Remind me one day to have the how do you clean a computer server discussion here. Some folks are die hard "You blow out from the center" folks while others have the opinion of "you need to blow across it".