Despite the abundance of moving parts, the fact that your PC typically sits in one location for long stretches of time means its internal components are prone to dust buildup.

Essential Tools and Best Practices

Depending on your PC’s layout and your specific cleaning needs, you may not need all of the following tools. However, the more you have (or are willing to get), the better.

Cleaning External Components

Depending on the specific component you’re cleaning, you probably won’t need more than a moist cleaning cloth and perhaps some Q-tips. If you want to deep-clean your keyboard, you can use a Q-tip to clean in between the keys. If you’re using a keyboard with removable keys, even better. Remove the keycaps and really get in there, just make sure you don’t lose any!

Cleaning Fans

If it’s a case fan or conductor fan, physically unscrewing and removing it can help with the cleaning process, just make sure you know how to properly put the fan back once you’re done.

Cleaning Internal Components

Compressed gas (or a compressor if you don’t want disposable) should be enough for components like the graphics card and hard drive, and you can use a dry cloth to wipe down the drive and power supply if you want to be thorough. You should never take apart the hard drive or the power supply, not even to clean them. If you remove components like your graphics card, RAM, or CMOS battery, you can clean their corresponding motherboard slots with a blast or two of compressed gas.

Cleaning/Reseating Your CPU

If you notice that thermal paste is leaking over from the top of the chip onto your motherboard, or if it has been some years, you should definitely consider cleaning it. After detaching the heat sink, start by removing any excess thermal paste from the underside of the heat sink, from the top of the CPU chip, and from around the CPU. This can be done with isopropanol and either cotton swabs or a cloth.

You don’t want to use too much paste (otherwise it will leak and spill over), but you also don’t want to use too little (otherwise you risk overheating). A common recommendation is to use enough paste to match the size of a grain of rice or a small pea. As with any cleaning routine, keeping your PC clean can become monotonous, especially if you’re the type of person who likes to be thorough in their cleaning. However, depending on where you keep your computer and how often you use it, you should aim to clean it at least once every 2-3 months.