Alternatives to canned dusters?

[NickC]

While cleaning out my PC, I emptied my last can of air duster but wasn't finished. Didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed one of those cheap plastic foot pumps that came with my inflatable exercise ball. Surprisingly, it did a pretty decent of cleaning! I was even able to get some better pressure by capping the tip with the end of a click pen. But it wasn't very ergonomic to use for a long time. Would there be a problem with static like I've heard when using a vacuum hose? I thought this wouldn't generate enough airflow but wasn't sure.

I got to wondering: there has to be a better way then using these canned dusters - both better for your wallet and the environment.

I did some searching around. Most people who don't use the canned dusters use some kind of air compressor, but that has its own issues: usually big and noisy plus they can be expensive. Good for large scale cleaning but seems too much for the occasional single PC box cleaning.

Are there any alternatives to these? I know there are refillable air cans, but most reviews said these weren't really worth it because they ran out too fast.

[Steve R Jones]

Anything that blows air and doesn't spit out moisture would work.

They make worthless little vacume cleaners for pc...

I use and old tooth brush and canned air maybe once a year or two... It just depends on how dusty your house is or just how clean you want the pc to be.

[SuperSparks]

You can buy small quiet compressors that are normally used for running airbrushes etc. I've been contemplating getting one myself. Static shouldn't be a problem with an air compressor.

[NickC]

Yeah, I've never liked those mini-vacs. Just make a lot of noise but don't do much.

I've heard it's good to get a compressor with a moisture filter in the air line. Do you know if those small compressors have that?

[jdc2000]

Most really small compressors don't have an air tank or reservoir to collect moisture, so unless you live in a really humid environment it shouldn't be a problem, especially after the compressor cylinder heats up.

[SuperSparks]

It's really only necessary on larger compressors with a receiver, which is where the moisture condenses out. Just blowing the air line for a few seconds would clear the tiny amount of moisture that would be trapped in the line out. But you could still fit filter/trap if you wished, those mini-compressors use standard fittings.

[Steve R Jones]

Keep in mind that many people go for YEARS without cleaning thier computers and never have a problem.

If money is no object then spending a 100 bucks to clean you're pc once a year isn't a big deal. Or 20 bucks for the canned air....

[NickC]

Oh, I didn't realize it was the tanks that would collect moisture - makes sense.

I'm always amazed how some people can go so long without any kind of PC maintenance and not have problems. We at VDR are probably a little excessive on the cleaning - you'd think we'd never have problems given how much we care for our PCs!

Yeah, by itself the canned dusters aren't THAT expensive. But I hate to throw away the cans (not all recycling centers take aerosol cans) plus I don't like the way they get so cold, and it's risky to turn it even a little to the side I've found - blows out that liquid.

[Midknyte]

Yeah, the water vapor condenses back into liquid in the tank. It's pretty humid here, so we would have to purge the tank daily. It's not a lot of water, but it adds up over time and can corrode the tank.

I find that keeping your system on the desk helps a lot. The dirtiest systems I've seen come from people that put their computer on the floor. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[photolady]

A lot of people without knowing what they are doing will also stick their computer in a cubby hole in the computer desk. This is absolutely the wrong place to put your tower.

I have in the last 4 months cleaned two of these. One was an emachine, and after clearing the dust out found 5 blown capacitors. The other was a Dell and it was just clogged to the hilt with dust. Luckily, no blown caps. Both computers belonged to family members and I routed them out and explained some things to them. The emachine has since been replaced with a build I did for them.

Btw, when using canned air, do so in small bursts of air. This way the can doesn't get cold.

[NickC]

Oh yeah - on the desk is the way to go, plus all the controls and jack are at your fingertips!

I found even with small bursts, if I have a lot of cleaning to do, the can gets pretty cold.

[crunchie]

I was using those air in a can, but at $AU16 a pop I decided to buy a compressor for about $AU90.
Save in the long run

[Shinma]

Tedious method but
I lug the systems to my friends' machine/tool & die shop.
They have the compressors with a tank, the size of a car.