System Cleaning - 2

3.1 Rear I/O panel of a PC that has gone uncleaned for six months

  3.2 Front panel of a PC that has gone uncleaned for six months

 Six months without a thorough cleaning has left this system totally clogged with dust and pet hair. The purple LPT port at the upper right is stuffed with dust, as are the USB ports at the left.

The front of the system is no better, as Figure 3-2 shows. Dust and dog hair has collected at every small gap through which air is drawn into the case. And yet, this systemwhich happens to be Robert's den systemdid not appear particularly dirty at first glance. The rear of the system was inaccessible and completely out of view. All of the dust and dog hair shown in Figure 3-2 was also invisible, concealed by a hinged door that closes over the drive bays and power switch area.

Pulling the front bezel from the case reveals the built-in air filter shown in Figure 3-3. At first glance, it doesn't appear too bad. There's some dust accumulation, but the filter appears mostly clear. That's because the filter had accumulated so much dust that when we removed the front bezel the dust fell off in a pile, partially visible at the bottom of Figure 3-3.
 

3-3. Built-in air filter

Routine vacuuming of the case exterior helps keep the dust down, but it's not a complete solution. Every few weeks to every few monthsdepending on how dirty your environment isyou'll need to do a more thorough job. To begin, vacuum the exterior surfaces of the case, if you haven't done so already, and if necessary use Windex, Fantastic, Formula 409, or a similar household cleaning solution to remove grease and other accumulations from the case exterior.

Although you can get by with just a standard vacuum cleaner and a brush or two, it's easier to do the job properly if you have the right tools. Most computer stores sell vacuum attachments intended for use with PCs. These attachments are small enough to get in all the cracks and crevices, and the adapter that you use to connect them to your home vacuum is often designed to cut down the air flow to a level more appropriate for cleaning a PC. (We've used some vacuum cleaners that we actually feared might suck components off the motherboard.)