How To Clean A Motherboard? Complete Guide

Cleaning the motherboard is very important, the motherboard is the main part of the computer, and keeping it clean is very important. How to clean a motherboard? Is a question people mostly ask because they don’t know how to properly clean a motherboard.

The cleaning of the motherboard is very important. The motherboard is the device that is responsible for the whole performance of the computer. If the motherboard is not properly working it can cause serious problems.

The fans installed on the motherboard pump in and out a lot of air while working and with the air comes the dust and the dirt. This can accumulate on the motherboard and can cause serious problems.

The dust particles can cause short circuits in the motherboard or they can block the air passage that keeps the motherboard cool. The motherboard can heat up due to dust and dirt which can seriously damage the hardware. The dust can also be a cause of malfunction or even more serious problems. Even if dust doesn’t cause any problem it is still important to keep everything clean.

So, if you are thinking about building a computer for yourself or already has one, you keep it clean all the time. Take out time and serve a little time on the maintenance of the computer as it will prolong the life of the computer.

Now if we talk about cleaning, there is a reason that people don’t clean their motherboard because they fear that they might damage its par. What they think is also right but you can’t stop living with the fear of death. People sometimes hire professionals to clean and maintain their computers. The cleaning of the motherboard is difficult but with proper guidance, you can do it easily at your home and office.

Best Ways To Clean A Motherboard

There are a lot of methods to clean a motherboard. It can be cleaned using water but there is a lot of risk in this. of risk in this. Yes, you can clean the motherboard using water but water can cause electric parts to rust or without completely drying the motherboard if you plug it in you can short circuit it. Well, it’s never recommended to clean the motherboard with water.

The method most technicians recommend is that you should clean your motherboard using compressed gas or blowers. You can also clean the motherboard using alcohol. Both of these methods are very safe and high recommended. Your motherboard parts have a very low chance, pretty zero to none chance of getting damage while cleaning it through these methods.

Some experts suggest that you should clean your motherboard with vacuum cleaners. Well, it’s not highly recommended, the vacuum can cause static that can cause severe damage to your motherboard. There are some specially designed vacuums for motherboards but well will still not recommend them to be used for cleaning the motherboard.

There are also some experts out there who suggest cleaning motherboards using a piece of cloth or regular wipes. These can cause damage to your motherboard and are never recommended by us. While using a cloth or a wipe you can put high pressure which can damage the gentle parts of the motherboard. The regular clothes or wipes can leave fabrics behind which can cause scratches. Even the especially designed cloths or wipes are not recommended to be used while cleaning the motherboard.

Cleaning motherboard with compressed air

To clean the motherboard using compressed air is the safest way to do it. This way you have the least risk of getting it damaged. If you want to go for the blower use the blower that doesn’t heat the air.

First of all, shut down the computer and take out the switches. Now dismantle the computer and with gentle hands take out all the parts of the computer. Now get to the motherboard and take it out of the case. Keep in mind to use gentle hands or you might damage something.

Now take out the motherboard and place it on a clean surface. Blow the air over to the motherboard using the air blower to clean it. Take out all the dust accumulated over the motherboard. The dirt can be hard to remove sometimes for that you need to use a soft brush. You shouldn’t use any hard brush or it can damage the small parts of the motherboard. Gently brush the places where the dirt is stuck. Just do it gently and loosen the dirt and again use a blower to clean it up. This process can take a little time but it is the safest way to do the job without damaging anything.

Cleaning motherboard with alcohol

Most people have questions in mind about how to clean a motherboard with alcohol? People often recommend using alcohol to clean the motherboard which is a very good suggestion. Sometimes the dust particle becomes sticky and is hard to remove. This is when you need alcohol, some suggest you should pour alcohol directly on the motherboard and bath it in the alcohol. It can be done but should be done necessary.

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To clean the motherboard you first need 99% pure isopropyl alcohol. This is highly recommended, then pour a drop of alcohol on the sticky place and use a cotton swab to clean the place but keep in mind to do it gently. Now if the stain doesn’t come off and it is taking a lot of time and forced to come off you can go the other way around and pour a lot of alcohol onto the board and bath it.

How to lean motherboard using alcohol?

Now keep in mind that you should not plug it in until the alcohol completely dries off. Alcohol evaporates quickly but is careful before sticking it back into the case and turning it on, give it time, and let it completely dry off. You can also use the blower to dry the motherboard and remove the alcohol from the deepest part once completely dry. Plug it in and enjoy it.

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How to dust your PC?

Most people ask about the best way to remove the dust from the PC. If you are talking about the cast and the LED covers then you can do it using a cloth but if you were talking about inside the case and cover then you should use a blower. This is the best way to do the task and the safest too.

The use of a blower is highly recommended by experts because you don’t need to touch the delicate parts of the computer. The air from the blower can safely remove the dust particles without damaging the tiny parts of the computer. As mentioned above, you should only use the blower that doesn’t heat the air or it can cause damage.

How to clean the CPU?

CPU is the brain of the computer and you cannot let the brain rot in the dirt. Cleaning the CPU is also very important as it is the main part that performs all the functions of the computer.

First of all, remove the fan that is covering the CPU and gently take out the CPU. Use a blower to blow in the socket and on the CPU but do it at the last after you have cleaned the whole motherboard.

The dust on the back of the CPU can be sticky so use alcohol to clean it and also use the blower to clean the fan that was covering the CPU. The dust in the fan can slow down the fan which can cause the processor to heat up.

How to clean RAM?

The question that proceeds the questions like how to clean the motherboard? Or how to clean the CPU? Is it how to clean the RAM slot?

Cleaning the Ram slow can be difficult. It has such a congested space and the dust can accumulate inside and won’t come out. The best way that we always suggest is the use of a blower or compressed air. The compressed air in this case will be best because it can be concentrated in tiny spaces. Use the compressed air to blow out any dust inside the Ram slot or around it. You can also use the blower but the compressed air can be more beneficial.

If the dust doesn’t come out, you can use a soft brush to lose the dust and again use the compressed air to blow it out. Keep in mind, that you should never use force while doing this cleaning process. If the dust particles are sticky and don’t come out. Use your final option and tilt the motherboard to 90 degrees and then pour alcohol on it. Don’t use a cotton swab here because the cotton strands can get caught up in the slot which can cause problems late on so pour alcohol directly and use the blower to dry it completely.

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How to clean parts of the computer?

As mentioned above for the motherboard and other parts all the parts of the computer should be cleaned using a blower or a can of compressed air. There are the best and the safest methods to achieve the results. If you want to clean the keyboard, mouse, LED, speakers, or the hardware installed inside the PC case use the blower to get the best results without damaging it. Compressed air can do the trick but it will be time-consuming and can also be expensive. The alcohol should be used as the last resort when the first method is not working and the dirt is sticky.

Conclusion

Cleaning the computer machinery and especially the motherboard is very important and you should know the methods of how to clean the motherboard? To do it safely. Use the compressed air or blower as the first and only option and if that doesn’t work use alcohol.

While using the liquid to clean the board keep in mind to completely dry the parts before plunging them and turning them on. Completely dry the liquid and turn the computer on or else it can cause severe damage to the computer. One more thing, always use gentle hands and never apply force, while cleaning parts of your computer as it can cause some severe damage.

How To Clean a Motherboard? Complete Guide