Small vacuum to fit into all those tight places in our machines?

[JohnnyScience]

Are there any good mini vacuums out there with a thin neck to get in those oh-so-hard-to-reach-places inside of our machines?

Blowing air only does so much... and really just makes a bigger mess. And ripping the whole computer apart to clean it isnt fun.

 

[JohnnyScience]

I see a lot of these USB vaccums for sale & they're cheap, does anyone now how effective they are?

USB Mini Computer Vacuum (Black) - eBay (item 180598744221 end time Jan-08-11 08:07:41 PST)

They still dont seem thin enough to get into some tight spots & I think this one would probably not only work & vacuum better, but can also get into tighter spots

MetroVac DataVac PC Computer Vacuum - eBay (item 310278244620 end time Jan-07-11 12:20:09 PST)

 

[Carl Lawrence]

There was a small Henry vacuum on the market about a year ago. Which you might find on Ebay.

 

[JohnnyScience]

There was a small Henry vacuum on the market about a year ago. Which you might find on Ebay.

not this?

Little Henry VacuumLeaps And Bounds Kids

 

[Carl Lawrence]

No, I will try to find it you.

 

[Trucidation]

USB vacuums suck both literally and figuratively, unless you're patient enough to hover every single square inch meticulously. On the other hand, maybe it's good that they aren't powerful, makes you take care not to poke at stuff too hard. I like those little wooden toothpicks, you can use them to scrape loose dirt in small nooks which you can then vacuum out. And ultimately I find it easier to take a computer apart to clean it anyway.

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

don't vacuums generate static electricity ?

 

[SledgeDG]

You're right, Ivan That's why it's better to be careful with those...The USB gadgets are just that...gadgets

I use a regular vacuum and a strong paintbrush, old toothbrush etc after using canned air. Most important parts are the fans and heat sink(s) If possible I unscrew the fan to get directly to the heat sink (unless it's time for new thermal compound)

-DG

 

[LiquidSnak]

I just use a regular vacuum, and as SledgeDG wrote, get a small brush. I use a makeup brush, as there was a buy one get one free sale, and I bought one for my vinyl records to dust them off after play.

Hold the vacuum away from the components to avoid static discharge, and dust with a brush, the vacuum will suck up loose dust, and then when it is all collected at the bottom of the case, vacuum that up

 

[JohnnyScience]

No, I will try to find it you.

You ever find the one you were talking about?

I'm probably going to buy the little Metrovac Datavac for $24.

 

[Lava King]

I use something a little bit different, essentially it's a 10lb CO2 fire extinguisher with a regulator on it. I had it built to take along on my offroad excursions as a portable "air" source. Works great for tires and even pneumatic impact wrenches.

A local fire extinguisher company assembled it for me after I showed them an ad in an offroad magazine. It cost me $125 US (versus $300+ for the commercial model) complete, filled and ready to go. A refill costs about $12 US and lasts a surprisingly long time.

Just pop an airgun on the hose and it will clean the vast majority of gunk out of a pc. The airgun is easily controllable, anything from a gentle puff to a strong blast. Being CO2 means that its clean, but blast too long in one area and it may get really cold, leading to condensation.

Also, when I clean a fan I'll usually employ a small screwdriver to keep the fan from spinning and potentially acting as a generator.

Oh yeah, I always do this outside. Some of the computers that I've worked on for friends and co-workers have created quite the dust storm

Kent

 

[SledgeDG]

That sounds like a great idea. the only thing what would worry me, is the temperature drop when CO2 evaporates. just make sue not to use it on a "hot' system. I would hate for my CPU to be split in half

-DG

 

[pparks1]

Hmmmm...... My last few cases (all Antecs), have nice dust filters and such which keep out the majority of crap from inside of the PC. In the event that dust does indeed get inside of the case, I've never experienced a problem that a couple of blasts of compressed air doesn't resolve. I'm unsure if there is really a benefit to going to the extent of using vacuums and taking apart the PC to ensure that it stays dust free. Seems that's just being obsessive for the sake of it.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Blowing or brushing the dust into a vacuum is handy. Then I know the dust isn't going to settle back inside the case.

 

[Lunarpancake]

We use a small vacuum called the "shark". But we also keep an air compressor on site for blowing out components which is usually safer and more effective.

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

I built a case...its...different......but the nice feature is all air intakes through a 20X20 AC filter....400+cfm worth of fans keep a nice positive pressure....

 

[Zen00]

Lots of compressed air has always worked better for me than vacuuming anyways.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Compressed air and soft brush outside the house, vacuum and soft brush inside the house. I keep the intake away from surfaces and just let the vacuum pull the dust in from the brushing. Moist lint free towel the outside of the case after brushing the nooks and crannies. Toothbrush and air/vacuum the fans with a moist and then dry Q-tip to fully clean. Of course rinse out any filters and let dry completely. I would love to see a small canister hepa vac with attachements made.

 

[LiquidSnak]

How small?
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/pro...ogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping

This is a great cheap vacuum, I had it for a few years before I got a Dyson.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

That's close to perfect maybe 2/3 rd's the size. But that's close and affordable if not a hepa vac.