How to Clean Your Gaming Computer
Your gaming computer is turned on for long hours if you are an avid PC gamer. But did you know that dirt and dust can slow down your gaming PC?
Once dust accumulates and gathers on the components, your gaming PC may be prone to heating up quickly. This can slow down the process and affect its performance in general. This is why you need to regularly and diligently clean your gaming PC to improve not only its performance but also its overall lifespan.
Here is a quick guide for cleaning your gaming PC:
Table of Contents:
Prepare the Cleaning Area
Look for the perfect spot for cleaning your PC. Ensure that there is nothing that will cause friction and may damage the main components. Choose an area where it will be safe to blow the dust and prepare a table where you can set up the machine.
Shut Down the Unit and Disconnect All Cables
Shut down and plug off your unit. Switch off its power supply found at the back and be careful in disconnecting all the cables.
Take Off the Side Panel
Put your PC on the table and remove the right side of its panel by removing the screws that hold it in place. Set the screws aside in a safe area to avoid losing them.
Clean the Dust with a Vacuum Cleaner
- Depending on how long you last cleaned your unit, you might be greeted with dust-filled inner components. In worse-case scenarios, a fine gray dust layer might already be covering the components inside.
- Clean the dust from every crevice and component using a vacuum. Just be careful when you vacuum the components while moving across the interior.
- Don’t forget that all components are fragile, and a single wrong move can easily render these useless.
Blow Dust from the Crevices with Compressed Air
Get a can of compressed air then use it for blowing out the dust from those hard-to-reach crevices inside your gaming computer. You can use the vacuum once again to lessen the amount of scattered dust.
An important reminder here is to avoid blowing the compressed air on the fans. Doing so can make the fans spin faster than they are meant to, damaging them as a result.
Remove and Clean the Components Individually
More often than not, it is already enough to just vacuum and dust the components inside your gaming computer. But if it is not, you might need to remove the individual components from the motherboard to clean them one by one.

When removing these components, see to it that you put them down on a safe anti-static surface. Some parts that may require cleaning include the CPU cooler, graphics card, and hard drive.
Clean the Grates
After you are finished with the components, the case of the CPU is your next stop. If there are grates on the grates for airflow, don’t forget to clean these areas. You can use a can of compressed air for blowing out dust from the case’s interior. Use a feather duster to remove outside dust. After you clean everything, reinstall all the parts and set aside the CPU.
Clean the Hardware
Finish the cleaning process by paying attention to the rest of the hardware of your gaming computer, including the mouse, monitor, and keyboard.