You have a dirty computer…

(That phrase can mean so many things)

Imagine yourself in hiking in the mountains.  The air is cool and the scenery is beautiful.  You will be hiking all day and decided to wear your heavy coat.

After a day of hiking, you are pretty hot.  Unfortunately, due to a coat malfunction, the coat is zipped up and you can’t get the hood off.  No matter how cold it is outside, you have a thick layer of insulation keeping you hot.  Eventually, you start to overheat, which is unexpected considering how  nice and cool it is today.  If you could only get that coat off…

Your computer feels the same way, only without the nice scenery. Dust, which is everywhere, finds it’s way into your computer and lands on your fans and heat sinks.  If enough dust collects, the fans won’t turn and your heat sinks won’t work.  Your processor will overheat, leading to unexpected crashes and all manner of bad stuff.  Just like you hiking with a heavy coat; your processor can’t cool down.  What can you do?

Un-dirty your computer

To clean (or un-dirty) your computer, the secret lies with bottled air.  This stuff is a great tool for cleaning dust and debris in places where nothing else will work.  Have crumbs in your keyboard? Dust in your heat sink?  Unidentified substances in your smart phone ports?  Bottled air can help.

I know, this is not the most interesting thing to talk about.  You are not ridding the world of viruses or protecting alien civilizations from attack but cleaning your computer is important.  Most people never open their computers for any reason. They never explore the inner workings of these important devices.

But you… you are different.  You now know how important and easy it is to clean your computer.

So the next time your computer is running slow, crashes, or has any other problems, consider taking a few minutes and cleaning it. It only takes a few minutes once or twice a year.

To learn more about cleaning your computer, check out this YouTube video from NewEgg or this video (check out all the dust at around 1:29)