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How to pick
Fans and vents choke up with dust and that is behind a lot of machines people think are dying. A rubber blower is cheap, lasts forever and has no propellant, which makes it better than canned air. If you do use canned air, keep the can upright and use short bursts, because tipping it sprays freezing liquid onto the board. Never use household glass cleaner on a screen, because the ammonia in it strips coatings permanently. A barely damp microfibre cloth handles almost everything. And never blow dust out with a compressor or by mouth, since moisture and static both kill electronics.
What I recommend
Dust
Fans and vents choke up with dust and that is behind a lot of machines people think are dying. Never blow dust out with a compressor or by mouth, since moisture and static both kill electronics.
Electronics air blower
A rubber blower is cheap, lasts forever and has no propellant. If you do use canned air, keep the can upright and use short bursts, because tipping it sprays freezing liquid onto the board.
- No propellant, nothing to run out
- Lasts indefinitely
- Safe for lenses and sensors too
- Less forceful than canned air
- Not enough alone for a badly clogged heatsink
- Needs the machine opened for a proper clean
Soft brush and vacuum kit
A soft brush loosens what the blower cannot shift. Use a vacuum near the dust rather than on the board, and never a household vacuum hose directly on components.
- Shifts what air alone will not
- Cheap
- Works on keyboards, vents and desks
- Static risk if you use the wrong brush
- Household vacuums are too strong and can generate static
- Fiddly around keycaps
Screens and surfaces
Never use household glass cleaner on a screen. The ammonia in it strips coatings permanently.
Microfibre cloths and screen cleaner
A barely damp microfibre cloth handles almost everything. If you want a spray, use one sold for screens rather than anything from under the sink.
- Safe on any screen coating
- Cloths wash and reuse
- Cheap
- Cloths pick up grit that then scratches, wash them
- Too much liquid can run into a bezel
- Some sprays leave streaks
Related reading
Fan roaring and machine running hot?
Often just dust, and a clean out costs a fraction of what people expect to pay.