Okay, opened my PC today, and noticed a rather… Well… Noticable level of dust on everything. Knowing that standard cleaning methods would probably be a bad idea… How the heck do I de-dust the interior?
Get as much as you can out with a dry rag, then use compressed air to blow out the finer components (such as the fins on your heatsink). Dust buildup in the heatsinks is a major reason computers overheat and crash (which is made worse by the HORRIBLE ventilation in most consumer systems from major manufacturers).
If you don’t already, you should put in at least one intake and one exhaust fan in your case (usually intake in front, exhaust out the back). I have 2 of each, so I get a nice wind tunnel.
You can get “canned air” in computer and office supply stores to blow it out. Resist the temptation to use it to spin the fans; that can damage them.
I worry that using a vaccum cleaner does damage due to static electricity. Anyone have facts or thoughts about that?
The vacuum cleaner should be grounded.
In a pinch I take the computer outside and blow over it with a Hair dryer set on cool.
Canned air however is much more effective at de-dusting the heatsink.