• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Recommended Vacuum Cleaner?

derelictronics

derelictronics

Experienced Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
115
Location
North Carolina
I'm looking for a small, handheld, vacuum cleaner with brush/bristles to help clean up some computer cases and electronic components (non-IC). Do you guys have any suggestions?
 
My suggestion would be "don't." Every vacuum cleaner I've ever used builds up a noticeable static charge from the friction of the air against the plastic tubing, and that's a thing you really don't want in your delicate electronics. I'd suggest compressed air and maybe a toothbrush instead.
 
In most cases a good blower will work better than a vacuum. Take it outside and blast the air everywhere. The Metro Vac above is reversible and they also make a blower-only "duster" that works great.
 
Plasma said:
In most cases a good blower will work better than a vacuum. Take it outside and blast the air everywhere. The Metro Vac above is reversible and they also make a blower-only "duster" that works great.
Click to expand...

Valid point, however be careful to use air that is DRY and CLEAN.

If you are using a small cheap air compressor, most, don't have water or oil traps fitted, and compressing air does lead to water in the air stream. Further many air compressors have oil for internal lubrication; so this can get into air stream.

If blowing out a very dusty old computer, wear eye protection and also may be worth wearing a disposal dusk mask.

Further some fans if rotated by the air stream, can generate small voltage, so try not to allow fans to spin.
 
most air compressors also generate a ton of static electricity

not been a problem in 20 something years of messing with it, but does exist
 
I use an air compressor as well. A lot of the more "professional" computer folk do as well. Static always has been and always be fearmonger fodder for the new and dull folks. ;)
 
I have always used compressed air. A lot of places (Radio Shack if you can find one) that sell electronics sell the canned ones. I have always preferred to blow when cleaning instead of sucking. If something small like a nut or jumper comes off I think I have a better chance of noticing it and finding it instead of digging through a pile of dust and cat hairs.

As mentioned doing this outside is a good idea. Some old PC's also may not be made of the safest materials. Beryllium oxide comes to mind in some of the old ballistic printers, Genicoms for instance. And just as importantly, it helps keep the 'old junk' complaints down when the family is happy.
 
I also use an air compressor. Back when, I used to use customers compressors (auto industry business), but learned to shoot some air down at the floor first to make sure they weren't spitting out water or oil.
 
I am using a crazysales 7 in 1 robot vacuum cleaner. You can look up to that. The compact size enables it with the ability to clean the corners. It has both handheld and automatic mode, which is perfect for your computer cases cleaning and regular house cleaning. You can set a desired speed and suction intensity on the panel and it will do the rest part of job. The sensor beneath can detect the dust and tell you which part you don't focus on, which ensures every inches' cleaness. Really convenient and time-saving.
 
We always use vacuum cleaner to clean our computers and we had no issue with it.
 
Doug G said:
I also use an air compressor. Back when, I used to use customers compressors (auto industry business), but learned to shoot some air down at the floor first to make sure they weren't spitting out water or oil.
Click to expand...

You should be using a water-oil separator if that's an issue. They're only $75 with a regulator.
 
Was it here or on some other forum I don't recall but recently it was discovered that "compressed air" means different things in different parts of the world. Round here it means air from an air compressor, but in other places it means those aerosol cans which contain things other than air.

I have an air dryer on my compressor. It was closer to $1750 than $75...
 
I did something crazy-stupid today, and it worked surprisingly well. I used my electric leaf-blower.
 
That's not crazy-stupid. I sometimes use my two-cycle leaf blower to start my Weber Smokey Joe. Could start a pretty large fire doing that if not careful.
 
I use an electric blower (XPOWER A-2 Airrow Pro Multi-Use Electric Computer Duster), as I was tired of buying a $10 can every month. It was $50, has two speeds, has more force than can dusters, and even has some attachments if I feel the need to get fancy. It has already paid for itself many times over since being purchased.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top