WARNING: Dust May Be Killing Your Computer

Keeping your computer clean can mean many things. Most often, you probably think it means running virus scans and defragmenters to keep the hard drive clean from bad programming; but there is another component to keeping a computer clean, and that’s keeping the actual, physical computer clean!

Believe it or not, maintaining the hardware is just as important as maintaining the software when it comes to keeping your computer running well! One of the biggest enemies to your computer isn’t viruses, but dust bunnies. They get pulled into the computer through the fan and build up when the computer is not regularly opened up and cleaned out.

So what harm is a little bit of dust in the computer? Well, a lot. Especially when it builds up over months and months. The first sign of a dust clog is typically in the fan: it gets loud when the computer isn’t doing much or even when the computer is idle. The next sign is that the computer is hotter to the touch than usual. A laptop might burn your lap if you set it on your bare skin. A desktop might make you jump if you press your leg to it by mistake because of how warm it is.

After that, your computer performance will drop. Programs will run more slowly. Your computer may even shut down without warning due to overheating. If left in this condition for too long, components will cease functioning. Malfunctioning motherboards and memory will create problems and force the hard disk to crash. Eventually, the hard disk itself can become unusable, which means you face the risk of losing all of your important documents and files.

To avoid the risk of losing your important files and having to send your computer in for costly diagnoses and repairs, it’s important to schedule regular cleanings, whether you do them yourself or have somebody else do them for you. Cleaning the computer is nothing complicated: all you need is a can of compressed air to clear the dust out of the computer’s fan. Although, if you believe your computer has had such a buildup of dust that it is impacting your computer’s performance, it is better to take the computer apart and clean out the individual components. Doing this will save yourself a lot of trouble down the road, so make sure you check your computer regularly for dust build up!