Dust can be very detrimental to your computer and its performance. Did you know that dust is combustible? It has been proven that in some instances, dust can ignite from a spark and start a fire. I’ve never seen a computer catch on fire from dust, but I have seen several instances where dust was a factor in the short life of the computer or laptop.
Dust can easily get pulled into your computers power supply and case through your cooling fan. The dust can constrict the flow of air to your computer. Airflow works like the fan on your car, keeping the motor cooler and functioning properly longer, airflow is vital to the life of your computer. Heat is the number one cause of short life for laptops, with the inclusion of dust, the lifespan is even shorter.
If you work in a dusty environment, consider covering your computer equipment when not in use, this will act as a deterrent to the dust entering your PC. Always remove the cover before booting up the computer! Compressed air is sold in a can at most department stores, this is very effective for removing dust from your keyboard and computer. Some choose to use an air compressor for this task, I recommend caution when using a compressor, make certain that the pressure is not so high; it may do more damage than good with a high volume of air.
Computer clean-up is one of the services we offer with our computer maintenance agreement for small businesses. Once subscribed to our managed services for computers, dust removal will be integrated into the service.
John McCann
704-662-6845
John McCann & Associates