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Look at this. Pretty shocking, right?

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There's no shortage of stories out there about insanely filthy computers filled with dirt, dust,

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and even bugs. And maybe your computer isn't that dirty,

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but odds are it isn't exactly pristine either. So how dirty is too dirty?

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And how often should you be cleaning your PC?

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Despite all the warnings you've probably gotten about how awful the dust is for your PC,

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you don't actually need to clean it all that often. Unless you're in some kind

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of insanely dusty environment or have like 14 cats,

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cleaning your PC about once every six months should be plenty.

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Now, don't get us wrong. Dust does pose a threat to your PC,

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but you need quite a bit of it to really start causing problems.

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The big danger with dust is having so much of it that it acts as an insulating layer

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that heats up your components or that it clogs up your fans.

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But this doesn't mean that you should wait until you get to that point

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before doing some preventative maintenance as the longer you wait to remove the dust in your PC,

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the harder it'll be to get rid of it all and the greater the risk

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that you're going to start seeing issues while using your PC because it's overheating

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and your clogged up fans can't cool it off properly,

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even though they're working harder than usual and making god-awful amounts of noise.

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So what's the right way to deal with all this dust? Do you really have to have one of those little cans

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with the cocktail straw sticking out of it? Or how about one of those old school feather dusters?

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All right, so part of the reason so many people use canned air is that it's easy to get inside tight spaces

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like heatsink fins and between ramsticks. But another good reason is that they don't carry a wrist

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of static unlike something like a vacuum cleaner

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or an electrostatic duster. But remember though that compressed air cans

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work with a liquid propellant. So make sure you're holding the can upright

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lest you spray the wet stuff all over your components.

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But a $6 can of air often doesn't remove everything.

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So you might be tempted to use an electric air compressor

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for a little extra power. Generally speaking, this is okay to do,

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but don't run it too hard or too close to the PC.

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Electric compressors can pack a serious punch and can actually tear capacitors off your motherboard

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in some cases, which is a heck of a lot worse than dealing with a little bit of dust.

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And whether you're using an inexpensive can of air or a solution that has an actual motor,

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don't let your fans spin while you clean them. You can actually deform the blades or damage the bearings,

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especially if you're using cheaper fans, or even damage the header on your motherboard.

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Having fans spin freely at high speed can actually send current back down the wire.

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And it's a lot more expensive to replace a motherboard than to just buy another fan.

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So remember to hold the fins down with your finger while you blow.

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And we have one more tip before we go. If there's still dust on your computer

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after blowing it out, it's okay to wipe down surfaces

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with something that won't cause static, such as a lint-free cloth or a soft paintbrush.

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But if that sounds like too much of a pain, remember that you can drastically reduce the amount

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of dust buildup by keeping your computer up on your desk

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and off the floor, especially if you have a carpet. That said, cats do tend to like sitting up high,

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so pick your poison. Thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe,

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and hit us up in the comment section for your suggestions for topics

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that we should cover in the future. Clean your PC, dammit.