How to clean a really dusty old electronic device you can't unscrew
An old device caked in construction dust can feel like a health hazard, but sealed cases make it impossible to reach the inside. People often wonder if standard canned air is enough or if they need a heavy-duty air compressor to blow out the grime without damaging sensitive internal components.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using compressed air and a fine boar's hair detail brush
- 2Wiping down with a damp microfiber cloth using only water
- 3Using 90% isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips for nooks and crannies
- 4Using a vacuum followed by a foaming AC cleaning spray
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“i'd love to get it cleaned up a bit, i have a hunch it came from a construction site next door”source ↗
“would just a regular can of compressed air you'd get from the hardware store suffice? my mind has immediately gone to full on air compressor”source ↗
“It's so caked with dust and we can't control it so I KNOW it could be a health hazard because of how dusty it is. We can't unscrew it. I want to clean it. But how? 😭”source ↗
Where this came up
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