Computer Filter

A while back, somewhere, I read an article about how this guy keeps his desktop computer’s innards clean. I think he was like the IT guy for a company. Anyway, what he did was take a Swiffer sheet and used two-sided tape to stick it to the inside of the case over the big vent grid. Once a month, he goes around and changes the sheet. The sheet lets through plenty of air yet catches a huge amount of dust.

So I decided to try it. Around the beginning of January, I used my new blower that I got for Christmas. It was the first time I had tried it and I learned an important lesson: take the computer outside unless you have a fan in the window. Holy cow did that thing blow out the dust! I did my computer as well as Lorna’s. I was able to clear out places that a can of air just cannot reach.

After I did that, and stopped sneezing, I took them back to the office and put on the Swiffer things (“unscented dry sweeping cloths”, according to the box). For mine, where the vent grid is a rectangle, I used four pieces of tape, one for each side. For Lorna’s, the grid is stylized and is kinda off-kilter. I didn’t want to cover up any holes so hers has tape on just two sides. Hers also does not have an exhaust fan, just the one for the CPU and the power supply. Mine has those two plus the exhaust one.

The other day I realized it had been more that a month and I opened them up. The images below are the sheets. Mine is on the left (or first if your monitor isn’t wide enough) and hers on the right.

Mine is dirtier for several reasons. One, my computer is only off on Friday nights (that’s when I do a hard boot then do scans in the morning). Otherwise, it is always on. And it has the exhaust fan which means nearly all of the air is sucked through that filter. I am tempted to put a filter over the grid in the back of Lorna’s where the fan should be but I’m afraid it would not get enough air. Hers has this annoying rattle to it and I do not want to risk adding yet more noise to it as it gasps for air. Also keep in mind that we live in a very dusty house. High ceilings, wood floors, drafty walls, three dogs, and two cats equals a lot of dust. I’ve wanted to do a study of putting out a white sheet of paper and taking a photo of it each day as it slowly turned brown. But I’ve not been that bored.

There was still dust in the case but not very much. The big exhaust fan had some on the fins as did the CPU fan. I used the blower in the office and didn’t sneeze.

So did it work? I think so. Just look at the dust on the sheet from mine! My gosh that’s nasty. On March 15 I will check again. I hope to, by then, have figured out how to hook up a fan inside Lorna’s computer. I will change out the sheets and put in her fan. These sheets did so good, I’d not hesitate to put a desktop case on the floor (if desk space was that desperately needed).