Do You Clean the Fan in Your Laptop?

[SarzWix]

Yep, fans on all our computers, desktops and laptops, get the fans cleaned regularly. More often than I dust the house probably. Like RedThorn said, laptops especially don't cope well with over-heating, and we have 3 cats and a dog in the house... I've got a 'computer vacuum' as well, specifically for the job, but often a cotton bud dipped in pure alcohol (ethanol?) is needed to clean between the fins too.

[Hilary B]

We don't use a laptop (well, once in a blue moon) but when we decide the fan in a desktop needs cleaning, I use a small 'decorating' paintbrush to shift the dust from between the fins of the heatsink, and then vaccum-up the loosened residue. Cotton buds were for cleaning the 'ball-type' mouse (the optical one is a lot easier) of anything it picks up from the times when the mousemat because a temporary mug-mat....

[minskey]

Sorted - Cheers All

[taff]

the heatsink is the metal bladed rectangular jobbie usually/sometimes underneath a fan on the motherboard.

[lettucegrow!]

We have a fantastic computer fixer man and when our last one went wrong he brought it back to me with a picture of the inside of it as a desk top background, it was disgusting! He recommended having a yearly clean. (must find his phone number!)