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121

Hey, guys. Is it a good idea to dunk PC parts in isopropyl alcohol? (lemmy.world)

submitted 20 hours ago by Young_Gilgamesh@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

71 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I’ll be straight with it. I’m a smoker, I smoke inside, I have a PC that is also inside. I want to clean my PC thoroughly to buy it a few more years. I know about the q tip method, and the compressed air, and general methods of cleaning out gunk and junk from PC parts. But this boy is way too gunked up for a regular cleaning. So, I reckon, the easiest way to clean it is to dunk the dirtiest parts in a bath of isopropyl alcohol. I was considering acetone at first, but it’s way too strong of a solvent, and alcohol should be better at dissolving organic residues. Is this a good idea?

I hereby submit this query to the council, and await judgement.

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[–] village604@adultswim.fan 4 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Liquid alone doesn't kill electronics. You can actually have a computer completely submerged in mineral oil for cooling purposes. To see more, look up fish tank computers. There is an issue with cables acting as wicks for the oil and causing a mess, though.

It's the dissolved minerals in water that causes electricity to go where it's not intended that actually damages the components (pure water is an insulator)

You could wash your motherboard in a sink with soapy water as long as you pull the cmos battery first and fully dry it before powering it back on.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 4 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

Mineral oil doesn't conduct electricity. Isopropyl alcohol is 10-30% water, and does. If any liquid is trapped in anything, it might take longer to dry and you can't see it.