Does your computer also feel like it’s going slow day by day. It takes forever to open, lags at worst moments, or makes loud noises from the fan etc. Honestly, the list is never ending. It’s really frustrating. Especially when all you desire is smooth performance.

But, don’t worry. I got you. It’s not your PC’s specs, it’s mostly just the dust and junk in your computer. The good news is, you can easily clean it. In this article, I’ll walk you through simple steps on how to clean your computer externally, internally, and digitally. You don’t need to be an expert too. Just follow these steps and enjoy a smoother and faster performance ahead.

Why Cleaning Your PC Matters

Why your computer slows down over time

Over time, dust and debris often gets stuck in air filters and pipes, which reduces air flow. This results in overheating, hardware damage or a decrease in life-span.

Risks of dust, dirt, malware, and junk files

Dust and dirt slowing down ventilation & air flow, malware building up in the PC & junk files, all together play an important role in slowing down the PC. It often leads to overburdening your computer, and all of the causes together can wear out hardware and software faster.

Benefits of regular cleaning

There are many benefits of regularly or consistently cleaning up your computer. They include fast and efficient performance, better cooling, calm state of the PC, longer life-span, and increased storage space as unnecessary junk is removed.

Essential Tools and Preparation

Safety precautions before cleaning

It is really important to keep safety precautions before cleaning any electrical gadget. Always take the plug off, unplug the PC, never spray liquid on the screen, make a setup away from electrical charges & moisture. Always be careful, any small mishandling could cause a lot of damage.

Tools for physical cleaning

1. A microfiber cloth
2. Water
3. A gentle cleaning liquid (option)
   

Tools for digital cleanup

1. Disk cleanup
2. CHKDSK
3. Task Manager
4. Windows Security
   

Part 1: Physical Cleaning – Inside and Outside Your Computer

Step 1: Set Up a Safe Cleaning Area

Setup a safe cleaning area where there is no electricity equipment. It is done to ensure that the equipment doesn’t catch any liquid or dust.

Step 2: Power Down and Disconnect Cables

Shut down your PC and unplug the cables. Make sure it has NO connection with electricity. Otherwise, a single drop of liquid could cause a shock when met with electric current.

Step 3: Clean the Exterior Case

• Wiping the PC body
  Wipe the whole external body of the PC with a dry cloth. If the cloth doesn’t seem to remove tough stains, you can damp it lightly with water or a soft cleaning agent.
  
• How to clean a PC glass panel and tempered glass case
  Modern PCs mostly come with tempered glass side panels and full glass cases. While they look stunning, they can attract dust, fingerprints and smudges. It’s really important to clean them thoroughly. Here’s how you can clean them:

1. Turn off the PC
2. Remove the tempered glass if possible
3. Remove dust with a dry microfiber cloth, or dampened with water or a gentle cleaning.
4. Wipe with care
5. Let the panel fully dry and reattach it to its place.
   

Step 4: Clean Peripherals

• Keyboard (including sticky keys)

1. Unplug the keyboard from the computer (if wired).
2. Gently turn it upside down and use your fingers to shake out the dirt and debris.
3. Hold a can of compressed air at a distance (if available), or even blow on the keyboard through a straw (if not scared of what’s going to come at your face)
4. After most of the dust is removed, dampen a microfiber cloth with isopropyl alcohol or a q-tip for easy access, and wipe the surface of the keys with the spaced between them. Never dip directly in the isopropyl alcohol. It’ll go into your harware through gaps and destroy it.
5. For sticky keys, carefully pop out the affected key. Clean the underneath with the dampened isopropyl alcohol cloth and dry before putting the key back on.

That’s it. Your keyboard is clean and shiny now. Make sure to clean it regularly. It makes cleaning easier every time and prevent long-term damage to the keyboard.

• Mouse

1. Unplug the mouse from the computer and remove any batteries.
2. Wipe the exterior body of the mouse with a cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol to remove grime and disinfects.
3. Use compressed air or a toothpick gently to clean out the dust from the side of the wheels of the mouse. If you want to go deeper, you can remove the wheel cover by moving it clockwise and clean with the damped microfiber cloth with isopropyl alcohol too. Let it dry to put it back in the socket.
4. On the bottom of the mouse, clean with a cloth or a swab. A lot of hair and dust gets stuck there.
5. For gaming mice, pay attention to extra buttons and clean their edges & crevices gently with a toothpick too.
   

• How to clean a PC screen or monitor safely

1. Unplug the PC screen.
2. Use a microfiber cloth to gently clean off all the dust thoroughly from corners.
3. If needed, dampen the cloth with distilled water or a mixture of 50/50 of isopropyl alcohol and water.
4. Don’t spray directly on the screen. Instead, wipe it with the lightly dampened cloth.
5. Avoid using harsh cleaners. They can damage your monitor screen.
   

Step 5: Open the Case and Clean Internal Components

Once the outside of your whole PC is clean, it’s time for the inside part. It’s really essential to clean the inner part, as it’s the main part doing your work. Only cleaning the outside won’t have such a significant effect on your PC’s performance. So, open the case of your PC carefully.

• Safely remove dust with compressed air

1. Open the back case carefully.
2. Make sure to do this in a well-ventilated area.
3. Hold a can of compressed air upright near the vents to avoid liquid spillage.
4. Blow the compressed air such that the dust goes outside from the vents, not move further inside.
5. Use short blows of air to blow dust off of fans, corners, heatsinks, and ports.

Screw the back again to the monitor. And, done. Your inside of the PC is cleaned and ready to use.

• How to clean dust from your PC without compressed air (alternative methods)

If you don’t have compressed air, it’s not a big problem. You can use an electric air blower, a cleaning vacuum (make sure it’s compatible for computer cleaning), or even a soft brush which doesn’t lose its bristles easily.

• How to clean PC fans, vents, and heatsinks

To clean your Pc fans, vents, and heatsinks,

1. Fans – Hold the blades still with your finger or a pencil. Gently brush the dust off with a soft brush or a microfiber cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol.
2. Vents – Use compressed air or a soft bristle brush to remove the dust from the vents.
3. Heatsinks – Blow air gently between the fins to remove the dust. Don’t use any sharp object to clean it. It can damage it.
   

• Cleaning the GPU, RAM, and motherboard without damage

To clean the GPU, RAM, and motherboard without damage, 

1. GPU – Remove the card if needed. Use compressed air to clean the card. Avoid touching it to prevent any damage.
2. RAM – Carefully remove it from its place. Gently wipe it with a microfiber cloth. After, place it back to its place.
3. Motherboard – Only use a soft air or a brush. Applying liquid cleaners directly can cause damage to it.
   

• Cleaning and reseating cables

Cables can only collect dust over time. 

1. Unplug the cables and dust the ports lightly and connect them back tightly.
2. During cleaning, make sure there’s no loose connections.
3. Avoid pulling cables at sharp angles. It can permanently damage the cable.

Step 6: Special Case – How to Clean a Gaming PC

• Extra dust management for high-performance gaming rigs

High performance PC’s produce more dust. Make sure to clean them more often, use dust filters, increase fans, and try to keep the PC as far from dust as possible.

• Cleaning RGB setups and tempered glass panels

1. Tempered glass panels – Use a microfiber cloth lightly dampened with glass cleaner or distilled water.
2. RGB lighting strips and fans – Wipe them with slightly damp microfiber cloth. Harsh cleaners can damage or dull the light of the lights.
   

• Keeping airflow optimal for gaming PCs

Keep airflow good and airy for enhanced performance. For that, you can do many tasks including arranging fans strategically, leaving space for the components to breathe, monitor temps regularly using various tools, and upgrade cooling if needed.

Step 7: When to Deep Clean Individual Components

Most daily cleaning doesn’t need the parts to be removed. But, when you notice overheating, lagging, fans moving fastly, dust buildup, and unusual noises from the computer, it’s time to clean deeply.

• Removing GPU, RAM, or storage drives safely

1. Unplug your PC
2. Discharge static electricity by grounding yourself. You can do this by using an anti-static band or touching a grounded metal object.
3. To remove the GPU,
   1. Unscrew its covering bracket
   2. Release the PCle latch and pull it out gently
   3. Clean dust with compressed air or a gently brush
4. To remove RAM,
   1. Push the latches on the side towards up
   2. Lift RAM straight up, and clean lightly with a microfiber cloth
5. To remove storage devices,
   1. Unscrew or slide out from the mounting bracket
   2. Wipe external surface and connections to remove dust.

• Cleaning the power supply unit (PSU)

1. Never open the PSU casing. It contains dangerous charges that can cause a lot of damage.
2. Use compressed air or a specialized vacuum to blow dust out from the vents.
3. Make sure the air flow is smooth and the dust filters near the PSU are cleaned regularly.
4. If you notice noises from the PSU fan or the unit is clogged despite cleaning, consider replacing it through a professional.
   

Part 2: Digital Cleaning – Free Up Space and Optimize Performance

After physical cleaning, digital cleaning is also a very important part. An overstuffed computer can perform really slow and reduce performance, even shortening the life-span of a PC.

Clear Unnecessary Files and Applications

Cleaning unnecessary files and applications is a really important task. It helps the computer to breathe a little and not lag on basic actions.

• How to clean junk files on PC

There are many ways to clean junk files on PC. Some of them are explained below.

• Perform a Disk Cleanup (Windows 7, 8, 10, 11)

1. Press Windows + S, and search Disk Cleanup in the search bar.
2. Choose the preferred drive. (mostly it’s the C)
3. Select categories like Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, and System Cache.
4. Confirm, and windows will delete the selected items.

In windows 10/11, if you want to automate future cleanups, enable storage sense under settings → system → storage

• Delete large unused files

1. Go to files explorer and sort files by size.
2. You can easily spot the large files by this method, and delete them if you don’t need them anymore.
3. Permanently delete the files you don’t want anymore.
   

• Uninstall unused applications

1. On windows 7/8  → Go to control panel → Programs → Uninstall a Program
2. On windows 10/11   → Go to settings, apps, installed apps.
3. Uninstall the apps you don’t need anymore.
4. If an app doesn’t go away completely, use a third-part uninstaller to to remove leftover files ad registry entries.
   

Manage Storage More Efficiently

Once junk files are cleared up, the next step is to manage memory to optimize it further. It includes cleaning up disk space, clean PC storage, and optimizing drivers.

• How to clean up disk space on PC

1. From windows, go to settings → system → storage to see what’s taking space.
2. Sort out by categories like Apps & Features, Temporary Files, and Documents to quickly see the things taking extra space.
3. Move or delete those unused files. You can also enable Storage Sense to autocomplete cleanups.
   

• How to clean PC storage using external/cloud drives

If you find large files (like movies, videos, and images) and don’t want to let go of them, there’s a smart technique. You can transfer them to external resources to save space. It’s mentioned below:

1. External Drivers : Store large files like movies or videos into external HDD/SSD to keep system drive free.
2. Cloud Drivers: You can offload files on services like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox while keeping them accessible.
3. Hybrid Strategy : Only keep essential files that you need, and transfer the rest of them to external drivers to save space and don’t lose them too.
   

• Defragment and optimize drives (HDD vs SSD)

1. HDD (Hard Disk Drive): As time passes by, files get fragmented. You can use Defragment and Optimize Drives in windows to recognize data.
2. SSD (Solid-State Drive): Defragmenting SSD’s can wear them out. Instead, windows performs automatic TRIM to keep the performance optimized. To use it, 

Press Windows + S → search “Defragment and Optimize Drives” → select the drive → click “optimize.”

• Check disk health with CHKDSK

The CHKDSK (Check Disk) utility is used to scan drive errors to detect and fix any errors in it. The errors can cause crashes, slowdowns, and data corruption etc. To do it:

1. In the windows bar, search “cmd”
2. On command prompt right click → Run as administrator
3. Type: “chkdsk C: /f /r”. Replace C with your drive letter.
4. Restart the PC to let it scan completely.

This way, the scan will happen properly. You don’t need to scan it frequently, unless you suspect driver issues

Clean Your Browsers and Apps

Web browsers and apps generate and save alot of temporary data. It can slow down your computer. You can clear it by the following methods.

• Clear cookies, cache, and history

1. In any preferred browser, go to settings → privacy → clear browsing data
2. Here, remove cookies, cache, and history
3. On windows apps, go to settings → App advanced options → reset to clear cache

After this, you may need to login again to some web apps and reload some images and files. But, your computer will feel alot faster and smoother.

• Manage browser extensions

Mostly users install extensions for a temporary use and get lazy to delete them later on. But, too many extensions can also cause slow performance. Disable them by going to Menu → More Tools → Extensions and delete the ones you don’t need anymore.

Keep Your System Updated

Outdated drivers or operating system also make the computer lag and perform poorly. That’s why it’s really important to regularly update them.

• Update operating system

Upgrading your operating system is a main part of computer cleanup. It also optimizes speed as new operating systems are introduced in the market with better specs. To update operating system in windows 10/11, Go to settings → update & security → windows update to update the windows.

• Update drivers and firmware

Outdated GPU, drivers and firmware also take part in increasing PC’s burden and speed. You can manually update the drivers from the manufacturer’s website (Nvidia, AMD etc) or even let windows update handle common ones. For firmware updating, you’ll need to contact the motherboard or laptop brand’s support.

Be very careful when updating this, as it includes higher risk of damaging the computer. So, update only when there is a necessity.

• Use software and registry cleaners carefully

Some third-part tools come really in-hand when you need to clean your leftover files and registry entries. But, be careful with them. Doing unnecessary deep cleaning may cause some damage or imbalance, as the Windows registry is delicate.

Improve Startup and Performance

After all these steps, your PC might feel smoother and faster. But, if you want to optimize it further, you can follow these steps too.

• How to clean up RAM on PC (freeing memory, disabling background processes)

1. Open task manager  (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) → Processes tab.
2. Sort the results by Memory to see which apps consume the most RAM
3. End the tasks you don’t need.
4. Close background applications you’re not using.

These can free RAM instantly. But, if it doesn’t affect much, you might need to upgrade RAM for a long term use.

• How to clean up memory on PC (increase virtual memory, manage tasks)

Virtual memory expands your PC’s usable memory with the help of disk space. But, be careful. It’s an advanced option and do it only when you really need to do it.

To increase that,

1. Go to control panel → system → advanced system settings → performance → settings advanced → virtual memory
2. If the RAM is slow, set a custom size. (such as 1.5x , 2x of your RAM size )

Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor to identify the apps consuming the most memory. Delete or replace those.

• Disable unnecessary startup programs

There are many apps in your computer that run at startup. It also affect computer’s performance and boot times. To disable them,

1. Go to Task Manager → Startup Tab. 
2. Here, disable the programs you don’t need. It can be chat apps, update checkers etc.
3. Keep antivirus and system utilities enabled.
   

• Adjust Windows visual effects

Windows offer a variety of visual effects for beauty. But they can slow the performance to a small extent. You can remove them too to optimize performance.

1. Go to System Properties → Performance Options → Visual Effects
2. Select “Adjust for best performance”, or select custom settings if you want to customize.

These reduce RAM and GPU usage, especially for olders CPUs.

• Run built-in troubleshooters

1. Go to Settings → Update & Security → Troubleshoot
2. Run troubleshooters for performance, hardware, internet, and windows update.

These settings often fix small hidden issues leading to slower performance.

Security and Health Check

Additionally, security issues like malware and viruses also degrade the performance alot. They may also shut down the computer at all.

• How to clean malware from PC (viruses, spyware, trojans)

1. Using windows security, run a full scan to identify any issues.
2. Use any trusted anti-malware or anti-virus tool like Malwarebytes to scan deeply.
3. If malware block your cleanup, boot into safe mode.
4. Enable real-time protection to protect your computer if any malware comes in the future.
   

• Remove unwanted background processes

1. Go to Task Manger and see if you can find any suspicious apps using high CPU/RAM.
2. If you see any, right-click → end task
3. Check startup apps as above to stop them from returning
4. If you’re confused between what to do, google it’s name or research using any AI chatbot. Some apps are essential for the system.
   

Maintenance Schedule for a Cleaner, Faster PC

Consistently cleaning your PC is compulsory, not optional. It saves your PC for long-term damage and keeps its performance good. It also helps identify any problems in computer that needs to be solved. Here is the list of things divided on the basis of how often they need to be done.

Monthly cleaning tasks

1. Clear browser cache and cookies
2. Uninstall unused apps
3. Delete temporary and junk files
4. Check startup programs
5. Run antivirus scans
6. Dust external surfaces
   

Quarterly cleaning tasks

1. Open the case and clean dust
2. Check drive health
3. Update drivers and firmware
4. Defragment HDDs
5. Backup important files
   

Annual deep cleaning

1. Full hardware clean (Remove GPU, RAM, and storage devices for safety)
2. Clean dust from the PSU (Power Supply Unit)
3. Replace thermal paste (if temps are high)
4. Check for hardware upgrades
5. Reinstall Windows (optional)
   

Troubleshooting After Cleaning

Sometimes, you may experience some issues after cleaning. They may be due to some mishandling while cleaning. The common ones are mentioned below with their solution.

PC running hot after cleaning

1. Check if all the fans are spinning correctly and airflow is correct. Fans should pull air from the front/bottom and push it out from the back/top.
2. See if heatsinks and fans are firmly attached, and every component is in its place.
3. Check if the thermal paste was applied correctly. If it’s been some years since you last applied it or the temps are high, reapply to the CPU/GPU
4. Confirm that dust wasn’t pushed further towards the GPU or PSU.
   

Performance issues not solved by cleaning

1. Run task manager to identify the resource-heavy app.
2. Run disk cleanup again
3. Check for malware, especially in the case of unsul activities.
4. Check startup programs.
5. Check for any system or hardware upgrade.
   

When to seek professional help

If things worsen, you might need to see some professional for help. You can seek professional helps when:

1. If you notice some electrical issues, any sparks, or burning sensation from the PC.
2. Strange noise from the Pc, especially from the PSU or hard drive.
3. If you’re not confident reassembling everything back to its place.

If any one these occur, stop using the computer immediately. Quickly let a technician see and troubleshoot it.

Tips to Keep Your PC Cleaner for Longer

Prevention is better than cure. Here are some tips to keep your PC for longer.

Best placement of your PC to reduce dust

1. Keep it off of a floor. Keeping it on a desk is better.
2. Make sure it has ventilation space and proper air flow. Don’t keep it on carpets.
3. Keep it away from windows or direct sunlight. It will prevent it from dust and heat.
   

Using dust filters and cleaning mats

1. Use magnetic filters on intake vents.
2. Clean them after every 1-2 months.
3. Use an anti-static mat when cleaning it to prevent damage.
   

Regular backups before cleanup

1. Always backup your data before cleaning or just generally doing anything with the components.
2. You can use external drivers or cloud storage to store data.
3. If you don’t backup, you might have to face a huge data loss in case anything goes wrong during cleaning.
   

Cleaning Your Feeds (Optional Digital Declutter)

After all this cleaning, it’s time to clean up your digital junk in your social apps.

Facebook: You can adjust your News Feed Preferences so that facebook shows you posts from your closest friends or favourite pages first. Review and remove old apps linked to your account from
“Settings → Apps and websites.”

Twitter: Use lists to group important accounts and mute or unfollow those that don’t provide value anymore.

Ads & Privacy : Regularly check your add settings to limit unnecessary data tracking.

Conclusion

Cleaning your PC/laptop is very benefical for its performance and longevity. It helps your PC to protect itself against harmful viruses and malware. So, as mentioned in the article, clean your PC consistently to be able to use it for a long time. Always remember “Prevention is better than cure”.

After cleaning, if you don’t feel any performance difference, it may be that your system is encountering a bottleneck. Check it through the bottleneck calculator tool to check which component is causing the issue and solve it.