It’s essential to clean your motherboard at least once everythree to six months. Usecompressed air to blow dustor abrush to remove the dirt build-upfrom every corner.

That’s usually enough if youroutinely clean your computer. But if you haven’t done this in a long while, I’m pretty sure you’re disgusted to see all the contaminants.

So, that calls for a muchdeeper cleaning. You need to take the motherboard out of the PC case and wipe every compartment. Use Isopropyl Alcohol toremove the tough stains and residues.

Don’t worry! We’ll do this together step-by-step. Although theprocess may vary slightly, my demonstration onGIGABYTE B450 AORUS ELITEshould give you a basic idea of how it’s done.

Gather Necessary Cleaning Tools

Let’s start by collecting all the items required to clean a motherboard. I’ve listed them down for you:

While the aforementioned components are more than enough, I’ve used a couple of my favorites –PrimoChill’s Praxis Computer Test BenchandFulljion’s Compressed Air Duster.

Prepare Your Motherboard For Cleaning

The first step to cleaning any computer part isshutting it downandunplugging all its cables. Once you’ve done that,take your PC outsideso that no dust particles accumulate in your working space.

Don’t forget to wear gloves and a mask. I’m using anti-static gloves, so my motherboard is safe from static electricity.

Begin byopening up the side panel. You may utilize ascrewdriver with the right bit sizeif the screws are too tight.

Now, it’s time to take the motherboard out. But wait! Is the case fanblocking its way? Since it happened to me, I recommend removing such components beforehand.

Since my PC is equipped with a dedicated GPU, I’ll remove it as well. Disconnect thePCIe cableand unscrew the bracket. Unclip andpull the graphics card outvery gently. I’ve alsoremoved the RAM stickearly and kept it safe in ananti-static bag.

Also,disconnect every motherboard connectorfrom theirrespective headers. You’ll need extra effort on some of them – so do it with caution or you may damage the pins.

Now, find themotherboard screws, which vary depending on theform factor. Use the appropriate screwdriver bit to untighten andseparate them from the standoff.

Keep all the screws safe (use amagnetic trayif available). Place the motherboard gently on ananti-static surface. While I’ve firmly screwed it on theTest Bench, you may set it down over acardboard boxtoo.

Blow Out Dust Particles

Before removing any component, blow out heavy dust particles and debris from the entire board. I’ve usedAir Duster, but if you do not own one, applyshort bursts of compressed air.

Here are some of the snaps of how I cleaned each section:

Disassemble Motherboard Parts

That’s certainly not enough asadditional dirt and dust bunnies can get stuckin the VRM, chipset, or M.2 heatsink. In my case, theAMD Wraith Stealththermal solution was so dirty that all thedust was falling into the motherboard.

Also, you’ll have to replace thethermal paste or greasefrom the CPU if it hasn’t been changed for too long. The same goes for thermal pads.

So, we are going to disassemble every part of the system board. Keep in mind that this is a delicate process and yourequire a lot of patience. Also, the process will vary, so I’ve just mentioned the general steps below:

Remove Dust From the Mainboard

Now, you may place the naked motherboard back on the anti-static surface. Start blowing off dust from each section using compressed air or air duster.

While this will clear out all the dust bunnies and debris, themotherboard may still appear dusty. So, we’re now going to clean every corner and edge:

Can I clean the motherboard with water?

This is a common curiosity and myanswer is a straight NO!This canpermanently damage your motherboard.

I know you’ll find YouTube videos on the same subject where the PC is turned on even after rinsing well with soap and water. However, those are for experimental purposes.

Most parts of the motherboard are not rated for water cleaning.It’s even not recommended to apply rubbing alcohol directly. You’ll need to take extra caution when performing such a delicate task.

Clean Each Component and Reinstall

Now that your motherboard is neat and tidy, it’s time to dust off each disassembled part. Follow the below instructions to do it the right way. I’ve even linked dedicated guides if you want a detailed walk-through on each:

Finalize Cleaning Before Fitting Back the Motherboard

We are not done just yet! After deep cleaning the motherboard this well, we can certainly put a little more effort and time intocleaning the other components.

Use the Air Duster or Compressed Air toremove dust from the PC casefirst. Get into each corner and edge. Make use of a dampened microfiber cloth toremove tough stains.

Also, you may take thePSU out and wipe it. Also,clean each case fanandreinstall them. Don’t forget to remove dust from the filters (some PC cases come with two).

We’re yet to reach therear side of the PCB. For that, you canuse a brushand clean dust from the dirtiest sections.

Now, take note of the standoffs andfit the motherboard. Since even the screws can accumulate dirt and dust, I recommend wiping each of them using a microfiber cloth before screwing them into the respective holes.

Finally, clean your GPU and RAM sticks before reinstalling them.

Once everything is done and dusted, clean the panel, put it back, reconnect everything, andcheck if your PC boots up.

Since we had removed the CMOS battery earlier, it’s essential toload the optimized defaultsin BIOStoo.

That’s it! You have successfully cleaned your motherboard as well as the PC. Before taking it back,clean your workspace as well. And this time, place the computer where there’sproper airflowwithless dust.