I recently replaced the fans in my PC and now I'm left with my old, dirty ones. I'm not planning to use them anymore, but I'd like to clean them up before passing them on. Is it a good idea to submerge these fans in soapy water for washing and then just leave them to dry for a week? Or could this method damage them?
3 Answers
Hey, I wouldn’t recommend submerging them in soapy water. Soap can leave a residue inside the fan that might mess things up. Using distilled water might be okay if you can dry them thoroughly afterward, but honestly, a can of compressed air works much better for cleaning. You can pick up the dust without damaging any of the internal components.
Sure, you could submerge them, but you might just ruin them! Water can get into places it shouldn’t, and soap could strip the grease from the bearings. Honestly, it’s probably not worth the hassle when you can just blow the dust out with compressed air and be done with it.
Totally! Fans are cheap and easy to replace if needed, so saving the old ones isn’t really worth the risk.
Cleaning isn’t always about water! Just use rubbing alcohol (80% or higher), and a cloth or a damp rag to wipe them down. It’s better to keep the fans dry to avoid any risk with the electronics and bearings since moisture can cause issues down the line.
That’s a good point. If you do decide to wash them, make sure they dry really well. You don’t want moisture messing up everything inside!
Yeah, I agree with you! And if you're cleaning old fans, you might still need to wipe off any grime with rubbing alcohol after using compressed air.