
The cooling part is the fan and the cooling part is the radiator. The most important task is cooling the processor. This article will tell you how to clean a CPU cooler. The stability of the entire computer is dependent on how the cooling fan operates.
The main and most important component of the cooler is the fan because it is passive. Special care is required for Fan, like any mechanical device which has friction elements. There are noises, the fan starts to vibrate, and the quality of operation of the device is reduced because lubrication loses its properties over time.
The fan on the graphics card and the fan on the central processing unit need to be cleaned. Most of the people don’t know how to do it on their own, they take the computer to the mechanic and charge a lot for it. We will save your money, that’s what we will do. In this article, we are going to show you how to clean the cooler.
Contents
What Is A CPU Cooler?
When your PC system performs a lot of complex and heavy work, it’s important to get all the heat out of it with the help of the CPU cooler. If you don’t have a CPU cooler, you will face a huge heating issue which will affect the performance of the CPU and cause thermal throttling.
How To Clean CPU Cooler

The cleaning tools which are to be used are compressed air, paper towel or dry cloth, electronic vacuum- cleaned, cotton swabs, isopropyl alcohol, washing up liquid, and applying thermal paste. With the help of compressed air or canned air or a vacuum cleaner, you can clean the power source of the computer with the dry.
Before starting the cleaning process of the components, static electricity or static generation may be present. Re-installing the components of the computer and removing the fan are things that should be done with caution. It is a good idea to touch any metal object to make it static-free.
Cleaning Process
As the coolers get dustier, they accumulate dust over time. Dust can cause the airflow of the coolers to be disrupted. What do you think happens with that?
It will cause a decrease in the performance of the computer or the PC because it will increase the temperatures of the computer’s central processing unit. That’s the reason you need to clean the fans of the case.
We want to begin this, you have to remove the cooler from the board. It’s necessary to unfasten the cooler on the board. Start by turning the tabs on top of the push pins in the counterclockwise positions, the arrow should indicate to twist the tip, so just twist all four of them, after you have done that you should push them up out of the board.
The next thing to do is remove the heatsink from the fans. You should be able to pop the heatsink off if you know how to turn the cooler around and see that two tags are holding the fan onto the piston.
We want to remove dust and excess dirt that is stuck in between the big heat sink fins or in the fan blades, just run some water at high pressure over the heatsink. Once that is done, you just need to get a dry paper towel and wipe up the water.
You can clean the heatsink by using canned compressed air and taking the help of a vacuum cleaner or canned air to do it in a faster way. It’s possible to clean the actual fan while the heatsink is drying. If you want to remove the dust from the fan and the fence, just use a cloth with some alcohol.
How To Remove A CPU Cooler And Heatsink And Replace It With A New One?
We want to begin this, you have to remove the cooler from the board. Start by turning the tabs on top of the push pins in the counterclockwise positions, and the arrow should tell you where to twist the tip, after you have done that just push.
It’s a good idea to apply some new thermal paste on your computer before you install a new cooler. Make sure the push pins are lined up as straight as possible by placing the cooler straight on the processor.
If you want the push pins to be clockwise, twist the tabs of the push pins in the opposite direction. The only thing you have to do is push them into the board and you will hear a nice click. Ensuring that the fan is plugged into the board is the last thing you need to do after the cooler is nice and secure.
Now Assemble The Fan And The Heatsink Which Are Nice And Clean.
Make sure to either apply a mild solution of thermal compound or reapply thermal paste to your processor before installing the heatsink back to the board. Make sure the push pins are lined up as straight as possible by placing the fan straight on the processor.
The time should be clockwise when you twist the tabs of the push pins in the opposite direction. All you need to do is push them into the board and you will hear a nice click. After the cooler is nice and secure, the last thing you need to do is make sure the fan is plugged into the board.
How To Clean A CPU Fan Without Removing It

Toothpicks, cotton swabs, kitchen slightly moist tissue paper, and alcohol are some of the cleaning equipment.
- It’s a good idea to unplug every cable from your computer.
- After soaking the lint-free tissue in the alcohol, you should be able to clean the fan blades of the base.
- We will want to remove the huge amount of dirt and dust between the components, you have to use a toothpick or cotton swab.
- We want to get rid of the remaining dust and dirt from the heatsink, you have to soak the cotton swab in alcohol.
- Next, you can use the cotton swab to clean the downside of the heatsink.
You have to clean the fan thoroughly with a kitchen paper towel and remove all the wares.
FAQ’s – How To Clean A CPU Cooler
Can I Wash The CPU Fan With Water?
It’s not possible to wash anything that is electronically powered, but you can remove the cooler fan’s heatsink and wash it in water after drying it.
How Do You Clean A CPU Cooler Without Removing It?
Unplug your computer’s cables to avoid unnecessary risks. To clean the fan blades of the cooler, soak the tissue paper in alcohol and then wash them. Use a toothpick to remove the dust and dirt between the heatsink.
If you want to get rid of the remaining dust and dirt from the heatsink, you need to soak the cotton swab in alcohol. The cotton swab is the best way to clean the downside of the heatsink. You have to clean the fan with a kitchen paper towel and then remove the wares from it.
Conclusion
This article was about how to clean a CPU cooler with the help of compressed air, vacuum cleaner, damp cloth, thermal paste residues.
You should clean the heatsink regularly at least two inches more thoroughly to remove dust or clean the CPU fan. We hope that this article helped you gain all the information you needed to know How To Clean A CPU Cooler, thanks for reading!