Cleaning Motherboard

[jinshifu]

Hey,

This sounds really stupid, but I have to ask. I accidently spilt orange soda on the floor, and some of it went through my 120mm fan.

Some of the soda got on the sound card/vid card/mobo. I have no idea why my computer didn't short circuit or something.

Compressed air clearly doesn't get rid of the stickyness from the cards. How do I get that stuff off? Cloth with cleaning alcohol?????

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[Turbo_VE_Max]

um, ya know I wonder if modern mobos have some kind of coating to help protect them. I once caught a friend of mine dremel a fan hole in the side of his computer...WHILE IT WAS ON!!!! and it never stopped working. Makes me sick.

If it doesnt bother you, dont worry about it, you may do more damage cleaning it up.
If you must clean it shut it down and unplug it from the wall and let it sit for 1-2 mins. Then use distilled water and a lint free rag and lightly clean everything.

Let it dry COMPLETELY before you power on.

 

[blue68f100]

That is going to be sticky.

I would use a warm water and a soft brush to remove the soda. While doing this, try to keep the solution from flowing underneath componets. Keep all the water away from the cpu and socket. You may want to do it in stages to keep solutions away from the cpu/socket. Then use alcohol to remove the excess water and blow dry. Most all boards these day are sealed, the problem arises from the surface mounted componets. Giving special attention to edges of chip where water can collect under chips. After you have finished I would set a fan to blow are across these (not powered up) to remove any fluids left behind, let it dry overnight. Then in the morning use the can air and verify that the cards and connectors are free of fluids. The pci slots may be a trouble spot.

 

[Mobius]

Don't listen to that last guy. That's idiotic.

This is definitely one time where the maxim "IF IT AINT BROKE: DON'T FIX IT!" applies.

Leave your sticky motherboard entirely alone. DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN IT.

 

[Turbo_VE_Max]

Don't listen to that last guy. That's idiotic.

This is definitely one time where the maxim "IF IT AINT BROKE: DON'T FIX IT!" applies.

Leave your sticky motherboard entirely alone. DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN IT.

Although I agree with you 100% That 'guy' did give the best advice on cleaning your motherboard. It just depends on the user. I spend too much time keeping my water cooling from leaking to even think about cleaning a mobo with the stuff. But then again no body likes a nasty feeling mobo.

Either way take care, and if you must clean it, let it dry. Overnight is not a bad time interval, either.

Good luck.

 

[o1die]

Please, LEAVE IT ALONE. I've read dozens of posts about guys who felt the need to clean or reaply thermal grease, only to screw up their pc's. Otherwise, you'll be wasting this forum's time with another post asking "how do I fix my pc?"

 

[blue68f100]

He asked how to clean it.

The minerals in the water and the carbonic acid in the drink. Either one can cause problems. All over fan blades. If it's a mess like he described it going to be a dust magnet. It' better to clean it now before it thickens up. If it's not bad just use a damp cloth and blot it. But in any way it muse be throughly dry.

And like some have sugest "if it ant broke don't fix it" does apply to those who can't change there own oir and wash their car.

If you built the pc you know how it comes apart. You should be able to clean it. I would proably use distilled water, it will not have any of the mineral to cause problems. And use it sparingly.

Good luck.

 

[jinshifu]

Alright, I'm gonna try the blot method on the sound card first.

I don't think I'll screw it up. The first mobo I used on this rig was the Asus-A8n SLI Deluxe when they had a really crappy fan. So, I got it replaced with a newer one, one with a fan that hasn't broken down yet. I had to clean off the thermal grease from the CPU using alcohol towlettes (the one you get at restaurants and airplanes), and it seems to still be working just fine.

And Blue is right, the stickyness is a dust magnet. The sticky portions are turning gray and fuzzy from the build up.

 

[blue68f100]

Working with field equipment, I use to remove boards and put them in a ultrasonic cleaners. There were severly steps but the final rinse was with alcohol to remove all evidence of water. But this was before they started sealing the bords and surface mount IC's. I also used nitrogen as a dry air source to blow the boards down. Stay away from any canned air that cools, will cause condensate. May be better to use a hair dryer with no heat.

 

[dimwhited]

if your computer was going to stop working because of the orange soda, it would have already

you got it all off with the compressed air, the stickyness doesnt matter

and yeah, mobo's are coated. you can laya copper wire straight across and it wouldnt do a thing.... dont go try that though

just leave it alone, stickyness isnt hurting anybody

 

[TheTallGuy]

Theres this stuff at home depot that you spray on and let dry, it removes pretty much anything. Forget what its called by it might do the trick. Completely safe for electronics, most people use it to get rid of finger prints and dust.

Its in a blue can is the best I can do to describe it.