A simple cheap natural bristle (not the stiff plastic bristles) paintbrush works just fine for most cleaning.
A little canned air finishes the job in most cases.
Just take it easy with the brush, as it's not hard to knock off very small components that aren't soldered well.
A light touch is all that it takes.
-
That said, I've had a motherboard from a chain-smoking household that had suck a coating of nicotine tar on it that I used a liquid spray called boardwash to spray the whole board and then used the paintbrush to lightly scrub the board.
+
That said, I've had a motherboard from a chain-smoking household that had such a coating of nicotine tar on it that I used a liquid spray called boardwash to spray the whole board and then used the paintbrush to lightly scrub the board.
I then rinsed the whole board with water in the sink, and after using compressed air to (softly) mostly dry the board, set it outside in the sun all day to dry.
I didn't power-on this board for a week, and when I did it was fine, and hardly smelled at all.
I can no longer find boardwash at the electronic supply store, but another product called Flux Remover does just fine.
Just remember, if you do use any liquid, DO NOT power on the board until well after it is COMPLETELY dry.
A simple cheap natural bristle (not the stiff plastic bristles) paintbrush works just fine for most cleaning.
A little canned air finishes the job in most cases.
Just take it easy with the brush, as it's not hard to knock off very small components that aren't soldered well.
A light touch is all that it takes.
That said, I've had a motherboard from a chain-smoking household that had suck a coating of nicotine tar on it that I used a liquid spray called boardwash to spray the whole board and then used the paintbrush to lightly scrub the board.
I then rinsed the whole board with water in the sink, and after using compressed air to (softly) mostly dry the board, set it outside in the sun all day to dry.
I didn't power-on this board for a week, and when I did it was fine, and hardly smelled at all.
I can no longer find boardwash at the electronic supply store, but another product called Flux Remover does just fine.
Just remember, if you do use any liquid, DO NOT power on the board until well after it is COMPLETELY dry.