Dust-Off® Computer Duster - NewWoodworker.com LLC

Yes it’s better than the shop-vac!

Text & photos by Tom Hintz

Posted – 5-30-2013

We all know that woodworking generates dust, usually in large quantities that manage to migrate to the smallest of important spaces. Electrical equipment such as computers can be of particular concern. While many of us have air compressors in the shop few have effective in-line driers so using them to blow dust out of a computer keyboard risks blowing IN moisture that is as bad as the dust itself. I have been tempted to try sucking the dust from my keyboards with a vacuum or shop-vac but have heard horror stories of those little keys disappearing down the hose.

The Basics

Dust-Off® Computer Duster is a specially prepared compressed gas in a can that is specifically designed for blowing dust out of computer (and similar) equipment. They list as potential uses CPU, keyboards, workstations as well as a bunch of typical household uses. If you can get dust inside of something Dust-Off® Computer Duster might be the right thing to eliminate those contaminants.

The 7oz cans have a trigger-style release that makes it easier to aim the pressure at the item needing dusting. A breakaway tab locks the trigger from the factory. Hold the nozzle 3 to 4” from what needs dusting and give it a shot by pulling the trigger. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

I am not going to try and guess what the gas is made up of or how they came up with the formula. Whatever it is you are not to shake the can before using and they say that what comes out of the can is 100% ozone safe. Because no matter what you put in an aerosol can some dope is going to try inhaling it so they add what they call a “bitterant” designed to discourage that kind of stupidity.

Using the Dust-Off® Computer Duster is simple. Don't shake the can, don;t spray in long bursts and hold the can a few inches from the keyboard. Be surprised at what you have been hiding under the keys.
Click image to enlarge

In the Shop

I almost did not include this section of the Dust-Off® Computer Duster review because its use is so self-explanatory. However, when I tried it on my laptop that does see occasional shop time (when not sanding) I was amazed at what came out of the keys that appeared essentially dust free before I began. I used the Dust-Off® Computer Duster as described and it really did clean out enough debris from under the keys that they feel different now! I noticed similar results when I cleaned my desktop keyboards as well.

Conclusions

My laptop gets nearly around the clock use but I would have never thought there was so much junk under the keys. Now I wonder how it kept working. The Dust-Off® Computer Duster certainly did what it advertises on my laptop and repeated that performance later when I cleaned up my desktop computers in the office.

The 7-oz cans shown in this review are selling for $7.79 ea. (5-30-2013) and appear to be available from lots of office supply and other general merchandise stores. Considering that a few shots of air cleaned each or my keyboards a can of Dust-Off® Computer Duster should last a while. I cleaned 5 computers with one can and it does not feel any different in weight from before I started.

Visit the Dust-Off® Computer Duster web site – Click Here

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