Why Do Electronics Collect Dust Faster? [and How to Prevent it]

There are many electronics in the office. Computers, servers even kitchen appliances are just some of the examples of electronics in a typical office space. You may have wondered why these electronics always collect dust faster, why this happens and how to stop it.

In this article, we will answer this question and will discuss a few ways to prevent electronics from getting dusty all the time.

How Does Dust Affect Electronics?

First, we have to address how dust affects electronics. There are five main issues that dust causes in sensitive and essential office electronics like computers and servers.

Heat: dust plugs cooling system radiator grills and blocks air inlets. This will cause the temperature of components like the CPU to go up and reduce its performance. Also, constant operation under heat can degrade and damage the components and render them unusable.
Malfunction of Mechanical Parts: computers and servers have mechanical parts like cooling fans and mechanical hard drives. Dust can cause extra friction when enters the fan motor bearings. Dust is causing the fan to work slower and inefficiently. Also, while mechanical hard drives are well sealed, dust gets into them through thin and invisible gaps. This happens with older hard drives that lose their sealing strength over time. If dust gets into the hard drive, it will no longer work or store information.
Potential Electrical Short Contacts: there is a change that dust carries certain conductive particles that cause shorts between the electrical contacts and components of computers. This can cause critical damage that may require replacement.
Data Loss: problems that dust causes to mechanical hard drives, as mentioned above, can cause data loss with a lower chance of recovery. This not only stops business operations but also incurs heavy costs and compensations.
Service Outage: the last problem with dust in electronics is the service outage it causes for a business. Service outage for businesses and offices is a critical problem. Not only does it cause client dissatisfaction and damage to the assets but also incurs heavy costs of not operating as normally.

Keep in mind that these are damages that dust causes to sensitive electronics. Other appliances in the office like the refrigerator or coffee machine are also susceptible to damage if not dusted and cleaned properly.

Read More: Benefits of Office Cleaning

Reasons Electronics Collect Dust Faster

Electronics collect a lot of dust in a short time on their surface as well as inside them. The main reason is not entirely clear but research showed that it is because of:

Static electricity that electronics produce and pass on their surface, attracts the dust more than other items in the office.
Positive pressure inside the electronics like inside the computer case as fans are pushing more air into the case than out, causing the dust to trap inside.

Therefore, while static electricity attracts dust on the surface and around the computer, fans push the dust into the air inside the case. That is the main reason electronics always collect dust faster than other items in the office space.

Read More: Why Office Needs Deep Cleaning

How to Prevent Electronics From Getting Dusty

Let’s see how we can prevent electronics from collecting so much dust. There are solutions to reduce the amount of dust computers collect in the office space.

These solutions help businesses that have lots of computers and sensitive electronics in their office. Cleaning them will prevent issues like service outages, data loss or other problems that dust causes to electronics.

Here are 7 tried-and-tested solutions, or measures, to prevent electronics from getting dusty in the office environment.

#1 Reduce The Amount of Dust

An effective way to stop electronics from collecting dust is by reducing the general amount of dust in the office space. This is useful only for offices that have computers and may not work for server rooms or other sensitive equipment.

We have a full guide on how to reduce dust in office space that you can read and follow instructions in your workspace.

#2 Place Computers on The Desk

Putting computer case on the desk reduces the dust electronics collect

The lower levels of the office environment are dustier than higher levels since dust also follows gravity rules! Therefore, if you place the computer case on the desk instead of underneath it, you can take the first step to reduce the dust it collects over time.

If your computer is AIO and doesn’t have a case, you can mount it on a workstation arm instead. This not only allows better flexibility for the user but also significantly reduces the dust the computer collects.

Also, when the computers are on the desk and are more accessible, sporting dust on them is easier. Therefore, cleaners will clean and dust them more regularly and more easily.

#3 Leave Gaps Around Electronics

When electronics like computers, printers or fax machines are places shoved into tight corners, dust will accumulate around them faster. As a result, electronics will suck the dust inside because of the poor airflow. Therefore, leave a good gap around electronics to ensure there is good airflow and dust collection is slowed down.

#4 Use Dust Covers & Dust Filters

If the electronics are not being used, you can use dust covers on them to protect them from dust. Also, if the electronics don’t require cooling or don’t have mechanical fans, you can still cover it while it’s on.

However, for computers and servers that have fans and are constantly working, you can install special dust filters on the air inlet. Therefore, the dust will be trapped by the filter and only clean air will enter the case.

Installing Computer Case Dust Filters to Prevent Dust From Getting into the Computer Case — An example of a computer case dust filter

Just remember to wash or replace the filter regularly to make sure it is not plugged by dust and air can get into the computer to cool it down.

#5 Get Rid of Carpets or Vacuum Them Every Day

An effective way to reduce the amount of dust in the office environment is to vacuum carpets every day. Carpets are one of the places where dust lurks in the office. However, if there are a lot of computers working in the office or there is a server room, make sure to get rid of the carpet in those areas altogether.

#6 Install Air Purifiers

Air purifiers are an effective way to get rid of dust in the office environment. Offices with server rooms can install industrial air purifiers to reduce the amount of dust and prevent their sensitive electronics from collecting too much dust. Air purifiers are also effective for improving office air quality and have other benefits in terms of office cleaning.

#7 Control Humidity Using HVAC Systems

Humidity level and a little moisture in the office environment can reduce the amount of dust and other suspended particles in the air. Most HVAC systems in office spaces have humidity control that allows you to leverage them as a dust-control measure.

However, make sure to set the humidity level that is safe for humans and electronics. If it gets too tropical, condensation may form and cause catastrophic short circuits, damaging the electronics to the point of no repair.

Why Electronics Should Be Dusted

The reason why electronics should be dusted isn’t only about the equipment itself. It also provides health benefits for employees. Scientific research revealed that dust collected on electronics contains heavy metals.

Their analysis of electronic surface dust samples shows heavy metal contaminations that are hazardous for those present in the workspace. These heavy metal contaminants not only can make the office air unhealthy to breathe but also are dangerous if someone touches them without gloves or other protective gear.

Conclusion

Dust is the enemy of all sorts of electronics, especially sensitive ones like computers and servers. Electronics always collect dust faster as a result of the static electricity they produce on the surface and the positive pressure inside their case. Cleaning and dusting them not only extends their lifespan and prevents damage but also has health benefits for employees working with them.

In this article, we explored why electronics collect dust and how we can prevent it or reduce it. The information in this article can help you implement measures to prevent dust from damaging your sensitive equipment in the office. It also helps you realise why you should keep electronics clean and free of dust and how to control the dust in the environment in which such sensitive electronics are operating.

Why Do Electronics Collect Dust Faster and How to Prevent it?