A crafter shocks Reddit with a photo. He has been tasked with cleaning a computer, and it is something else. Dirt, smoke, and grime from years of use have built up in masses.
What did the crafter post? The user enhanced_flower1 shares in his Reddit post from January 6, 2026 a PC picture of a customer. He explains that the customer was wondering why his device was so slow.
Opening the computer later shocked the Reddit user. He writes: “How can something like this even happen?”
The device was wrapped in thick layers of smoke from top to bottom. The CPU cooler, graphics card, and power supply fan were completely covered. Even the cables were already infested with brown soot deposits.
The motherboard appears to be an Intel model from 2013, as the LGA 1150 socket is visible. This suggests that the PC is likely several years old and has probably never been cleaned before. Why this would have been a good idea is highlighted by another user, who cleans his PC for the first time after 8 years.
In the Reddit comments, the crafter posts a second picture of the device the same day after he had blown it out with compressed air. The difference is enormous. The smoke deposits have almost completely disappeared, but the insides are still heavily soiled.
If you don’t feel like cleaning a gaming PC, you can instead take a look at the contents of the Switch 2:
Cigarettes harm not only your health
How harmful is smoking for your hardware? The short answer is: It is harmful. Not only can important air circulation be interrupted by the additional dirt, but your devices can also wear out faster.
In the crafter’s example, the cooling of the PC was likely severely affected, which in turn negatively impacts the performance of the device. Modern processors slow down due to lack of cooling to protect against overheating. As a result, you actively lose performance.
But not only lack of cooling is a problem for hardware. Stuck dirt can corrode electronics due to moisture. Parts of the electronics can be slowly attacked and decomposed by chemical reactions. In particular, high temperatures can indicate poor PC hygiene. One user was even surprised that you have to clean your computer at all.
From dirty PCs to advertising for research
What else does the user point out? Although the post is designed as a joke, the Reddit user also draws attention to a project by Stanford University. The so-called Folding. He added the website link to the project in a follow-up the same day.
It is software intended to loan the computing power of your computer to Stanford University’s research. This is aimed at advancing research on diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s.
According to the website, you do not have to provide sensitive data such as email or name, but you can for extra points within the application. You only need to install the software and choose how much power you want to lend and when.
Furthermore, it should be possible to select whether the program starts with the PC and whether it is always active. Alternatively, it should be possible to limit the use of the program by time. But not only on Reddit is there advertising for donations. Streamers also collect donations for good causes: Gronkh and PietSmiet raise over 1.75 million euros for a good cause on Twitch, breaking their own record.
