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[Note: For now I am updating and maintaining this post like my own personal sticky.]
This is a bad idea right?
It's a normal thing. As long as there is no power it's not a problem.
(@ the video) Water should be flushed with isopropyl though. IMHO anyway.
What I do:
First if it has a battery I remove it. (Like mobo or RAID card BIOS battery.)
Next I spot clean any flux left from soldering that is too much for the following cleaning to handle.
If needed I spray it down with a particular cleaner that degreases and even removes tobacco smoke residue.
(Is called "Mean Green" - not to be confused with Simple Green which is much weaker.)
Then I rinse in hot water. Often via shower head. Hot water evaporates quicker.
I then use 91% isopropyl from a spray bottle as it leaves no residue, absorbs any remaining water and evaporates fast.
I do not use the isopropyl sparingly, I use a lot. The idea is to physically flush/rinse the water and any residue in it off.
The isopropyl flush is last because most tap water has mineral salts that water last would leave behind.
(Make sure to direct isopropyl spray into slots, ports, sockets and under chips where water hides/clings.)
Last I hang it to air dry somewhere with some airflow to help it along. A sunny back porch is great. With isopropyl it doesn't take much.
I don't use heat guns or similar (here, this climate) unless it's really humid out and even then only to get things started.
If it's humid -and- cold (as it has gotten other places I've lived) then I will hang it in the bathroom with a space heater adjusted to about 80F and with the exhaust fan going after getting the bulk of the isopropyl off with a hair dryer. Very rarely necessary in the climate I currently live in.
[edit]
Compressors - keropi reminded me.
If you have a compressor a bit of compressed air can help speed things up after the water and after the isopropyl.
I have an oil free one for the purpose but I only really use it for big boards (EATX) or when it isn't sunny out.
Oil free is important because standard compressors can sputter tiny amounts of oil onto you boards.
If yours is not oil free I would only use it after the water and before the isopropyl.
The Isopropyl flush will remove small amounts of oil.
[edit]
What I did before I knew about Mean Green. After deciding volatile chemicals are not for me.(Link)
- Depending on a person's situation these alternate methods may be more useful.
I tried a number of other products before I heard about Mean Green. Things like Simple Green, 409, Awesome, Fantastic and things like that.
None of them except the following did a good job when compared to Mean Green.
Both methods below use a strong dish washing solution (I prefer Dawn) as the cleaner.
These only replace the Mean Green section of the procedure above. The sections before and after remain the same.
--- The kitchen sink method.
Fill the sink with hot water.
Add about 4x as much dish soap as you use for dishes. (More if you use a weak soap.)
Submerge the board.
Pull the board up and down through the soapy water to create flow (agitation) across the surface of the board.
Now move on to the rinse and following steps.
(I once (via internet) walked someone through recovering industrial boards that got sprayed down (drenched) with machinery lube oil due to a leak. Those boards needed this washing several times to get all the oil off but in the end every one was recovered to 100% operational. Replacing the boards would have cost several thousand dollars.)
--- The sprayer method. (Good when you have a bunch of boards to do.)
Acquire a 1 to 2 gallon garden sprayer. The kind that pumps-up and is usually used to spray weed killer.
Fill with hot water.
Add a lot of Dawn (or similar, more if you use a weaker soap). If using Dawn 4 to 6 oz per gallon.
Pick it up and turn it end for end a few times to mix while minimizing forming suds.
Spray down the boards. The force of spray should be enough agitation.
Now move on to the rinse and following steps.
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GRUMPY OLD FART - On Hiatus, sort'a
Mann-Made Global Warming. - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.