PC Case: How to Clean Tempered Glass?

A lot of people often wonder about how to clean tempered glass. This is because they worry about damaging the glass while cleaning it, so they often hesitate to do it. However, the process is pretty simple and not that confusing. 

Key Takeaways

• Cleaning the tempered glass of your PC is important to maintain the overall clean look of your PC.
• There are multiple ways to clean the tempered glass, such as by using dish soap, baking soda, a mixture of distilled water and alcohol, and more.
• You must be extremely careful while cleaning it, as you can damage the tempered glass. 

Also Read: Best Quiet PC Cases

Why Does Your Tempered Glass Side Panel Get Dirty? 

You might be wondering why your PC’s tempered glass side panel accumulates so much grease and dirt even if you never touch it. Well, the answer to that question is that your PC has components that get quite hot when running for a long time.

This makes the internal space inside your PC become warm, which affects the tempered glass very badly. When internal components of your PC get too hot, oils surface and start evaporating. All of this can lead to vapors of oil getting stuck to your tempered glass PC side panel. This invites any accumulated dust inside your case to stick to the side panel, making it look greasy and dirty.

This is dangerous for other parts of your PC as well, so always keep your PC dust-free and give it a thorough cleaning once in a while. You an read our guide on how often you should clean your PC to understand things better. 

Why Use Tempered Glass?

Tempered glass is a special kind of glass that is quite durable and doesn’t break easily like normal glass. It is also a much safer option because its shattered pieces aren’t very sharp as compared to normal glass.

Tempered glass is also very resistant to scratches because of a resistive layer on its surface. This is why it is used for covering phone screens, monitor screens, tablet screens, etc.  

Lastly, tempered glass also helps with controlling high brightness and contrast which could be damaging to the eye.

A PC monitor or mobile phone with very high brightness and contrast will hurt your eyes but tempered glass provides a safe cover by preventing you from seeing these bright and high-contrast images. Also, before proceeding further, make sure to read about how to clean a motherboard. 

Common Mistakes While Cleaning Tempered Glass PC 

Most beginner PC builders don’t know how to clean tempered glass PC side panels. This prompts them to make common mistakes such as not using microfiber cloth and using multi-surface clean wipes instead and using the wrong products as solutions.  

Multi-surface clean wipes are a great solution for many household products such as mirrors and tables and clean a lot of dust very efficiently. But they’re not suitable for cleaning tempered glass PC side panels. This is because they leave footprints of the residue of soap behind.

They leave a lot of streaks and fibers, which aren’t hard to look at, making the PC side panel not look as clean as it should. They ruin the aesthetic and show a bad look on your PC. This is why you should always use a microfiber cloth when cleaning your PC side panel because it leaves no noticeable scratches or fibers.   

Another mistake that users make is using only water to clean the tempered glass PC side panel. This is quite ineffective because water can’t remove oils and grease stuck to the side panel. You will also notice scratches when drying out the water and smudges and footprints left behind. This is a really bad cleaning agent when you’re dealing with grease.  

Also, avoid using any vinegar as the acid is quiet deadly and can damage your tempered glass side panel.

It’s better not to use any hard chemicals at all as they could scratch and corrode the area. For hard-to-remove grease and stains, you can use alcohol wipes or dish wash soap. You might want to consider cleaning PC fans alongside if you haven’t done that in a while. 

Tools Needed To Clean Tempered Glass?

Before we jump directly to cleaning tempered glass, let us take a moment to make sure we have the right tools for it. Mentioned below is the list of things you will need in order to be able to properly clean a tempered glass side case without damaging it.

•  Rubber Gloves

Before you touch any chemicals, it is important to ensure the safety of your own hands first. For that, a pair of rubber gloves is recommended. Not only will it protect your hands from the chemicals in the glass cleaner, but it will also prevent any smudges or marks that you might leave on your tempered glass.

• Tempered Glass Cleaner

There are plenty of tempered glass cleaners available in the market that will remove all the dirt and smudges from your glass and leave it shining. Windex, Invisible Glass, and Mr. Muscle are some of the noteworthy ones.

•  Cotton Swabs

Cotton Swabs are necessary to remove any smudges and marks that won’t go easily without a fight. You can always dip them in the cleaner and rub the swabs over the marks to make sure they disappear.

• Microfiber Cloth

Microfiber cloths are recommended not for the side case of your PC but for anything that has a smooth glass surface that can easily be scratched. They are made from a soft nylon and polyester blend and are broken down into very small strands. This ensures that they won’t scratch your glass surface and leave additional marks.

•  Blower Fan

You can always use a blower to dry your newly cleaned tempered glass instantly without any fear of scratching it or leaving any marks. It can also be used to remove any additional dust present in your case.

How To Clean Tempered Glass

Now that you know what we’ve taken you through and what not to do, we’ll show you the simplest and most effective method of cleaning tempered glass. You might also be interested in learning about how to clean your PC without compressed air. 

Using Dish Soap, Water, And A Microfiber Cloth 

You can easily clean tempered glass PC using dish soap, water, and a microfiber cloth.  

First, shut off your PC and take the tempered glass side panel out of your PC case. Take out all the plugs and cables attached to your motherboard as well as the power cable on your PSU. You would also want to move into an area of open space for more airflow so that no dust from your PC enters your workspace.   

You can also use a wiper to rub the mixture of soap and water, which leaves no footprint at all. You’ll notice that after the side panel is dry, there will be no grease or dirt left on the case, making it look crystal clear.

By using a microfiber cloth, there will also be no scratches or weird marks left after cleaning. This is the easiest way of cleaning tempered glass, as all the items listed can easily be found in the house.  

Using Baking Soda And Distilled Water  

A popular cleaning method for tempered glass is to use baking soda mixed with distilled water in enough quantity that the solution gets quite a lot of foam.

This solution removes all the chemical impurities and is great for cleaning other household items and surfaces which have grease on them. With this, you can easily clear up all the scratches and grease on your PC tempered glass side panel.  

Clean the PC case with a few drops of this mixture and spread it with a microfiber cloth. Do this for both the internal and external surfaces of the tempered glass PC side panel.

A Mixture Of Distilled Water And Alcohol 

Another great cleaning agent for cleaning tempered glass is alcohol and water. You can use any isopropyl alcohol of 70% purity mixed in distilled water. The standard procedure is to add a few drops on the tempered glass and rub it with a microfiber cloth for both inside and outside of the PC case.

Apply it evenly without a lot of pressure to avoid scratches and smudges. And lastly, dry off the panel using a dry piece of cloth. 

Using Distilled Water And Windex  

Windex is a powerful cleaning agent, which is why you should spray just a little bit of it onto a paper towel. Don’t use too much as it could damage the material or surface of your tempered glass. First, use a wet cloth to clean the tempered glass.

Then evenly apply the paper towel of Windex and clean any grease and smudges. After that, apply another coat of water on top distilled water.  

A Mixture Of Shampoo And Water 

You can also use an even mixture of shampoo and water to clean tempered glass. Use a spray to apply a few drops of it onto the surface of the tempered glass on your PC. You can use a microfiber cloth or a wiper to spread it evenly and clean it without leaving any prints and smudges. Don’t apply too much pressure or scratches that might appear on your tempered glass, making you redo the whole process. 

By Mixing Toothpaste And Water 

Another alternative for cleaning tempered glass is by mixing toothpaste in water. Spread a little bit of toothpaste onto a toothbrush and mix it in a glass of tap water.

Once you have a soapy mixture, apply it to the tempered glass side panel. With that done, you can use a microfiber to wipe it evenly, leaving no scratches or smudges behind. Just don’t apply too much pressure, or it could create new problems. 

How To Prevent Damaging Tempered Glass While Cleaning It?

One of the reasons why so many people end up damaging their tempered glass is that they don’t know what materials to avoid when cleaning tempered glass. Here are the materials you should never use on your tempered glass. First of all, you have to make sure you never use harsh chemicals like bleach, alcohol, dishwashing soap, or any harsh cleaner that is not specifically designed for tempered glass. These harsh chemicals can deplete the oleophobic coating on top of your tempered glass.

This will make it seem like your tempered glass is covered in smudges and marks which will not go off. Another type of material that can severely damage your tempered glass is harsh scrubbing materials. Things like rough sponges, brushes, dishwashing steel spirals, and paper towels. These can easily scratch your tempered glass, leaving it with scratches that will not be going any time soon. To prevent that from happening, always use a microfiber cloth and chemicals that are designed specifically for tempered glass, as they will not damage it during the cleaning.

Despite all these precautions, you can always go the extra mile by being careful with the cleaning. Make sure you are gentle with the wiping. You can prepare a mild solution with your cleaning solution by adding a proportion of water to it if you feel like your current solution is too harsh. Lastly, for removing the residue of the solution, you can be extra careful by using a microfiber cloth and being super gentle from top to bottom without applying too much pressure. You can also dry it with a blower which will eliminate any chances of you scratching and damaging it. These are some of the ways you can use to prevent damaging your tempered glass while cleaning it.

Takeaways

In this article, we answered the question of how to clean tempered glass PC. We discussed reasons to use tempered glass, why tempered glass gets so dirty, common beginner mistakes, the best way to clean tempered glass, and alternative methods for cleaning tempered glass PC.

We recommend cleaning your entire PC thoroughly when cleaning your side panel as well to avoid it from getting dirty quickly. It will also help with keeping your PC cool and increase airflow. Hopefully, that cleared up any doubts in your mind about cleaning the tempered glass side panels in your PC case. Before leaving, do read about how to clean thermal paste off the CPU.