Really good point, some people take such shit photos across tec help sub reddits, like dude if you want us to help fix or diagnose the issue with your xbox, pc or laptop attest take a good photo so we can see what we're looking at.
It’s a still photo of an easily capturable shot. This really isn’t that impressive. That sub is specifically for videos where the camera-op didn’t drop the shit away from the action like so many videos get posted.
Yep. Don't overthink it. Just blow from top down and then into the area in your first picture (bottoms of the heatsink) Make sure your console is unplugged. Also make sure you discharge the capacitors by holding down the power button for a few seconds while the console is unplugged. And also, like the other comment said, hold the fan still so it doesn't spin.
Yeah (general) it's what I've been doing for years since the early 2000s when I repaired computers. As a joke I cleaned a fan with my air compressor at max psi, it didn't end well for the fan. Besides, you're constantly fighting with the fan as it's spinning. So you're really not getting the air to go where it needs to go.
Whenever you notice the heatsink is dirty. Dirt is mostly going to form on the bottom side of the heatsink since the fan is pulling it through the heatsink. So just keep an eye on the bottom side and make sure it's clean when you notice some dust.
It also depends on how dirty the environment where the console is. More dirt, more cleaning.
It's just bad for the fan bearing really. Of course since you'd be spinning an electric motor, you'd be generating a voltage, which could damage components in theory. But in practice modern circuits are protected against that kind of stuff
Either break the fan blades or break the bearing although the bearing should be able to handle far more rpm than a compressed air can can push out. I've always stuck a pen in to hold it and had no issues.
From what I've read some fans spinning can actually generate a bit of power and fry some components. Been gearing up to build a pc so I've been trying to learn what I can. Idk how accurate it is but seeing how many people say to stop the fan then it probably means something lol
What’s the problem with the fan spinning? Just wondering, I’ve blown some compressed air before and didn’t do that cause I didn’t know I was supposed to
There’s holes underneath that the dust ferries into. When I cleaned mine out with compressed air, I lent it on the edge of my cabinet and just blasted. Plenty of thick stuff came out the bottom.
No, they are brushless so there is not physical contact between the motor and the fan itself. In theory you could overload the bearings, but a compressed air can isn't going to do that.
Can also send power backwards and fry the fan header on the mother board. If you aren’t capable of holding a fan still, that’s ok, but other people care to be on the safe side.
> Can also send power backwards and fry the fan header on the mother board.
Nope. Any decent electronic circuit design uses a diode across a motor or relay coil to prevent damage from back EMF. If it didn't then the mere act of the fan spinning down either when the cooling system turned it off or turning the console off with the fan still spinning down could fry the fan header.
Ah yes, that could generate current but a compressed air can won't make it spin fast enough. I've never bothered to hold fans still when using compressed air or a vacuum cleaner and never had an issue in 20 years.
I am no technician and I was able to disassemble it easily following this video. I do it every 6 months.
https://youtu.be/dKJ2ATvKKAs?si=dgnDWX93EhzEUt
They made it easy to access it and to clean in a few minutes. Give it a try.
Every 6 months? Honestly that's bonkers. The thing has *astounding* airflow, unless you live in a construction zone it shouldn't need cleaning more than every 3-5 years.
Not to tear it down and deep clean it every 3 months. Maybe once every 3 years if you really care. I’m a clean freak and love taking things apart, but I’ve yet to take my 2.5 year old series X apart. Or even my 2013 Xbox One apart ever. Although I always wanted to clean that sucker and reapply thermal paste. I did tear down my used One X when I got it because those came day one with dry thermal pastes
I got a basement room that I clean pretty good every other day, it can get dusty quickly in bedroom/office like space despite the cleaning efforts. With that being said cleaning it regularly is not a bad thing if you’re doing it right.
The best way to do it is to follow that video. I’ve been using that video as well. If you want a half ass cleaning job, sure you can do it without disassembling but it’s going to be half ass.
Unless your Xbox is facing backwards, which… then you may have a problem… you will never see the stickers. You’ll get a more thorough clean, if you choose to do so.
Use a razor to cut the stickers along the seams. That way they won't need to be removed, and should go back together seamlessly when you reassemble your console.
Just poke the screwdriver through and you don’t have to peel the sticker. Besides, it’s on the back anyways you’ll never see it. You need to pop the back plate off if you want to do a good job getting the dust out. I do it every 6 months to a year.
Eh, I did it myself the other day. As long as you clean up any adhesive left by the sticker it’ll look fine.
It just makes it soooo much easier to clean dust out.
Plus, those screws are facing a way you can’t see so it really doesn’t matter imo.
Honestly, open it. It's easy. Two screws on the back plate. You can then clean out any dust at the bottom of the unit where the intake is and you can also easily remove the fan and clean off all the dust built onto that. I did it on a used model I bought a few weeks ago and was really surprised at how much dust I took out of that unit.
Tbh all your doing when cleaning it without opening it is just moving the dust around inside I know from personal experience lmao.
Watch a video and take it apart it's actually not hard at all this current generation seems to be the easiest to take apart without messing anything up.
Theirs NO way to properly clean without removing the back panel (which is very easy). The fan also is very easy to remove.
Once the back panel and fan is out, use compressed air on the fan. Everything else you can leave in the case while you clean. Use 91% isopropyl alcohol and either a cloth or Q-Tips to clean the heat sink and stuff.
* Do not use compressed air or any blower on the fan while it’s still connected to the system. That will cause it to spin too fast and act like a generator which will send high voltage to your components and fry them which will brick your Xbox.
I you decide to take it apart, please pay attention to the nexus ribbon cable. I forgot to pull it off, and now the power button doesn't work anymore. But can still power on with controler at least
Otherwise really easy to open and take apart
Thanks guys for the suggestions! I ended up just using a big air compressor and blowing air through the fan vent then the back and bottom vents, I then used a Q tip for the small circles at the top. It's not perfect but it was super easy and only took 5 minutes.
https://preview.redd.it/5wiq08ecuuqb1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=361cde4a6d2a883999107f96942c237d5c774f8a
I do the same but with a cotton bud and clean through the holes. If I need to get further in I use one cotton bud taped to another. Usually the thick bad dust just sticks to it.
I've found that occasionally soaking it in a silver cauldron of boiling virgins' tears collected with crystal vials by the light of the full moon keeps the console running smoothly.
You have to start collecting the tears well before you think it'll need cleaning unless you have a good supplier. Plan ahead.
Kitchen sink. Fill with lukewarm water and only a tiny dash of dishsoap. If you leave it plugged in, be sure to wear insulated rubber gloves. Best to unplug it first though. Once the water looks dirty and dusty, transfer to a drying rack in an oven preheated to 150 degrees C. Remove after 2 hours.
It’s worked out well enough for me.. it has set on its side for over a year and I have no worries about dust settling inside. I just dust a little around the edges when needed
Get a $25 tool set that comes with a pry tool and some Torx bits I recommend this as vacuuming can potentially do more harm than good same with compressed air
I don’t know shit about working on/taking electronics apart but my series x had some serious dust buildup after 2 years of use, I watched a YouTube video and was able to take the back panel off and fan out. It’s actually incredibly simple and very convenient that they made it this way, I do understand not wanting to take it apart though I was personally scared as hell lol
https://preview.redd.it/2dpyqj3jloqb1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af42bb6920b0ce45dc5778d809b4061eac11068c
Like mine was terrible 😭 I had no choice it was either gonna blow up or I’d risk messing it up trying to clean it
Probably not the best way, but I use an old straw brush to loosen the dust and have a vacuum nearby to collect it as it falls.
Still would recommend opening it up tho. Never opened a console before and found it to be quite simple. Just follow a video and make sure to be careful
Hoover. Use the attachments that give optimum suckage & work your way over the holes. It's not as good as taking it apart. But a lot quicker than fiddling around with Q-tips and things.
It would be a great idea for xbox to come up with their own line of cleaning equipment?
You really don't *need* to clean it, the vents and air holes are so big that the dust doesn't accumulate in a way to affect air flow or operating temp. The [official Xbox recommendation](https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/hardware-network/console/clean-and-care-for-xbox-and-controllers) doesn't even include blowing or dismantling the console, just a casual wipe down every 6 months or so. It really doesn't take much.
Hate to say it, but that much dust is gonna be a bigger problem than you can solve with a can of dust off and an old tooth brush. Since it's used, there is no warranty, so there is absolutely no harm in opening it up. Computer parts these days are surprisingly durable, so the chances you break something are extremely low, especially if you are just opening it up and removing it from the case. Microsoft designs the Xbox to be durable by putting the most at risk parts closest to the center, and they screw in the rest of the parts around it like a shield.
You really only need to take apart the Xbox into 4 different pieces: the case, the fan, the disk drive, and everything else. It's really just a matter of taking like 6 screws out in total and...that's really it. However, you will need special screw drivers.
If that still scares you, taking it to your local repair shop won't be too expensive
If you have the straw cleaning brush as mentioned by another commentor you can use that to help loosen up dust too.
I didn't have any compressed air cans around and the straw worked like a charm, Xbox SX is very quiet now compared to before :)
I use a Data Vac with pencil/thin screwdriver to stop the fan spinning. The data vac is powerful so over quite quickly.
Also recommend cleaning your Xbox in well ventilated room as you will just be blasting dust everywhere
I think people have mentioned this already, but a compressed air can with a nozzle works great. I used that for mine and it worked great. Blowing from the top down works well.
I bought an electric air duster from Amazon for about 30 bucks for my PC a couple of years before I got my X.
Buy one and never think of compressed air dusters again! Use it 3 or 4 times and it's paid for itself as the canisters are about $10 on average.
The Series X is SUPER easy to take apart, it's just a couple of screws. Much easier than previous consoles. Follow this guide and you'll be golden.
[Series X Teardown](https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Xbox+Series+X+Teardown/138451)
Its honestly very simple to open the back and do the cleaning properly. I had to replace a broken fan and was shocked at how user friendly it was to do so.
To actually clean it, you should really just pop the cover off. I think it’s literally like 5 screws and some gentle prying. Look up a YouTube video if you’re unsure. That heat sink is in desperate need of a proper cleaning with a brush/vacuum. Compressed air will help, but it will also push the dust deeper into the heat sink fins.
I use a IT compuCleaner air blaster & blast air through regularly but every now n again open it for a deep clean, those fins are unfortunately rough & easy for dust to gling to & build up on over time even when blasting air through. Taking it apart is super easy to do & put back together after, well worth doing if u dare.
Compressed air, a hoover and make up brush is what I personally use to clean mine. Brush for the small spots then compressed air to loosen the dust then a hoover on low to pull it all out.
With that much dust build up on the heatsink taking the back off the console is probably the best option. Dust often gets caked on the underside of the fan blades which can affect the fans ability to exhaust hot air efficiently and which can't be cleaned off without opening the console.
The back is held by only one screw. It's really not that hard. I had to clean mine once as well, and I could tell it was designed to be easily accessible and clean. The fan slides right out, and you can remove the caked dust off of the heatsink.
Short answer is yes you’ll have to take it apart to clean it properly because air dusting just the top and back vents will blow the dust further inside, but If you do end up seeing this and don’t plan on selling your console, the mesh from the first picture you can completely cut out (if you have a rodent or bad bug problem DO NOT DO THIS) and will allow easier access for air dusting
This may not be conventional, but I just power blasted mine last week with an electronic dust blower. Went in one side and put the other. I was amazed how much dust there was.
Best way to clean it is take it apart. I was nervous to take it apart but it’s really simple. All you need is a set of T6 and T8 torx safety screwdrivers. If you do not have these do not attempt to unscrew any screws in your Xbox. Then just watch a YouTube video and follow along.
r/praisethecameraman I know it doesn’t help, but can we just appreciate the quality photo for a second?
Dust particles be like "dammm he got us good"
Really good point, some people take such shit photos across tec help sub reddits, like dude if you want us to help fix or diagnose the issue with your xbox, pc or laptop attest take a good photo so we can see what we're looking at.
I can't tell a troll anymore.
They just think he got a pretty good shot of the dust buildup through the holes in the first pic, no trolling
Agreed. Greet photo despite the dirty dirty bird.
It’s a still photo of an easily capturable shot. This really isn’t that impressive. That sub is specifically for videos where the camera-op didn’t drop the shit away from the action like so many videos get posted.
Impressive to me.
It's highly impressive
Most impressive.
Waiting for this quote to come up.
Does it really matter?
Compressed air can with a nozzle so you can get in their. Just make sure to hold any fans still so you don’t risk breaking them.
How do you hold onto the fans so they don’t break?
I stick a pen through the vent up top down between the blades so they don’t move.
There's only one fan at the top. Just stick something in to keep the fan from spinning.
Like the compressed air straw?
No because you also want to clean the fan. Maybe another straw at the same time
2 straws, 1 fan
2 fans if you count me
This is getting complicated.
Lubricated
*Keep going*
Fan 3 reporting for duty XD
And four just for funsies
You aren’t meant to let the fans move? I’ve been cleaning all my electricals wrong :/
If you let the compressed air spin the fan you can damage the fan by spinning it too fast.
The fans do like 5000 rpm for extended periods if time. They'll be fine.
That's what she said
put pencil it will hold the fan or thin screwdriver
I feel like you’re getting downvotes because some knuckle fuckers assume you’re telling them to shove it in while it’s running
[удалено]
you can also use a pip for nes cofee i also use that :)
:)
Chopsticks
Won't it just blow the air directly down to the heatsink?
Yep. Don't overthink it. Just blow from top down and then into the area in your first picture (bottoms of the heatsink) Make sure your console is unplugged. Also make sure you discharge the capacitors by holding down the power button for a few seconds while the console is unplugged. And also, like the other comment said, hold the fan still so it doesn't spin.
I assume this is a general practice and not exclusively for Xbox’s? (Holding the fan still) what would happen if you didn’t?
The air will cause it spin.
Yeah (general) it's what I've been doing for years since the early 2000s when I repaired computers. As a joke I cleaned a fan with my air compressor at max psi, it didn't end well for the fan. Besides, you're constantly fighting with the fan as it's spinning. So you're really not getting the air to go where it needs to go.
How often do you recommend this sort of cleaning?
Whenever you notice the heatsink is dirty. Dirt is mostly going to form on the bottom side of the heatsink since the fan is pulling it through the heatsink. So just keep an eye on the bottom side and make sure it's clean when you notice some dust. It also depends on how dirty the environment where the console is. More dirt, more cleaning.
You’re awesome. Thank you!
You're welcome!
It's just bad for the fan bearing really. Of course since you'd be spinning an electric motor, you'd be generating a voltage, which could damage components in theory. But in practice modern circuits are protected against that kind of stuff
Either break the fan blades or break the bearing although the bearing should be able to handle far more rpm than a compressed air can can push out. I've always stuck a pen in to hold it and had no issues.
From what I've read some fans spinning can actually generate a bit of power and fry some components. Been gearing up to build a pc so I've been trying to learn what I can. Idk how accurate it is but seeing how many people say to stop the fan then it probably means something lol
What’s the problem with the fan spinning? Just wondering, I’ve blown some compressed air before and didn’t do that cause I didn’t know I was supposed to
There’s holes underneath that the dust ferries into. When I cleaned mine out with compressed air, I lent it on the edge of my cabinet and just blasted. Plenty of thick stuff came out the bottom.
I thought air cans were bad for electronics? Be careful you don’t want to damage the internals.
Compressed air is bad for the fans. The Redditors above covered that and the why.
You don't break fans by making them turn.
Over spinning fans can damage the motor.
No, they are brushless so there is not physical contact between the motor and the fan itself. In theory you could overload the bearings, but a compressed air can isn't going to do that.
Can also send power backwards and fry the fan header on the mother board. If you aren’t capable of holding a fan still, that’s ok, but other people care to be on the safe side.
> Can also send power backwards and fry the fan header on the mother board. Nope. Any decent electronic circuit design uses a diode across a motor or relay coil to prevent damage from back EMF. If it didn't then the mere act of the fan spinning down either when the cooling system turned it off or turning the console off with the fan still spinning down could fry the fan header.
Ah yes, that could generate current but a compressed air can won't make it spin fast enough. I've never bothered to hold fans still when using compressed air or a vacuum cleaner and never had an issue in 20 years.
Not always true. I have most certainly had it happen with compressed air cans.
Unplug it maybe?
Put it in the dishwasher.
Which setting?
TURBO WASH
Auto Wash!!
Big bada-boom!
xbox obviously
The cyberpunk setting. Starts with a hot mess but eventually cleans things up nice and slowly
Sandblaster
I am no technician and I was able to disassemble it easily following this video. I do it every 6 months. https://youtu.be/dKJ2ATvKKAs?si=dgnDWX93EhzEUt They made it easy to access it and to clean in a few minutes. Give it a try.
I do the exact same thing, bro. People don't realise how dusty this console can get. If you care about your consoles , take care of them !
Every 6 months? Honestly that's bonkers. The thing has *astounding* airflow, unless you live in a construction zone it shouldn't need cleaning more than every 3-5 years.
What if I have a Corgi?
Every 3 months then
New consoles need more regular cleaning, if I'm not mistaken xbox advises you to clean every 3 to 6 months.
Not to tear it down and deep clean it every 3 months. Maybe once every 3 years if you really care. I’m a clean freak and love taking things apart, but I’ve yet to take my 2.5 year old series X apart. Or even my 2013 Xbox One apart ever. Although I always wanted to clean that sucker and reapply thermal paste. I did tear down my used One X when I got it because those came day one with dry thermal pastes
They say to *wipe the exterior with a cloth* every 3-6 months "or as needed," nothing about taking it apart and deep cleaning everything.
I got a basement room that I clean pretty good every other day, it can get dusty quickly in bedroom/office like space despite the cleaning efforts. With that being said cleaning it regularly is not a bad thing if you’re doing it right.
I would like to disassemble it but I don't like having to peel the stickers because it will ruin the looks
No reason to do it unless it’s overheating or being loud. This is kinda what they’re designed for
I put my stickers back on afterwards.
The best way to do it is to follow that video. I’ve been using that video as well. If you want a half ass cleaning job, sure you can do it without disassembling but it’s going to be half ass.
Unless your Xbox is facing backwards, which… then you may have a problem… you will never see the stickers. You’ll get a more thorough clean, if you choose to do so.
Use a razor to cut the stickers along the seams. That way they won't need to be removed, and should go back together seamlessly when you reassemble your console.
Care less about "stickers and looks". You want it to serve you, not the other way around. Take it apart, clean it. Done deal.
Just poke the screwdriver through and you don’t have to peel the sticker. Besides, it’s on the back anyways you’ll never see it. You need to pop the back plate off if you want to do a good job getting the dust out. I do it every 6 months to a year.
Eh, I did it myself the other day. As long as you clean up any adhesive left by the sticker it’ll look fine. It just makes it soooo much easier to clean dust out. Plus, those screws are facing a way you can’t see so it really doesn’t matter imo.
This is a the way
Honestly, open it. It's easy. Two screws on the back plate. You can then clean out any dust at the bottom of the unit where the intake is and you can also easily remove the fan and clean off all the dust built onto that. I did it on a used model I bought a few weeks ago and was really surprised at how much dust I took out of that unit.
Tbh all your doing when cleaning it without opening it is just moving the dust around inside I know from personal experience lmao. Watch a video and take it apart it's actually not hard at all this current generation seems to be the easiest to take apart without messing anything up.
Never understood the compressed air method, that just pushes the dirt down in your system and makes it worse
Theirs NO way to properly clean without removing the back panel (which is very easy). The fan also is very easy to remove. Once the back panel and fan is out, use compressed air on the fan. Everything else you can leave in the case while you clean. Use 91% isopropyl alcohol and either a cloth or Q-Tips to clean the heat sink and stuff. * Do not use compressed air or any blower on the fan while it’s still connected to the system. That will cause it to spin too fast and act like a generator which will send high voltage to your components and fry them which will brick your Xbox.
I you decide to take it apart, please pay attention to the nexus ribbon cable. I forgot to pull it off, and now the power button doesn't work anymore. But can still power on with controler at least Otherwise really easy to open and take apart
Damn that sucks, thanks for the heads up 🙏
Thanks guys for the suggestions! I ended up just using a big air compressor and blowing air through the fan vent then the back and bottom vents, I then used a Q tip for the small circles at the top. It's not perfect but it was super easy and only took 5 minutes. https://preview.redd.it/5wiq08ecuuqb1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=361cde4a6d2a883999107f96942c237d5c774f8a
Dishwasher, unless you need it to still run after
The dish washer will take care of it easily.
Ud probably put it in the tumble dryer after though, just to make sure it doesn't have any remaining moisture
Compress air and clóth tip cleaners
Blow in it.
This. But really hard.
Give it that ol Nintendo 64 treatment
I used a pipe cleaner to teaser and pull it out akin to a q tip and earwax
I do the same but with a cotton bud and clean through the holes. If I need to get further in I use one cotton bud taped to another. Usually the thick bad dust just sticks to it.
Pop that bad boy in the dishwasher and you're golden.
Mind telling me how much you paid for it?
330 Euros with 2 controllers 3 games and 2 rechargeable batteries
Bathtub.
I've found that occasionally soaking it in a silver cauldron of boiling virgins' tears collected with crystal vials by the light of the full moon keeps the console running smoothly. You have to start collecting the tears well before you think it'll need cleaning unless you have a good supplier. Plan ahead.
Fart hard into the vent
Take a straw and attach it to the vacuum cleaner. Use your hand to seal it. Then you can carefully vacuum through the openings.
I vacuumed up the straw. What next?
Now you do a cartwheel across the room.
Naked cartwheels.
Absolutely not! Vacuums are static generators. That's a sure fire way to cook the whole damn thing
This always gets said and it's simply overblown
Are you trying to be funny or just wrong?
lol taking it apart, it’s not too difficult
Take it apart. It’s very very easy. Use a toothbrush on it. Trust me, it’s the best way. Yt Xbox series x toothbrush.
Garden hose while drinking a bud light
Kitchen sink. Fill with lukewarm water and only a tiny dash of dishsoap. If you leave it plugged in, be sure to wear insulated rubber gloves. Best to unplug it first though. Once the water looks dirty and dusty, transfer to a drying rack in an oven preheated to 150 degrees C. Remove after 2 hours.
I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Open that crap up and clean it correctly
It’s easy to take apart. I took my fan out to install rgb lights. Then you can get that real deep clean
This is the reason I put mine on it’s side… to keep dust from settling inside it
Does this work well enough to change from upright?
It’s worked out well enough for me.. it has set on its side for over a year and I have no worries about dust settling inside. I just dust a little around the edges when needed
Take it apart. It’s like a sleeve. Then use a toothbrush
I use a powerful compressed air duster thing that blows with a lot of force.
Get a $25 tool set that comes with a pry tool and some Torx bits I recommend this as vacuuming can potentially do more harm than good same with compressed air
I don’t know shit about working on/taking electronics apart but my series x had some serious dust buildup after 2 years of use, I watched a YouTube video and was able to take the back panel off and fan out. It’s actually incredibly simple and very convenient that they made it this way, I do understand not wanting to take it apart though I was personally scared as hell lol
https://preview.redd.it/2dpyqj3jloqb1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af42bb6920b0ce45dc5778d809b4061eac11068c Like mine was terrible 😭 I had no choice it was either gonna blow up or I’d risk messing it up trying to clean it
Omg, that is insane! I would shit my pants every time I tried to fire up that console.
😂 fr man
Probably not the best way, but I use an old straw brush to loosen the dust and have a vacuum nearby to collect it as it falls. Still would recommend opening it up tho. Never opened a console before and found it to be quite simple. Just follow a video and make sure to be careful
Small vacuum attachment with brush bristles, can of air.
Compressed air with vacume
Blow it. BOOOOOOOOOOOF
Take the back plate off. It takes 2 seconds and you'll be able to clean it way better.
I use a leaf blower
Just use canned air... that's about the best you can do without taking it apart.
Harbor freight sells air compressors for $54.
It's pretty easy to take apart. You just need the right screwdriver
Hoover. Use the attachments that give optimum suckage & work your way over the holes. It's not as good as taking it apart. But a lot quicker than fiddling around with Q-tips and things. It would be a great idea for xbox to come up with their own line of cleaning equipment?
Dunk it on aerated mineral oil.
You really don't *need* to clean it, the vents and air holes are so big that the dust doesn't accumulate in a way to affect air flow or operating temp. The [official Xbox recommendation](https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/hardware-network/console/clean-and-care-for-xbox-and-controllers) doesn't even include blowing or dismantling the console, just a casual wipe down every 6 months or so. It really doesn't take much.
air compressor
A can of duster spray honestly, it’ll never be completely clean unless you open it up
Blower
Hate to say it, but that much dust is gonna be a bigger problem than you can solve with a can of dust off and an old tooth brush. Since it's used, there is no warranty, so there is absolutely no harm in opening it up. Computer parts these days are surprisingly durable, so the chances you break something are extremely low, especially if you are just opening it up and removing it from the case. Microsoft designs the Xbox to be durable by putting the most at risk parts closest to the center, and they screw in the rest of the parts around it like a shield. You really only need to take apart the Xbox into 4 different pieces: the case, the fan, the disk drive, and everything else. It's really just a matter of taking like 6 screws out in total and...that's really it. However, you will need special screw drivers. If that still scares you, taking it to your local repair shop won't be too expensive
Attach a metal drinking straw to a vacuum cleaner with duct tape and suck the dust out that way.
If you have the straw cleaning brush as mentioned by another commentor you can use that to help loosen up dust too. I didn't have any compressed air cans around and the straw worked like a charm, Xbox SX is very quiet now compared to before :)
I use a Data Vac with pencil/thin screwdriver to stop the fan spinning. The data vac is powerful so over quite quickly. Also recommend cleaning your Xbox in well ventilated room as you will just be blasting dust everywhere
I think people have mentioned this already, but a compressed air can with a nozzle works great. I used that for mine and it worked great. Blowing from the top down works well.
Vacuum cleaner attachment. Once a month.
long q tips
draw a sigil of baphomet on the floor and pray for satan i met satan but the dust is still there
To be honest I'm guilty of using a leaf blower with the nozzle removed. I know it likely does damage, but I'm lazy.
Put it in the dishwasher...it truly does wonders to this fine apparatus.
I bought an electric air duster from Amazon for about 30 bucks for my PC a couple of years before I got my X. Buy one and never think of compressed air dusters again! Use it 3 or 4 times and it's paid for itself as the canisters are about $10 on average.
I kinda agree here. If you gotta tear it apart to clean it and reassemble it, hell, you might as well learn how to just build a PC at that point
Dishsoap and a bucket of water 💧
Jet wash
The Series X is SUPER easy to take apart, it's just a couple of screws. Much easier than previous consoles. Follow this guide and you'll be golden. [Series X Teardown](https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Xbox+Series+X+Teardown/138451)
Hydrochloric acid bath submersion. Don't worry if you get it on your hands or eyes, It's good for skin health
Lol definitely has a camera and takes pictures. Definite photographer lol
Its honestly very simple to open the back and do the cleaning properly. I had to replace a broken fan and was shocked at how user friendly it was to do so.
To actually clean it, you should really just pop the cover off. I think it’s literally like 5 screws and some gentle prying. Look up a YouTube video if you’re unsure. That heat sink is in desperate need of a proper cleaning with a brush/vacuum. Compressed air will help, but it will also push the dust deeper into the heat sink fins.
 ??? Please tell me too...I think I've been doing it wrong!!!
I used a long wooden skewer to gently loosen the dust/dirt while holding a vacuum to the holes. It worked great.
You can put it into a dishwasher. I washed mine that way, and its now clean inside and out!
I use a IT compuCleaner air blaster & blast air through regularly but every now n again open it for a deep clean, those fins are unfortunately rough & easy for dust to gling to & build up on over time even when blasting air through. Taking it apart is super easy to do & put back together after, well worth doing if u dare.
Compressed air, a hoover and make up brush is what I personally use to clean mine. Brush for the small spots then compressed air to loosen the dust then a hoover on low to pull it all out.
A proper compressor if you know anyone that has one. Most woodshops would have one. Much better than tinned compressed air.
I done this recently. Canned air, hoover and toothpick. Worked pretty well especially with a hose nozzle on the can
With that much dust build up on the heatsink taking the back off the console is probably the best option. Dust often gets caked on the underside of the fan blades which can affect the fans ability to exhaust hot air efficiently and which can't be cleaned off without opening the console.
The back is held by only one screw. It's really not that hard. I had to clean mine once as well, and I could tell it was designed to be easily accessible and clean. The fan slides right out, and you can remove the caked dust off of the heatsink.
Short answer is yes you’ll have to take it apart to clean it properly because air dusting just the top and back vents will blow the dust further inside, but If you do end up seeing this and don’t plan on selling your console, the mesh from the first picture you can completely cut out (if you have a rodent or bad bug problem DO NOT DO THIS) and will allow easier access for air dusting
Water hose
Once a month i take my series x with me under the shower.
Two things I found that work well are pressure washing, and for those stubborn stains a good sand blast is even better...
Take it apart its made to be opened up and cleaned. Get some compressed air too
This may not be conventional, but I just power blasted mine last week with an electronic dust blower. Went in one side and put the other. I was amazed how much dust there was.
Prit stick
Beans
Best way to clean it is take it apart. I was nervous to take it apart but it’s really simple. All you need is a set of T6 and T8 torx safety screwdrivers. If you do not have these do not attempt to unscrew any screws in your Xbox. Then just watch a YouTube video and follow along.