So I was also curious to see if it's bogus I'm spreading due to common knowledge. In the search of sources (didn't manage to find a test with actual vacuum cleaners, people are using static from other devices to test so it's moot) I found
this one. Old post by an electrician specialized in static. Though it might mean he's partial, I don't think this is bias oriented.
The suction from a vacuum is powered by an electric motor, and the air so affected gains a very small static charge. This can build up over time, and eventually it can become big enough to zap your circuits
Eh, I really doubt that explanation. Friction is the common cause of static. That assertion seems to imply all vacuums have a small VanDeGraaff generator inside them, with a conductor leading through the pipe
Danath said:
****, I just read someone saying even blowing air made some dust get INTO a HDD, or that you shouldn't clean the fans with vacuum because the rotation causes static
that's stupid.
like, wouldn't fans generate static if there is a lot of dust? Or the speed at which air moves isn't enough?
That's dust that is stuck to the fan, mostly. Those won't budge or cause attrition. I'd say the chance of that happening would be considered only if you had a stockpile of non-clumping dust inside the PC, dust that would run constantly through the fans for hours. Besides, it might just be that they use a resistant type of plastic, something that isn't a necessity on vacuum tips. Also, people would probably use the narrow "corner cleaning" tip from the vacuum which would concentrate the intake of dust to a smaller area, therefore generating way more static than what an 8 to 12cm-wide fan would.
Either way, as you actually didn't use it for more than 10 seconds you didn't have enough time to build it up. It's just a risk after all, and you'd have heard that ominous "zap" if it happened.
Ninja post
Sofia Johanna Jeanette Munsterhjelm von Platen said:
Vacuuming your PC is quite harmless. I've been doing it for twenty years and I've never broken anything. Obviously you don't want to hit anything with metal parts of the vacuum cleaner but that's it.
The plastic can also do it tho. Of course if it has a metal tip it would happen really fast.
I think there's probably a safe method hidden somewhere in this situation. But since testing it out is something that could cost cash money, there doesn't seem to be any good reliable sources around.