How do you clean your PCBs?

[SillyOctpuss]

I go back and forth without the feelings of inadequacy. I started scrubbing more often after a rash of buggy builds. I'm not convinced it's helping.

Could it even make a difference? Genuine question to anyone who is more knowledgeable?

 

[spi]

I don't clean mine. I haven't had issues by not doing it, so don't know what the fuss is.

 

[jjjimi84]

MG Chemicals - 413B-425G 413B Heavy Duty Flux Remover, 425g (14.90 oz) Aerosol Can: Soldering Cleaning Products: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

MG Chemicals - 413B-425G 413B Heavy Duty Flux Remover, 425g (14.90 oz) Aerosol Can: Soldering Cleaning Products: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

smile.amazon.com

This and with everything I have built I just got the second bottle. Works great and it gives me an opportunity to clean the board and see if I missed a solder or if something looks off.

 

[Robert]

Could it even make a difference? Genuine question to anyone who is more knowledgeable?

Engineers will tell you yes, and I'm not going to argue with them... But I'm just going to go on not cleaning mine unless it looks terrible.
To be fair though, most of my builds end up in a salvage box, not actually boxed up and used long-term.

I do, however, usually clean the flux from any loaner pedals just as a courtesy to whoever it belongs to... I want to return it in the same (or better) condition than I received it.

I've worked jobs where it was absolutely mandatory, and I've worked jobs where they'd prefer you not waste time doing it...

 

[Betty Wont]

(I've never even heard of a Kim Wipe, is it like a "Dude Wipe"? Those are awesome btw, don't ask my how I know....)
Which Kim wipe do I want?

Kim wipes are delicate task wipes for science purposes. It's a dry firm tissue paper. The small square green box is the general use one.
I only use the little alcohol wipes that you use to clean the skin before an injection. They work great for me to clean the pcb with no residue or fibers.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I find the kim wipes best for dabbing off the alcohol not wiping or scrubbing. They're more robust than paper towel but still shred apart on the pointy bits.

 

[DGWVI]

I use a Kester no-clean solder, so I generally just leave it. But I do clean boards that require troubleshooting or that I've made a mess of with swapping components(sockets be damned ).
When cleaning, I use 99% Isopropyl with a toothbrush and paper towel

 

[Coda]

Power washer or my sandblaster…or walnut shells.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

How bout like this?

 

[DGWVI]

How bout like this? View attachment 31724

Please note- Only those with adequate experience living in the crystal lattice should operate this device when attempting to clean flux residue from their boards. Serious injury or egodeath may occur otherwise

 

[BryGuy]

Never clean mine either.

 

[Robert]

When I worked on base one of the labs used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean PCBs.... that particular lab had an awful lot of failures so I'm not 100% sure I'd recommend doing that.

I have considered using one as an agitator for etching however...

 

[peccary]

I soak in 99% iso and scrub with a toothbrush over a Kimwipe. Gets them nice and clean.

Also, I end up selling or giving most away and I want them to look good because I'm kind of vain and want people to think I know what I'm doing when I really have no idea.

 

[Boba7]

I soak in 99% iso and scrub with a toothbrush over a Kimwipe. Gets them nice and clean.

Also, I end up selling or giving most away and I want them to look good because I'm kind of vain and want people to think I know what I'm doing when I really have no idea.

hahaha same here

 

[szukalski]

Let's swing the question around the other way. Has anyone experienced failure from not cleaning the PCB?

I see a bunch of "boutique" builders with dirty boards.

 

[andare]

Y'all are a buch of crusty folks! Didn't they teach you to clean and wipe every time? And why is no one flossing their PCBs?!

I use 99% isopropyl and my GF's toothbrush. I don't find flux appealing in a woman.
Sometimes, cleaning the PCB reveals wonky solder joints, though I have a notion that they were fine before the scrubbing...
I still do it because it's easier to see if there are any tin whiskers bridging pads. This is not an issue if you have good technique and a good iron.

 

[MichaelW]

Sometimes, cleaning the PCB reveals wonky solder joints, though I have a notion that they were fine before the scrubbing...
I still do it because it's easier to see if there are any tin whiskers bridging pads. This is not an issue if you have good technique and a good iron.

Cleaning the flux off helps me get a good close look at my solder joints. I often touch up and reflow after my first cleaning then clean again.
I guess at this stage of my pedal building experience, I still don't have full confidence in what I'm going and my OCD-ness forces me to double and triple check things.

 

[MichaelW]

Thanks for all the suggestions folks! I'm hunting eBay for a decent price for a rock tumbler as we speak.....

 

[Robert]

Has anyone experienced failure from not cleaning the PCB?

I haven't.

One valid argument though, is that a bunch of gooped up flux residue can make spotting bad solder connections harder. It also makes you "dig in" a bit more with a DMM probe to get a good measurement. You'll also catch hell for it in your troubleshooting threads.

 

[Alan W]

Let's swing the question around the other way. Has anyone experienced failure from not cleaning the PCB?

I have, with a tube preamp that was one of my first builds. I didn’t know about flux cleaning. It was in use for about 10 years, and started giving me problems after never needing more than tube changes. When I finally troubleshooted it, there were small amounts of corrosion at many of the joints. And I had been so careful to shine all the leads, etc (something I stopped doing many years ago). I ended up rebuilding the board, as it was a great design, and most of the labor (and cost) had gone into the enclosure.