ArctiClean 60ml Kit 1 & 2 Thermal Grease Paste Compound Remover and Purifier

I do a few PC builds and upgrades. This set of Artic cleaners are perfect for the job. One aids in cleaning and the second preps the surface before the new paste is applied. Perfect for the job and since they are in bottles, you can use as much is required and keep the rest for future use.

I have always used denatured alcohol to remove excess thermal paste from CPUs and heat sink and I still do when that's all that is available. However, after trying out the thermal cleaner in this kit, I find it does a much better job of getting rid of the left over paste that's left when one swaps out a CPU or changes a heat sink setup. I had an older Prescott Pentium 4 that had dried up compound on it and it was really caked on. I was able to get a good bit of it off with denatured alcohol but there was a residue left so I deiced to try the clean from this kit. I didn't think there was much left on the CPU, but when I cleaned it with the cleaner I was pleasantly surprised to see more paste come off. I have tended to use this cleaner as a "as clean as possible" solution when I want as much old paste off the CPU for a fresh install. And BTW the purifier does help when getting ready to apply fresh paste for the new installation. Well worth the having...

This two-part system works great and well work having. I used ArctiClean 1 to remove the 9-10 year old dried up paste in two of my old PCs, and it did a great job. All that was left after cleaning and removing the old paste was a little bit of black residue on the aluminum heat sink, and that was removed by using ArctiClean 2. I used some new carbon-based thermal paste and reassembled my PCs, and both are working good and the CPU in each machine is running cool.If anyone is planning to do what I did and replace old paste on the CPU, and the CPU heatsink fins have any dirt or dust that can't be brushed or vacuumed away, I would highly recommend cleaning the heatsink fins with a cleaner safe for aluminum and a soft brush. I used a spray cleaner specifically made for A/C coil cleaning, as many household cleaners will cause aluminum to start to corrode after being exposed to them. I applied the cleaner to the heatsink, brushed the fins, then rinsed with water and let the heatsink dry before putting it back in the computer. I also wore an ESD control wrist strap and line clipped to the chassis when I worked on my PCs.

This is the best thermal paste remover that you can find, and yes it works significantly better than 91% or higher isopropyl alcohol. The first liquid is a very effective emulsifier that dissolves the most stubborn thermal pastes without issue. I've used it on ridiculously thick factory applications that were over 5 years old, making them both dry and sticky, and it cut through the pastes with ease. I had to use 2 applications on one cooling plate, but that was simply because of the unreasonably excessive amount that was machine-applied from the factory.The second bottle contains a cleaning liquid that simply, but effectively, cleans the residue from the emulsifying liquid off of your components. Both have a pleasant smell, especially the citrus aroma that lingers from the first bottle.I would not recommend letting either liquid touch your skin. They will leave your fingers very dry, if nothing else.

This stuff pays for itself the first time you use it by the time it saves. I had some ancient thermal adhesive and this turned it into goo that I could wipe off easily.

First off to be clear, despite the 4 star review, I have absolutely no issues with the product. It does exactly as specified. It also seems like it will last a fairly long time, you only need a drop or two in order to be able to start to clean things.That said, from my experience, it doesn't work any better than good ol' isopropyl alcohol, in fact, in my case, I would say it was a tiny bit worse.It certainly broke down the old thermal past very fast. But it was a bit tough to wipe the paste off cleanly, it kept leaving thermal paste residue and I had to reapply the solution multiple times.Perhaps I just got a bad batch and I was trying to be careful when wiping things down. I would say this stuff is certainly worth trying at least once, but unless you're constantly cleaning thermal paste it's probably less expensive to just stick with alcohol.

Been using ArctiClean for almost two decades now and I’ll never use anything else. It cleans incredibly well and never has any trouble breaking down the toughest old thermal paste and wiping it clean off with a paper towel. I’ve used it on game systems, desktops, and laptops for many years without issue. It’s so nice to wipe off old paste with ease and have a clean, polished surface ready for new thermal material.The 60ml bottles are a good size too and typically last me for two years or so. But I repair and refurb a fair amount of electronics, so for average home use it’d likely last much longer. For as much use as I get from it, I’d happily pay twice the price. It’s just a tremendous time saver.

Nothing like this product for cleaning thermal compound, even 30 plus year old stuff comes off with ease. Works by emulsion instead of solvent based cleaning.