How to Clean a Floppy Drive

Although most new computers no longer come standard with a floppy drive, many older models do have a drive for use with floppy disks. If you have this type of computer, you may encounter read problems due to a dirty drive. To remedy this issue, you'll need to clean your floppy disk drive.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Small foam swabs
• Rubbing alcohol
• Purchased drive cleaning kit

1. Dip the tips of the swabs into the alcohol.
2. Open the case of the floppy drive. Gently blow into the drive before proceeding to clean it. This helps remove any loose dust in the drive.
3. Dab the swabs over the heads in the drive. You'll notice dirt sticking to the swab. After the swab gets dirty, replace it with a clean one dipped again in alcohol.
4. Buy a floppy drive disk cleaning kit to clean the drive. You can find a 3½-inch floppy drive cleaner through Lindy (see Resources below). You insert one of the disks into the drive for several minutes. During this period, the disk will lift up any dirt in the drive.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember to dab the heads instead of wiping at them. This motion ensures that no part of the swab gets stuck inside the drive.
• If you've never cleaned a floppy drive before, you may want to consider only relying on the cleaning disk method. This method leaves little chance of damaging your computer.

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