how to clean dirty (populated) PCB's?

[birt]

i have to clean some big incredibly dirty PCB's and i'm not really sure about how to do that... they are greasy and dusty. spray to clean pots is not bad to get the dirt away but i can't figure out how to wipe stuff away with all thos components.

anyone ever done this?

[foxfire]

i haven't cleaned anything other then my pedals boards, but what about rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush?

[Toney]

My girlfriend put my phone in a coke. It was her special way of saying she disagreed with me 

The PCB was sticky to touch when I found it ..the next day.
So yep, I can assure you that Metholated sprirts and a soft toothbrush work fine.
I actually made a little bath for it in a food container and washed it like doing the dishes.

Its on the desk in front of me right now....works fine.

Oh, obviously wait until the boards are 100% dry before firing up.
I wrapped mine in some paper towel and put them on top of a radiator overnight.

Still need a new girlfriend though...

[John Lyons]

A paint brush and alcohol etc. should also help to get into the harder to reach areas...Longer bristles....

John

[soulsonic]

Spray on flux cleaner works well. It gets rid of all kinds of gunk and usually has a little stiff brush attached to the nozzle. It dries up quickly too and doesn't leave any residue.

[syndromet]

I got a synth some  years ago, and some of the tangents and controlls weren't working. When I opened it up I found that someone had spilled something all over it a while ago, and it was covered in a thick layer of sticky goo, probably coke or something. A friend of mine told me to clean it with vinegar and destilled water. So thats what I did; rubbed every trace with a cotton stick dipped in vinegar, and rinced with batterywater afterwards. Fired it up, and everything worked perfectly. Still works like a charm, and this was 3-4 years ago.