Tim always was dirty…

TIMclean is sent just as the basic bottle, you don’t need packaging. The bottle itself is ribbed to stop it from sliding out your hand whilst you’re trying to delicately pour it onto your heatsink. The front is a sunny vista of blue sky and green field. I think that they are going for the environmental approach.

The previous bottle design was much more functional rather than ecologically minded. You may be wondering why I already have a bottle of this stuff. I’ve been using TIMclean pretty much from day one. The bottles are exactly the same bar the labels; even the rear text is well nigh word for word.

TIMclean is a safe solvent that eats away at thermal compounds making cleaning a much less labour intensive task. Usually several rolls of kitchen roll is needed before the surface is clean enough. With this stuff, a couple of drops and the same number of minutes are all that’s needed.

The top of the bottle is covered with a dropper allowing you to measure the amount that you use, rather than you just pouring it everywhere. To protect little ‘uns from drinking the contents, the top is the usual squeeze and turn type.

The protection is needed as this stuff isn’t the safest liquid in the world. The citrus scent shouldn’t sway you; it’ll cause dryness of the skin, lung damage and blindness. Of course this is if you bathe in it; provided you are careful then there should be no problem at all. At least it’s not flammable and doesn’t contain VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds – causes atmosphere pollution) like White Spirit.

The reason why a solvent is necessary is not only to emulsify the thermal compound, but to evaporate completely, to make sure that you have a perfectly clean surface.