I think the concept of doing maintenance on a console is still pretty foreign to a lot of people. Computers maybe, but with consoles I think the idea is that you should just be able to plug it in and have it work forever. I really like that idea but I don't think it's as feasible as it once was.
Good on you to have the courage to open it up and clean it out. I'm sure your console will thank you as well with a longer lifespan.