Keyboards are usually indispensable part of computers, and most people are found like using mechanical keyboard as its quick responsiveness. But cleaning a mechanical keyboard is a universal struggle, which needs both patience and skills. There are many ways available online, but some of them are risky to try. In order to avoid ruining your keyboard while cleaning, the editor provides you with some authentic ways here and gives some tips to maintain it and some don’ts while cleaning.
Routine cleaning
If your keyboard only needs a routine clean, this is an easy thing to be done.
- Free any crumbs and debris stuck under the keycaps by facing your keys down and shaking it.
- Using compressed air to help blast out anything that wouldn’t come loose from shaking.
- Using Q-tips or brush to clean between the keys.
Deep cleaning
The common case is that you have left the keyboard not cleaned for a long time, so it’s time to take apart your keyboard and for a deeper cleaning.
- The first step is to use a tool called a keycap puller to remove all of the keycaps from your keyboard.
- Get each of them scrubbed and submerge the keycaps in a bowl containing a solution of warm water and denture cleaning tablets. Let the keycaps soak and then wipe them off. (Never use hot water and make sure they all completely dry before reattach them)
- After finishing the keys, you need to turn your mechanical keyboard upside down and dump all of the dirt and debris onto the ground. (Be careful not to shake out any of the internal pieces from your mechanical keyboard.)
- Dampen a pipe cleaner with some rubbing alcohol and gently run the pipe cleaner along the dismantled keyboard. (You can also use some diluted laundry detergent, better to wipe off the solution quickly, and don’t let it sit on the plastic. Be sure to let the remnants of the rubbing alcohol dry completely before you put your mechanical keyboard back together.)
- When everything is done then you could reassemble your keyboard and so you can enjoy your new keyboard.
Well, if you have a waterproof one, things would be much easier. For example, the $11.99 GK100 mechanical-membrane gaming keyboard from Redimp.
Things you can’t do to clean your keyboard
Do the following things, you may take risks to ruin your keyboard.
- Clean your keyboard in the dishwasher.
- Wipe your keyboards with nail polish remover or anything with acetone.
- Use hard chemical or solvents straightly without a little test.
Keyboard maintenance
Take some preventive measures to keep your keyboard clean. There are two common and useful tools can help you free from dirty keyboard, they are compressed air and anti-static vacuum. The former involves in blowing a strong stream of air onto your keyboard that pushes out all of the dust and debris that has settled in those hard-to-reach places between the keys. And the later help your keyboard stay cleaner for longer by sucking up all the gross stuff that accumulates in your mechanical keyboard. You can use them regularly to keep you keyboard clean.
