How I deep clear my grime-covered mechanical keyboard to make it appear like new

Abstract

• Deep cleansing a mechanical keyboard takes 30-60 minutes utilizing inexpensive instruments.
• Unplug the keyboard, take away keycaps with the keycap puller or your fingers, and use canned air.
• Soak the keycaps in heat, soapy water, rinse, air-dry, and reassemble utilizing a key map.

After Daylight Financial savings time hit me final weekend, it lastly seems like spring is right here. To kick issues off, I’ve determined to tidy up my desk, laptop computer, screens, and clear my varied mechanical keyboards.

Whereas deep cleansing your mechanical keyboard could appear daunting, it is not too troublesome. Nevertheless, finishing the method completely will take roughly half-hour to an hour. In case you have by no means cleaned your keyboard, there is a good likelihood there’s a number of dust and dirt beneath the keycaps.

I additionally stay with two cats who sit on my keyboard incessantly, so a good quantity of cat hair will get trapped beneath the keys. When you’re like me, you may need an extra keyboard that would use some TLC. I picked out the dirtiest keyboard I owned for the aim of constructing this information, and I will probably be displaying you step-by-step how I cleaned it, and what instruments I used.

What you will want to wash your keyboard

All of the instruments required are inexpensive and simply obtainable.

There is a good likelihood you have already got all the pieces you might want to clear your mechanical keyboard, however should you do not, you should purchase all the pieces cheaply at a neighborhood pc store or on-line from Amazon. This is a listing of all the pieces I used to deep clear my keyboard:

• Keycap puller
• Canned air
• Tender bristled toothbrush
• Dish cleaning soap (optionally available)
• A bowl (optionally available)

Except you might have a photographic reminiscence or know keyboard layouts completely, I strongly advocate utilizing a key map while you re-assemble your keyboard. You’ll find one on-line by trying up your keyboard’s title and mannequin quantity, or you should utilize a standardized keyboard map assuming you do not have further keys or buttons.

Unplug or energy down your keyboard

Take away any cables, and ensure your keyboard is off

The primary order of operations is to ensure your keyboard is powered down (if it is wi-fi), or unplugged if it is a wired keyboard. When you energy down your keyboard, you possibly can start to take away the keycaps. You are able to do this by pinching the perimeters of the keycaps and pulling upwards, or through the use of a keycap puller. In case you have a keycap puller, which I like to recommend utilizing as a substitute of your fingers, you simply place the puller over the keys, and pull upwards, eradicating the keycap.

Blow all of the mud away

Give your keyboard a shake and go in with canned air.

When you take away all your keycaps, you could be shocked at how soiled your keyboard is — I actually was. Don’t fret although, whereas I felt embarrassed photographing my obscenely gross keyboard, that is what occurs to keyboards that have not been cleaned shortly, particularly keyboards which are used for cat naps. In case you have a number of dust and dirt underneath your keyboard, give it a fast shake the wrong way up first.

Not all the pieces will fall out, however a superb quantity of particles ought to get dislodged.

I counsel utilizing a mat or doing this exterior, so you do not have mud and dust flying in all places. After you’ve got shaken your keyboard out, go in along with your can of compressed air. This could get almost 90% of all of that particles and dust trapped underneath your keyboard out.

Your keyboard is extra resilient than you might suppose.

Use a gentle bristled toothbrush

For something that will not blow away

After you’ve got used your can of compressed air in your keyboard, you should utilize your soft-bristled toothbrush to get something cussed left behind out. You do not need to press too exhausting on the switches, however your keyboard can be extra resilient than you might suppose.

I counsel holding your keyboard up sideways and brushing it out, permitting dust and particles to fall down.

Soak your keycaps

Optionally available, however strongly really useful

You would begin placing your keycaps again in your keyboard, however I’d strongly counsel soaking your keycaps in a bowl with heat water and easy cleaning soap. I take advantage of Daybreak dish detergent personally, however any sort of primary cleaning soap will work.

You needn’t let your keycaps soak for too lengthy, a superb 15 to half-hour will do the trick of eradicating any grease and oils out of your keycaps.

Rinse and dry your keycaps

A strainer makes this simple

As soon as you’ve got soaked your keycaps in cleaning soap and heat water, throw them in a strainer and provides your keycaps a fast rinse with water. As soon as you’ve got strained and rinsed them, I place them on a dry towel and allow them to air dry for a bit. I like to recommend letting them dry for half an hour, however be certain they’re totally dried earlier than placing them again onto your keyboard.

Put your keycaps again onto your keyboard

Be sure that all the pieces is dry first

Congratulations — should you’ve adopted my information this far, you possibly can pull up that keyboard map and place all your keycaps again on their respective keys. You may need to be certain that all your keycaps are totally dried first, as you don’t need water dripping down onto your keyboards mainboard.

After you have all your keycaps again on, you’re free to plug your keyboard again in or change the ability on. Cleansing my keyboard gave me a superb feeling, and undoubtedly set the appropriate vibe for this spring. Strive it out, and do not feel ashamed at how a lot grime and dust is beneath your keyboard. Keyboards accumulate a number of mud, hair, pet hair, and different small particles on a regular basis with out us noticing.

Simply remember to give your keyboard some love and clear it out once in a while so it does not get so soiled subsequent time.