Most people don’t take good care of their keyboards. Most of us eat over them, spill drinks or foods onto them, and the worst part is that we don’t clean them. In the long run, the keyboard remains dirty, sticky, and gross until one of the keys stop functioning.
Cleaning a keyboard can be a tricky thing to do because any slight mess can damage the whole keyboard. When the time reaches for you to clean your keyboard and evict that bacteria and nasty grime, the following steps will guide you.
Shut Down the Machine
It has always been and will remain to be the best practice when starting to clean your keyboard safely. Disconnect the power source and the keyboard from the machine as you don’t want your hard drive near water and disinfectants.
Shake the Keyboard Out
Holding your keyboard firmly while facing upside down, shake it out over a garbage can so that any pieces of food or dried crumbs will fall out. This is thanks to the force of gravity. Shaking the keyboard while facing upside down is an essential step because it gets the bulky stuff before precise scrubbing starts later on.
Use the Compressed Air
In between the keys on the keyboard, there are tiny spaces where dust can gather over time. Shaking the keyboard alone cannot remove this dust. When this dust combines with tiny food crumbs, it’s impossible to remove by scrubbing. All you need is compressed air. The compressed air comes in cans. They function by blowing off the dust in those tiny spaces. Remember to be outside in open air when using the compressed air can.
Time for Scrubbing
Now that you have gotten rid of the bulky stuff and dust that accumulated in tiny spaces between the keys, you can focus on those slimy and grimy keys. In this step, you need a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol also known as isopropyl alcohol. Pour a small amount of alcohol on the cotton swab and carefully scrub each key. Remember not to pour too much alcohol onto the cotton swab. You can also go for a second round to clean the keys. The alcohol will also get rid of most germs and bacteria.
Removal of Keys
If you feel shaking, use of compressed air and scrubbing is not good enough; you can decide to remove each key. If the keys stick down after pressing them, there is probably dust under the keys. Remember to use the manual for safe removal of the keys. The technique is, however, not applicable to all keyboard.
Rebuild the Keyboard
After cleaning beneath the keys, let the keys dry for a while. As soon as they are dry, return each key carefully ensuring each key gets back to its position with a small amount of pressure. You can then proceed to give the keys one last wipe by using a dry cloth.
Repeat Often
Cleaning your keyboard frequently is the key to a clean keyboard. Cleaning the keyboard more often keeps it free from scum and dirt or any buildup of dust.