How to clean a keyboard: laptop, desktop and mechanical

Step by step: how to clean a keyboard

Safety first. Unplug the keyboard, take out replaceable batteries, or shut down and unplug the laptop before you start. Never spray liquid onto the keys, and keep the compressed air can upright so it does not spit cold propellant.

1. 1

   Power it off and unplug it

   Unplug a wired keyboard, switch off a wireless one and pull its batteries if they are replaceable. Shut a laptop down fully and unplug the charger. Logitech says to wait 5 to 10 seconds after switching off before you clean.

2. 2

   Shake out the loose crumbs

   Turn the keyboard upside down over a trash can or a sheet of paper and tap the back gently. Tilt it in a few directions. You should see crumbs, hair and grit fall out; do this outside if there is a lot.

3. 3

   Blow out the gaps with compressed air

   Fit the straw, hold the can upright and spray short bursts between the rows of keys from about half an inch away, working left to right. Turn the keyboard on its side and repeat from the other direction. Dust that the shake missed will lift out of the gaps.

4. 4

   Wipe the keys with a barely damp cloth

   Dampen a lint-free cloth with plain water, wring it until it is almost dry, and wipe each row of keys and the frame. Wrap the cloth over a fingertip for the sides of the keys. Never pour or spray liquid onto the keyboard itself.

5. 5

   Clean around the keys with a swab

   Run a cotton swab, barely dampened with water, around the edges of each key where grime builds into a dark ring. Squeeze excess water out of the swab first. Swap to a fresh swab as soon as one turns gray.

6. 6

   Disinfect only with an approved wipe

   If you want to kill germs, use what your maker allows. Apple allows a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes on its keyboards, while Logitech says to use alcohol swabs under 25 percent alcohol or fragrance-free disinfecting wipes. Squeeze out a dripping wipe before you use it.

7. 7

   Let it dry before you power on

   Leave the keyboard for a few minutes until every surface looks and feels dry, then plug it back in or put the batteries back. Type a line of every key to check that nothing is sticking.

How to clean each type of keyboard

The routine above works for every keyboard; what changes is how far you can take it apart. Laptop and slim keyboards stay assembled, while most mechanical keyboards let you pull the keycaps for a proper wash.

To clean a Mac keyboard, a MacBook or a Magic Keyboard, use the routine above and the cleaners on Apple’s list below. For a MacBook (2015 and later) or MacBook Pro (2016 and later) with a key that sticks or feels different, Apple’s keyboard guide says to hold the laptop at a 75 degree angle, spray compressed air left to right with the straw about half an inch from the keys, then repeat with the laptop turned on its right side and then its left side. If a key still misbehaves after that, Apple sends you to a store or authorized service provider rather than telling you to remove the key.

How to clean keyboard keys on a mechanical keyboard

To clean keycaps properly, pull them, soak them in warm soapy water, clean the plate underneath and let the caps dry completely before they go back on. This is the only way to get the grime off the sides of the keys and out from under them.

• Take a photo of the layout first so every key goes back in the right place.
• Lift the keycaps straight up with a wire keycap puller. Rock large keys like the space bar gently, since they sit on metal stabilizers.
• SteelSeries’ cleaning method has you swish the caps in warm water with a little mild dish soap for 5 to 10 minutes, then soak them about 45 minutes more.
• Shake the bare board upside down, blow out the plate with compressed air, and wipe it with a well-wrung cloth and swabs. Keep moisture off the switches.
• Dry the caps on a towel, letter side up, for at least 6 hours. Water trapped in a keycap stem can drip into a switch if you rush.

Check your manual first. SteelSeries warns that the caps on some of its membrane boards are not meant to come off at all.

Which cleaners are safe on a keyboard?

Water on a cloth is safe on every keyboard; disinfectants depend on the brand, so follow your maker’s list. The rules differ more than most people expect.

• Apple allows 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipes, 75 percent ethyl alcohol wipes and Clorox Disinfecting Wipes on hard, nonporous surfaces like the keyboard, and rules out bleach, hydrogen peroxide and aerosol sprays.
• Logitech allows fragrance-free disinfecting wipes and alcohol swabs under 25 percent alcohol, and says bleach, acetone, strong solvents and abrasives void the warranty. It also suggests the cold setting of a hair dryer if you have no compressed air.
• Every maker says the same thing about liquid: put it on the cloth, never on the keyboard, and never submerge the board.

Mistakes to avoid

• Spraying cleaner straight onto the keys, so it runs into the switches and circuits.
• Holding the compressed air can upside down, which sprays freezing liquid propellant.
• Prying keys off a laptop to clean under them, which snaps the clips.
• Using bleach, acetone or nail polish remover, which fades the letters and clouds the plastic.
• Putting washed keycaps back while the stems are still wet.
• Cleaning a laptop keyboard while it is asleep instead of shut down, so random keypresses open apps or delete text.