How To Clean Laptop Keyboard

If you use your laptop often, chances are your keyboard is one of the dirtiest surfaces you’re in contact with. Like all daily tools and items, anything you touch will naturally build up residue over time. Whether it’s mechanical keyboards or Macbook keyboards, knowing how to clean a laptop keyboard properly is important to prevent the keys and sensors of your laptop from getting damaged. To clean your laptop keyboard regularly, here are some basic keyboard cleaning tools and tips to begin with.

Keyboard Cleaning Tools and Supplies:

(i) Disinfecting Wipes

When wiping your laptop keyboard, go for disinfecting wipes. They are designed to clean and disinfect hard surfaces, unlike antibacterial wipes that gently cleanse your skin. As the name suggests, antibacterial wipes are effective against bacteria but may not be the same against viruses. Besides that, disinfecting wipes are suitable to clean electronic devices because they are not dripping wet like a soaked cloth.

(ii) Cleaning Slime

If you have not seen a cleaning slime before, it resembles the slime toy that kids play with. Cleaning slimes are the all-purpose household cleaning tool that can also be used to remove dust and dirt trapped in your laptop keyboard.

(iii) Microfiber Cloth

There are several types of microfiber cloth, ranging from the ultra-thin ones for spectacles to towel-like fluffy microfiber cloths. In this guide, we will be using the big, fluffy microfiber cloth to wipe the keyboard dry after using the disinfecting wipes.

Steps to Clean Your Keyboard:

Step 1: Switch off your laptop

Make sure your laptop is properly switched off and unplugged before starting the cleaning process. If you have sensitive data, it is a good idea to make a backup by transferring your important files into a cloud storage or an external hard drive.

Step 2: Turn the keyboard upside down to loosen the trapped debris 

Turn your laptop upside-down. As it faces the waste bin, tap or shake to dislodge the crumbs and debris trapped inside the keyboard.

Step 3: Wipe the surface with disinfecting wipes on the keyboard

After the bigger pieces of dirt have fallen off, place your laptop upright. Wipe away the remaining dirt on the keyboard with disinfecting wipes. 

Step 4: Use a cleaning slime to get into cracks and crevices of the keyboard

No doubt there is still some dirt that are too small to dislodge deep inside the keys. This is where the cleaning slime comes in. Knead the slime into a ball, then dab the keys. The goop will pick up dust and tiny crumbs that have fallen inside the keyboard.

Step 5: Wipe the keyboard once more with disinfecting wipes

Wipe your laptop keyboard once more so that there is no slime residue.

Step 6: Dry your keyboard with a microfiber cloth

Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the wet residue from the disinfecting wipes. Buff the keyboard surface for a shiny, clean finish.

Step 7: (Optional) Apply a silicone cover over your keyboard

To prevent from dust, dead skin and food crumbs to fall into your keyboard again, apply a silicone cover over it. Once the cover is dirty, simply take it off and wash it with a mixture of soap and water. Let it dry completely before putting it back on again. This step is optional but highly recommended for those who are too busy to clean the keyboard.

By taking proactive steps to clean your laptop keyboard, its components can function at optimum condition for daily use. Moreover, it prolongs the lifespan of your laptop. For more how-to guides, IT knowledge and current IT trends, read our CARE blog articles.