If yourkeyboard keys are stickyand you’re finding themhard to press, know it’s time to clean your keyboard.
To clean a mechanical keyboard, first,pry out the keycapsand soak them. Start brushing every part – from the main surface toin between the switches. You may use microfiber cloth and cotton swabs to get rid of the tough stains.
That’s exactly what we did to clean ourRazer Huntsman Eliteoptomechanical keyboard. See how we managed to remove all thedust, dirt, grime, food crumbs, and stickiness.
Even though the cleaning process may vary depending on the keyboard you have, my demonstration below should give you a general idea of how to clean it anyway.
Before You Begin
Whether you’re a gamer or a normal office user, you’re probably spending maximum time on your PC, mostly on the keyboard!
Dr. Gerba from theUniversity of Arizonaclaims thatkeyboards get contaminated withup to 3,295 bacteria/square inch. That being said, it’s essential to clean this peripheralat least once a weekfor health and hygiene reasons.
Don’t wait for your keyboard to accumulate with dust. Those germs and bacteria might make you sick.
But before wiping any part, here are a few tools that you need to gather. These should be easily available in your home. But for some, you might require visiting the nearest departmental store:
In this guide, I’ve used arechargeable air dusteras well. Don’t worry even if you do not own one. The above equipment list should suffice.
Unplug the Keyboard and Place it on Clean Surface
Start by disconnecting theUSB-A or C cablefrom your computer’s port. If your mechanical keyboard has apass-through cable, unplug that as well.
Next, take your peripheral to a dust-free table. Note that you’re required toclean the surface throughout the processalong with your keyboard.
Personally, I recommend taking it outside your working area. That’s what I usually do when it comes tocleaning my PCcomponents.
Take Off Keycaps
If you’re only planning to clean your gaming keyboard lightly, start by holding itupside down. Shake it gently orgive some taps on the back. This should make all the debris and food crumbs fall off.
You may even insert the compressed air can’s pipe underneath the keys. Giveshort bursts of airand this should blow out the particles that are stuck inside.
Even so, pet hair and stains may still remain! Thus, it’s always best totake off the keycaps. But before that, I recommendtaking a pictureto ensure you do not forget where to reattach.
Caution:Do not attempt to yank the keys off with your bare hand. You may end up damaging the switches.
ensure youuse a keycap pullerto do this job. If you don’t have one,a flat-headed screwdriverwould also do.
Place the two ends between the keys and pull them straight. Here’s what ourHuntsman Elitelooks like after prying out all the keycaps:
Note that the longer keys, (like Space bar, Caps Lock, Shift, Enter, etc.) might take a little more effort.They have stabilizersthat ensure the keys do not shake or rattle when pressed.
If you exert too much force while pulling, they can potentially break. So, be very careful!
Soak the Keycaps
Caution:Even though modern gaming keyboards are spill-resistant, cleaning with liquid solutions should only be performed on keycaps.Avoidspilling water on the keyboardsurface or switches, especially the device’s openings.Even if tiny drops of water get inside, the PCB might get damaged.
Once all the keys are removed, you may prepare acleaning liquid solutionyourself. Take a bowl filled with soap/detergent and water.
Now, pour down all the keys andrinse them well. I kept them soaked for more than an hour and suggest you do the same.
While this is being done, you may move on with the remaining process of cleaning.
Remove Stain, Crumbs, and Dust
Before proceeding with the following steps, keep the brush, duster, microfiber cloth, and cotton swabs ready:
Deep Clean Your Keyboard [For Advanced Users]
By now, your keyboard should look much tidier than before. But if yours still has stuck hair or stains in the switch, you’ll need to go one step further.
This involves detaching the keyboard’stop casing from the bottom. Once you get access to the internal parts, start cleaning each of the internal components.
For mechanical gaming keyboards, checkif you have hot-swappable keys. If yes, you may use a switch puller to pluck each of them and clean them individually. Also, don’t forget to remove dirt and dust from the compartment.
In fact, if your keyboard is making ratting or scratchy sounds, I adviselubing the switches. you may even use this technique to make your keyboards quieter.
These tasks requirebasic hardware skillsand would be tough for beginners. We’ll soon have a detailed guide to help you disassemble mechanical keyboards.
Finalize Cleaning
There are a few extra areas that you need to work on. These include media buttons, side/bottom housing, cable, ferrite bead, feet, USB connector, etc.
Dry and Reattach Keycaps
Now that your mechanical keyboard looks neat and tidy, it’s time to move back to the keycaps that we soaked earlier. Start wiping them using a towel one by one and place them all on a clean and dry table.
Don’t reattach them right away! Let them dry for a few hours.
Well, that’s what we did. But even after three hours, it wasn’t enough. Although the keycaps looked all dry, they were still holding water droplets.
Indeed, we didn’t want to take the risk and decided to dry the keycaps overnight. The next day, wereattached all the keystaking help from the photograph taken earlier.
When putting back the keycaps, ensure youcheck for stuck keys. In our case, we were able to fix theEsc key that was stuck and not working.
Once everything is done and dusted,plug in the gamingkeyboardon your computer’s port. Then, I recommend using an online keyboard testing utility to verifyif the keyboard works or not.
