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You should really know how to clean laptop keyboard. In 2008, a study of office keyboards found that 4 out of 33 were so dirty that they were a health risk. In 2016, another study found that a keyboard had over 20,000 times as many germs as a toilet seat.
More and more people are putting money into good home office technology. From how many people wanted to read about how to improve Wi-Fi to how popular our guide to the best photo printers was, it’s clear that having a good set up is important. But what about taking care of the gear you bought?
The good news is that cleaning your laptop keyboard is pretty easy. If you want to be really thorough, you can get extra tools, but you can do a good job with things you already have around the house.
How to Clean Laptop Keyboard
Use a Dust vacuum
The third and most effective way to clean your keyboard is to use a dust vacuum. You can either buy a dust vacuum made just for keyboards or use the hose attachment that comes with your vacuum cleaner. If you don’t want to damage your keyboard, only use the hose attachment on the lowest setting.
Use Compressed Air
Want to clean your keyboard really well? Use air under pressure. You can use it to blow out dust and dirt from your keyboard, as well as anything stuck between the keys. Make sure to hold the compressed air can upright and away from your body. Aim it at the keyboard and press the nozzle while pointing it at the keyboard. This will make a strong stream of air that will help move any particles that are in the way.
Get rid of crumbs
Turn your laptop upside down and let the biggest pieces of crumbs, dust, or other junk that got into your keys fall out. Tap the bottom of the chassis gently to get rid of any stubborn dirt. You can also put cleaning slime between your keys, where it will stick to dirt and pick it up.
Avoid Liquid Cleaners
Since your laptop’s keyboard is directly connected to the hardware, you shouldn’t put liquids like rubbing alcohol or soapy water on it. Instead, carefully clean the keyboard with a cotton swab or lint-free cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Then you should dry it completely to make sure nothing bad happens.
Unplug and turn off your laptop
As a general rule, you should always turn off devices before cleaning them. Since you’re dealing with keys, turning off the computer will make the process much easier. (You don’t want to press control, alt, and delete by accident and end up in a tech nightmare.)
Can you clean a laptop keyboard with Clorox wipes?
Yes, you can use Clorox wipes to clean a laptop. In fact, Apple recommends both Lysol wipes and Clorox wipes for cleaning the keyboards, mice, and trackpads of Apple computers, as long as you squeeze the wipe to get rid of any extra moisture so you don’t damage the device.
Apple says that you shouldn’t use bleach-based disinfecting wipes. Even though Clorox is a brand name for bleach, Clorox disinfecting wipes don’t have any bleach in them.
FAQ
What can I use to clean my laptop keyboard?
- Microfiber cloth
- Soft paintbrush
- Cotton swabs
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Compressed air
Can I vacuum my laptop keyboard?
Have you got a really bad keyboard? Yes, you can use a vacuum to get all the crumbs and other things out, but be careful. Many keyboards have keys that can pop off and be picked up by a regular home vacuum.
What is the best cleaner for laptop keyboards?
The Fesciory Keyboard Cleaning Kit is our top pick because it comes with everything you need to keep your keyboard and laptop clean, and it’s not too expensive. This set comes with two different brushes. With the soft brush, you can gently wipe away any dust or dirt, and with the hard brush, you can scrub away any buildup.
How to clean under laptop keyboard keys without removing keys?
The answer is shockingly simple, and it comes from something we all have around the house: clear tape! To clean under your keyboard keys, you simply need to tear off a small piece of tape, about an inch or so, fold it in half, so the sticky side faces out, then rub it around between your keys.