How to Clean a Mechanical Keyboard: Simple Solution

You will be able to know how to Clean a Mechanical Keyboard that have become dirty, stick, or wet as a result of daily use or an accident by following the steps outlined in this guide, which will walk you through all of the safe and effective methods. Keeping a mechanical keyboard clean can be quite a challenge because it is constantly collecting dust particles, lint, and hair, among other things, over the course of time. This can make cleaning the keyboard a challenging task. When you continue to type with sweaty or greasy fingers, the keycaps on your keyboard will eventually start to shine or become greasy.

This is not to mention the fact that they will start to shine over time. To put this into perspective, take it from someone who builds mechanical keyboards as a hobby and spends a significant amount of time cleaning them of bread crumbs and tortilla chips on a regular basis. When it comes to electronic devices, dust is the most dangerous enemy, and our keyboards are no exception to this rule. At all times, they are placed on top of our desks, where they are exposed and unprotected, waiting for dust to enter through any cracks or spaces that exist between the keycaps.

In the course of time, dust accumulation can cause switches and keys to become clogged, which can result in malfunctions, missed keystrokes, and a reduction in the overall lifespan of our pricey mechanical keyboards, which are extremely valuable. In order to ensure that your keyboard continues to function as it was designed to for a considerable amount of time, it is essential that you clean and maintain it. Here are the steps how to Clean a Mechanical Keyboard.

How to Clean a Mechanical Keyboard

1. Take your keyboard off the wall. Carefully disconnect your keyboard from your computer. If you can, remove the cable from your keyboard as well.
2. Take a picture of your keyboard to keep it handy. After you clean your keyboard, you’ll need to put the keycaps back where they belong. Before you start taking off the keycaps, take a picture of your keyboard to make this easier.
3. Carefully take off all of the keycaps with a keycap puller. Start taking the keycaps off your keyboard with a keycap puller and put them in a bowl so you don’t lose any of them. You can quickly make a keycap puller with pliers, paperclips, and a twist tie if you don’t already have one.
4. Put your keycaps in warm water and wash them. Then let them dry. Put some dish soap and warm water in the bowl that has all of your keycaps in it. Let the bowl sit for 30 to 60 minutes and move the keycaps around with your hands.
5. After giving the keycaps enough time to soak, you can strain the soapy water out of them. Clean the keycaps well with water and set them on a paper towel to dry.
6. Use compressed air or an electric duster to blow away the dust. While your keycaps are soaking or drying, clean your keyboard with a can of compressed air or, even better, an electric duster.
7. Clean between the switches with cotton swabs and alcohol. Wipe down the spaces between your keyboard’s keys with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs. Remember that you don’t want to use too much isopropyl alcohol because it can damage the PCB of your keyboard. After that, let your keyboard dry. If you have an electric duster, you can speed up the process.
8. Put the keys back on. Carefully start putting your keycaps back on using the picture of your keyboard that you took earlier as a guide. Make sure each key is facing the right way, and then press down hard on the keycaps to move them back in place. Having your keycap puller on hand is also smart in case you make a mistake.
9. Check your key board. The keys on your keyboard should now all be back together. Plug it into your computer and test all of the keys. To do this, go to KeyboardTester.com. It will make a sound every time a key is pressed and show you which keys have been tested.

Importance of Cleaning a Mechanical Keyboard

1. Durability: Key switches can get worn out over time if they aren’t cleaned regularly. Regular cleaning keeps dirt, dust, and other debris from building up. This makes the mechanical keyboard last longer in the long run.
2. Keypress Consistency: Dust and other particles can get into key switches and stop them from working properly, which can cause keys to not work at all or press differently. Cleaning makes sure that every key works properly, so typing is always the same.
3. How to Avoid Sticky Keys: Spills of liquid or snack residue can make keys stick, which can be uncomfortable to type on and could even damage the keyboard. Cleaning gets rid of any dirt or grime that could stick the keys and keeps them moving smoothly.
4. Keeping up with trends: Mechanical keyboards often have nice-looking features, such as LED backlighting. Cleaning the keyboard keeps dirt from building up on the keycaps and between the keys, which keeps the keyboard looking good and the backlighting bright.
5. Health and Hygiene: Because they are used so often, keyboards can hold bacteria and germs. Cleaning not only gets rid of dirt that you can see, but it also makes your workspace healthier and more hygienic by getting rid of microorganisms that could be harmful.
6. Better Performance: In general, a clean keyboard works better. Dust and other particles can get in the way of electrical connections and sensors, which can make the keyboard less responsive overall. Cleaning things on a regular basis helps them keep working at their best.
7. Long-term cost savings: If you clean your mechanical keyboard regularly, you can make it last longer. This means you won’t have to buy a new one as often, which saves you money in the long run.

Tools and Materials Needed

Conclusion

Even if you don’t regularly smear your mouse and keyboard with Dorito crumbs and lunch messes, they will eventually become unsanitary due to dust, skin particles, hair, and natural hand oils. This is true even if you don’t do this as frequently as you might otherwise. But if you pay them less than five minutes of attention every week, they will continue to feel revitalised.

As a result of the larger spaces between the keys, mechanical keyboards require a little bit more maintenance than other types of keyboards. Unfortunately, nasties can and will fall into these spaces. Nevertheless, a more thorough cleaning once every couple of months can keep a mechanical keyboard in pristine condition for many years.

Questions and Answers