Dirty keycaps and keyboards can cause your keyboard to stop working properly, so it is important that you know how to keep them clean.
Best practices for cleaning keyboards
Below are our recommended practices for cleaning keyboards. We also encourage you to check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention page for cleaning and disinfecting.
- Switch off and/or unplug keyboards before cleaning. Wait at least 5 seconds after unplugging your keyboard before you begin cleaning.
- Use Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for cleaning. When cleaning your keyboard, gently rub exposed external surfaces. Be careful not to be too forceful when cleaning to avoid damaging your keyboard.
- Keep moisture to a minimum. To avoid water damage, make sure liquid does not drip into your keyboard during cleaning.
Cleaning keycaps and keyboards
Before cleaning your keycaps, we recommend taking a picture of your keyboard. This picture will serve as a helpful reference when you need to reinsert your keycaps into the keyboard.
To clean your keycaps and keyboard, you will need:
- A container with warm soapy water
- A towel to dry off your keycaps
- A place for the keycaps to air dry overnight
- A can of compressed air to clean your keyboard
- A damp cloth to clean any grime in your keyboard
To clean your keycaps and keyboard:
- Remove the keycaps from your keyboard.
- Place the keycaps into the container of warm soapy water and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Make sure that the keycaps are completely submerged in the water.
- Clean your keyboard by using light compressed air to clear out dust and a damp cloth to clean out any built up grime.
- IMPORTANT: Make sure you avoid letting any liquid get into the keyboard; your keyboard may experience issue if liquid gets into contact with the keyboard's printed circuit board.
- When your keycaps have soaked long enough, rinse them.
- Dry the keycaps with a towel.
- Set the keycaps aside to allow them to dry overnight.
- Once your keycaps have dried, reinsert them back into your keyboard.