The best way to clean your keyboard

HOW did those keyboards get to that state?! i'd probably use it as an excuse to get a shiny new keyboard :P

In fact with my old G15 the dirt couldnt accumulate because the black colouring of the keys started to come away.

that cyber goo looks awesome though....

I tend to put the keys and top layer of my keyboards in the washing machine about three or four times a year, at the lowest setting possible (30 mins, 30°C). Works miracles and has yet to leave any signs on the keyboard.

The best way to clean your keyboard actually is precaution, i.e. not eating or drinking at the computer table and covering up the keyboard during the night to protect it from dust, so it doesn't get as bad as you guys' keyboards in the first place. :D

What I do is:

Pop off a key on a corner of the keyboard. (namely the §) , and blow air so all the dust/hair/whatever loose stuff behind the keys comes out through the hole.

Use an alcohol cleaning wipe to wipe the keys. I have a load of those hospital wipes, but after those run out, I'll probably just use IPA and a random rag/tissue. Couldn't be arsed to disassemble my G15 and see if it gets ruined in the dish washer.

Dishwasher FTW! I use the coolest water settings also. It's the universal solucion, also works for (CDs and DVDs)

Hmm most often I only clean my keyboard when I spill coke or tea on it and it gets too sticky to use.. then I take it apart and bring it to work. Here I have access to de-ionized water, cleaning reagents and best of all 100% ethanol.. clean it up nice with water and cleaning reagents.. and the soak it in ethanol for a few min.. take it out and the ethanol will evaporate in no time .. so no waiting :D

I cleaned my Saitek Eclipse a couple of weeks ago. I found the keys were sticking, which was getting me killed in CS:Source. So I got some canned air, which did get a lot of light crumbs out of it - but the keys still stuck. So I got annoyed one night and took the whole thing apart, it was much easier than I thought. Unfortunately I don't have a dishwasher, so I had to use the Fairy liquid method.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3653/keyboardwoc.jpg

I clean my desk and peripheral pc devices twice a week, when I clean my apartment....ocd ? :P

I just vacuum the keys with my dyson- gets rid of the dust really well. As for the grime, a lot of patience with a rag and some water.

I still haven't figured out how to open my keyboard up.

There is only one way to clean computers. Soap and water:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=34&pictureid=3610

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=34&pictureid=3609

(Yes, pictures show the covers for an entire laptop)



I never use shared keyboards do this doesn't worry me much, really. I do give keyboards and mice a wipe down with alcohol wipes every once in a while, though. Especially at work where i handle some pretty NASTY computers sometimes.

I kinda just take my keyboards out to the garden once in awhile (I do this for the household fan beside my computer too) and jet it with my garden hose. Its like the dishwasher, just without the destruction. Then I shake it real hard and wipe it with a cloth to dry it and clean off any dirt still sticking onto the keys. I then grab a hair dryer on the lowest and coolest setting and prop up the keyboard(s) on something and aim the dryer at it for half an hour or so. They come out real clean and I dont have to take anything apart. Simple and effective (and will take you <1h, which is mostly waiting time anyways. Its possible to NOT use your computer for an hour you know :D).

Maybe I should use this in conjunction with that putty thing. Gonna order it now :)

I use a vacum cleaner to vacum the keys. Works well too!`

btw, how to post this on facebook?
I think you need a facebook link

best solution: new keyboard.

What about laptop keyboards? I've also got 3 cats which leave cat hairs everywhere, including under my keys.

I noticed that on my toshiba laptop, after using it for 5 years now, keys which are constantly being used becomes shiny. No idea why. The keyboard is black in colour.

My Zboard shoulod be as easy as hell to clean but somehow dirt just stays there.

The dishwasher one surprised me a little at first, but I guess it makes sense.

If anyone is interested Tesco sell a 350ml can of air, "Fellowes Air Duster" for about £3.50. The cheapest I found in my local Maplin was a similar sized can for £12. And Whsmith for £9.

Coffee, Coke and Red Bull are the biggest killers of my keyboards, I've only soaked one keyboard, most of the time I just grab a new one as said substances corrode the connectors anyway.

I take all the keys off and give them a good soak in a mild detergent solution for a while. Wipe the rest of the keybaord down with some antibac wipes, then pop all the keys back on. One last wipe, done. Board looks pretty much as new after that. Takes a while, though.

Anyone find the letters begin to wear off after several washes? :p :(

I was hoping bi-tech would come up with an amazing and innovative method to cleaning keyboards, but it looks like I am sticking to the usual; just opening it up and cleaning every crevice with warm soapy water. Sure it takes a while (usually no more than quarter of an hour), but it is guarateed to be 100% clean at the end of it.

If I can be arsed, I get a small screwdriver and scrape the crap out from under the keys as well (which means taking each key off individually). While that takes a lot longer, I only do it every few keyboard cleans.

Why the focus on antibacterial cleaners?

Not to sound like some crazed fool, but you do realise that this over-reliance on antibacterial products - something wholly created by companies like Unilever that produce said products - is probably to blame for the increase in allergies seen over the last 10-15 years?

I admit that a dirty keyboard doesn't look paricularly nice, but it's unlikely to be the cause of any serious infection. Short of a dust and a shake every now and then, I don't clean my keyboard at all, and I have yet to succumb to the keyboard plague :p

Do the shake and vac to put the freshness back!

Originally Posted by Matticus
The dishwasher one surprised me a little at first, but I guess it makes sense.

If anyone is interested Tesco sell a 350ml can of air, "Fellowes Air Duster" for about £3.50. The cheapest I found in my local Maplin was a similar sized can for £12. And Whsmith for £9.

Don't buy those Fellowes cans! They blow! (haha... )

Seriously, though. They don't produce enough pressure to do anything. You only get very short bursts from it because the boiling point of the liquid is too low. When the can cools down the liquid stops to evaporate.

PRF have some good products in this section, but they are a bit hard to come by apparently.

CRC also makes some, but I don't think i have tried it.


Just buy a small air compressor. (WITH a tank!) Works great, and is reusable as long as you have power. :)