What is the easiest way to clean your computer keyboard at home?

The amount of time that people spend at the computer is constantly growing - some people do not leave it all day. As a result of this, input devices become dirty, lose their external attractiveness, and over time the question arises: how to clean the keyboard, can it be washed? In especially neglected cases, problems may arise with its operation.
Of course, in this embodiment, the simplest and most reliable solution is to go and buy a new device. However, with some effort, this can be fixed and saved on the purchase.

The easiest way to extend the life of a computer keyboard is the timely and regular care of it. The enemy for her in the first place is the liquid. Based on this, you need to understand that you can’t just wash it with water. This will lead to corrosion of the contacts and entail the failure of the device.

Washing a computer keyboard at home is not difficult, this activity does not require special equipment. As helpers, you can make ordinary home accessories and tools - a screwdriver, cotton buds, a towel or a soft cloth.
Depending on the degree of contamination of the device, methods of cleaning it can be divided into several conventional options. However, in any case, washing the keyboard with water in assembled condition is strictly prohibited.

Cleaning the keyboard with light dirt

Light contamination implies the presence of a small amount of dust, crumbs and other dry fine debris on the keys and the rest of the computer keyboard. In this case, washing the device is not necessary.

The following actions are recommended:

1. disconnect the device from the computer;
2. use a hair dryer to blow dust, crumbs, etc. out of it (instead of a hair dryer, you can use a vacuum cleaner or compressed air in a spray can);
3. wipe the keyboard with a slightly damp soft cloth or special computer napkins.

Moderate pollution

Pollution of moderate severity implies the presence on the keyboard of not only small dry debris, but also fat deposits on the keys. In this case, it is recommended to perform the following actions.

1. Disconnect the device from the computer.
2. Using a hairdryer or spray can of compressed air, blow dust, crumbs and more out of it.
3. Moisten a cotton swab in alcohol and carefully remove fat deposits from the keys. In this case, it is worth paying attention to the fact that alcohol can corrode the letters and designations applied to them. Therefore, before such wiping, it is recommended to carefully check the reaction of the keys to alcohol, and only after making sure of their reliability, continue cleaning.

Severe contamination cleaning

For the highest quality cleaning, it is necessary to completely disassemble the keyboard and wash it thoroughly. This is the only way to eliminate adhering dirt, which cannot be removed by blowing and which is out of reach of a cotton swab moistened with alcohol. It makes it possible to achieve an optimal result, but it has several significant drawbacks: you need to spend a lot of time, you need certain skills related to disassembling and assembling the keyboard, as well as the experience of dismantling and installing keys.

The keyboard is disassembled by unscrewing the screws with a screwdriver and then separating the upper part from the bottom. In this case, it is necessary to remove the thin plate through which the signals are transmitted.

Then, using a thin screwdriver, each key is pulled out.When performing these actions, it is necessary to take into account that for the fastening of each button, a special rather fragile latch is used, which must be carefully disconnected in order to then pull out the key.

Tip

Before disassembling the keyboard, you should get a diagram on which the location of the keys on it will be displayed. To do this, you need to find on the Internet a photo of a similar device or take a photo of yours before disassembling.

The removed keys can be washed with warm water using any product that does not contain caustic substances. In addition, other plastic keyboard elements can be washed with water. They must be thoroughly wiped, be sure to let them dry completely, and only then can the keyboard be reassembled. In order for all parts to dry as quickly as possible, you can use a hair dryer or place them near any heat source.

We clean the laptop keyboard

Notebooks and netbooks always use the built-in keyboard. This implies certain difficulties when cleaning. Unlike a regular keyboard, it will not be possible to disassemble it and rinse under water. In addition, the keys are disconnected by no means on all models. But how to clean this type of computer keyboard? The best option for cleaning the input device of a laptop or netbook is to blow dust with a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer or compressed air from a spray can. You can also use a soft brush to remove debris from the space between the keys.
Such cleaning, of course, will not be able to return the laptop keyboard to its pristine cleanliness, but, unfortunately, for the average user it is a more affordable option than completely disassembling the device. For more advanced cases, it makes sense to contact a service center or a computer equipment repair center, whose specialists will be able to clean and quality and return the keyboard of the portable device to its original state.