Cleaning your computer keyboard

We’ve either done it ourselves or know someone who has spilled a drink onto a keyboard. Gina Trapani, founder of Lifehacker who now writes the terrific blog Smarterware, gives detailed instructions on how to save your keyboard after it has gone swimming.

A good cleaning once a year isn’t a bad idea for your keyboard, either, and her instructions will get you back to new. Keep the clutter out from under your fingertips.

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Posted by Erin on Jun 2, 2009 | Comments | Tweet This

10 comments posted

  1. Posted by mike - 06/02/2009

    Assuming you did not spill liquid into your keyboard, other good cleaning methods are using a small paint brush to dust it off and a vacuum cleaner with a soda stray attached to the end, with which you can press into the space between the keys to give it a more thorough dusting. An articulating straw works better, and to seal the straw into the vacuum hose, use a plastic grocery back wadded up after you slip the straw into the hose 4 to 6 inches.

  2. Posted by Cindy Marsch - 06/02/2009

    On the other hand, a replacement standard keyboard is about $15. Not knowing that years ago, hubby and I tested our marriage vows by working together to do such surgery on my keyboard after I spilled coffee with milk into it. The worst part is getting those sheets aligned again.

  3. Posted by gypsy packer - 06/02/2009

    I don’t drink anywhere near a keyboard, after shorting out an answering service keyboard and system some 20 years ago with a co’cola.

    Investigate the WackyVac brush attachment, which has many grocery straw attachments with brushes inside, and can be used with a wet or dry vac. Great for getting dust out of keyboards and those tricky little multi-vented spaces around the house. I hate gadgets but this one works well.

  4. Posted by Sheryl - 06/02/2009

    We’ve taken several older keyboards apart and run them through the dishwasher. Some people don’t bother to disassemble them first, but I’m always afraid they won’t dry completely if we don’t.

    I wouldn’t do this with my son’s newer ergonomic keyboard (I can’t get it apart, for one thing), but it’s worked great on all of our other ones.

  5. Posted by Marie - 06/02/2009

    My husband has one of those silicone keypad covers, but they drive me nuts. I keep my keyboard covered with Saran wrap. It doesn’t affect movement of the keys if you keep it loose, and when it starts to get funky you just chuck it and get another piece.

  6. Posted by D - 06/03/2009

    Wow. You keep your keyboard covered in saran wrap?

    Comedy gold right there, Marie.

  7. Posted by Tania - 06/03/2009

    ^^^ i have the old white Apple wireless keyboard which is NOTORIOUS labor intensive and difficult to clean and easy to break while doing so. I did that job exactly ONE time. Afterwards I, too, wrapped my keyboard in cling film until my keyboard cover arrived, and now I will only use my keyboard with a cover on it. My cover is one of those super thin, keyboard specific covers that doesn’t impede my typing at all (i’m a fast typist – the thick covers slow me down)… It’s Much easier to take off and wash the cover than it is to clean the keyboard. (and cling film does work great in a pinch as a keyboard cover!)

  8. Posted by Colleen - 06/03/2009

    You really don’t need to take your keyboard apart and I would never recommend it. There are too many small pieces that are all but impossible to get back into place or lose and it is ridiculously time consuming. You can indeed run them through your dishwasher (just don’t use the hot dry cycle as plastic doesn’t take well to excessive heat) without taking them apart or just rinse them off in the shower. The critical part is that they MUST be 100% dry before you plug them back in. Which, depending on your drying method, can take days… so you should have a spare keyboard (or not need your computer for a few days =). And as Cindy Marsch so aptly pointed out, a new one is not usually too pricey. As for dust and debris you can use a small paintbrush or spray with compressed air, just don’t get the nozzle too close to the keyboard so that there is condensation left behind. My two cents worth. =)

  9. Posted by brandy - 06/05/2009

    I am amazed at how all your recent posts are relating to exactly the things I am thinking about today.

  10. Posted by smulla - 08/14/2009

    I just cleaned about 2 years worth of debris possibly 5 because this is the first time I used compressed air. Typing seems to be fun again because crud is not sticking to the keys.

    The glass cleaner is hindering the spacebar but this is as good as it gets.

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