How To Clean A Mechanical Keyboard

If you have purchased a mechanical keyboard, you should be able to use it for years. These keyboards typically use spring-activated keys to help you input data. However, for you to get the best out of these keyboards, it is important for you to ensure that they stay as clean as possible. Dirt, particles, and even sometimes food crumbs get into the gaps between the keys and make it hard for you to operate the keyboard. But how do you go about cleaning your mechanical keyboard? Here are some easy steps that you can follow to ensure that you get the best out of your keyboard.

Prevention is Key

Ensuring that you take these preventative measures can reduce the amount of dirt and grime that you have to clean from your keyboard. One of the most common things that get into a mechanical keyboard is crumbs from food items. Whether working or gaming, you should always avoid eating anything when using a mechanical keyboard. This prevents bits of potato chips, popcorn, or other edible products from getting into your keyboard. When not using it or when leaving your computer terminal for some time, consider buying a dustproof cover for your computer and keyboard to reduce the amount of dust getting to your keyboard.

Disconnect and Vacuum

The first thing you should do is to unplug your mechanical keyboard to ensure you are safe from electrical accidents. Secondly, use a small vacuum cleaner to pull dust and other particles from your keyboard. Please note that using canned air to blow the dirt out is not as effective as vacuuming and may even damage your keyboard. This is because canned air can lead to condensation which in turn is likely to corrode your keyboard springs. A vacuum cleaner on the other hand uses room temperature air to gently draw dirt out, minimizing any chances of corrosion.

Wipe Gently With Cloth

After you are satisfied that all dirt has been pulled out of the crevices of your mechanical keyboard, the next thing to do is to clean it with a damp cloth. it is preferable that you use a microfiber cloth which will get you the best results. Do not try to cut corners by using a paper towel. This is because most paper towels often shed particles that will find their way back into the crevices, thus reversing any good work that you may have done cleaning out the dirt.

Dirty Keycaps

Over a long time, keycaps often accumulate stubborn dirt largely due to oil from your fingers mixing up with dirt. This may not be easily removed using a vacuum cleaner. Fortunately, there are other ways of getting this dirt out. You should remove the keycaps gently using a keycap remover. Once they are out, gently clean them using dish soap or denture tablets. These cleaning agents often have a special formulation that dissolves oil and dirt. If you are not having any luck removing the grime, you can clean them with a soft brush which should remove even the most stubborn dirt spot. While the keycaps are drying, gently vacuum the keyboard to remove any dust that you may have missed earlier. 

Ensure that the keycaps are completely dry before returning them back to the keyboard. This last bit is critical as any moisture on the keycaps will corrode the sensitive springs.