How to clean your laptop keyboard

Today we want to help you with these tips on how to clean the keyboard of your laptop. And it is inevitable that the products get dirty. No matter how much you take care of your equipment and peripherals, in the end they will end up getting dirty. Most of the times we will deal with dust, or some minor residue; but, on other occasions, it would be necessary to roll up one's sleeves to get down to work.

In a traditional computer, cleaning is key. We recently published an article guiding you on how often you should perform this ritual; But, if you use a laptop, you are more limited when it comes to performing the regulatory cleaning.

The keyboards of our laptops are a focus of dirt.

Index of contents

Why clean my laptop keyboard?

For a laptop, the keyboard is an integral part of its structure, as well as one of the pieces that give identity to this device. The greatest quality of a portable computer is that it can be used autonomously, without peripherals or paraphernalia; therein lies the importance of the keyboard. Being attached to the device itself, and seeing itself in such diverse situations, it is normal for this piece to carry waste after a time.

If these accumulate, they can hinder the use of the device and even damage it. A "recent" case is found in Apple notebooks and its keyboard problems derived from dust; but that is only one of the possible cases that we can find if we are not careful.

In this way, and following the recommendation of our special on the maintenance of our equipment, we should take a look at this integral part of the laptop every few months; These appliances tend to accumulate dirt faster due to use. We will try to give you some procedures that you can always use; regardless of the origin and status of the keyboard in question. We invite you to continue.

Before we get to work

Before starting to work on the keyboard of our laptop, it is essential that we turn off the equipment and remove the battery (if possible). In this way, we will not accidentally damage the equipment and we will operate on it as safely and lightly as possible. How we will continue this process depends entirely on our disposition and time; as well as the state of the keyboard itself. Most of the time a quick swipe of an air disperser will serve to maintain our keyboard; but at other times, it may be a better option to remove it entirely from the case. That choice is entirely yours.

Clean our keyboard without disassembling the equipment

The procedure that we will follow for most of the occasions. For cases where there is only a small amount of dirt accumulated, an air gun (or use-and-throw spray) and a little trick are enough to remove the remains. Using this method, not only do we not have to remove the keyboard to clean it, but we can also do it quickly and easily in a few minutes; It is true that its effectiveness lies in the removal of dust and exposed remains, it will not do us much good if the keyboard is not in good condition.

Our recommendation is that, after turning off your laptop, place it open upside down, with a slight inclination. In that state, it gives, a few centimeters away, gentle passes of the air pistol back and forth, so that all the remains embedded in the sides fall under their own weight after moving them through the air. Repeat the process from various angles until you are satisfied, and do not forget to do it in an area where it is easy to clean the possible remains that fall from the equipment.

Alternatively, there are gel bands that allow us to eliminate residues in a comfortable way. These gelatinous bands last a few uses and are affordable; but, if we don't want to use them, we can also use some adhesive tape. The procedure is simple: place the laptop face up and apply the gel band little by little on its surface without pressing excessively.

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Clean our keyboard by subtracting it

If you have made the determination to disassemble the keyboard, your weapons will be fine tweezers; the classic screwdrivers; non-fiber gauze and isotropic alcohol of more than 96% (or similar products). Before you put it on, it would be advisable to check if your keyboard allows you to subtract the keys, or the keyboard itself from the case. Cases like the aforementioned Apple MacBook, as well as most notebooks on the market, do not allow it due to their construction; Carrying out this task on them can be dangerous to the integrity of the keyboard itself. We recommend you consult sites like iFixit or similar how to do it.

In any case, if it is possible to carry out this procedure, check if it is possible to lift the keys of your keyboard with the tweezers before carefully subtracting them one by one, and remove residues through the gauze slightly moistened with the product (alcohol or similar). By the time you finish this tedious process, let the product dry, as well as the keys, before proceeding to its accommodation in its natural position.

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Thanks to this procedure you can eliminate larger residues, such as liquids, or food remains; as well as those who have prevented the correct use of a specific key. If your keyboard allows it, you could subtract it completely without going key by key for a better cleaning; the model we used in our article on portable SSDs, for example, allows this.