Preventive & Regular Maintenance

Input Devices
Article Last Reviewed April 2006

Clean A Full-Size Keyboard

Maybe you need to clean your keyboard because one of your keys is sticking, or perhaps a key seems dead because there's something trapped underneath it,
or, if you're like many of us, maybe it took an urgent situation—such as spilling a cup of coffee—to force you to take action. Regardless of the reason,
cleaning your keyboard is a worthwhile chore—if only just to rid it of the many germs nesting there.

Let's deal with the most urgent mess first: If you spilled liquid on your keyboard, immediately shut down your computer, disconnect the keyboard, take it
to a sink, and turn it upside down to drain the liquid. If you spilled a sticky substance, such as juice, you can squirt water on the upside-down keyboard
to rinse it, but don't submerge the keyboard in water. Also, make sure you let your keyboard dry upside down.

For those of you with a mess that's much more subtle, take the time to assemble some cleaning items so you can get the job done without having to leave
your keyboard unattended (and giving your pet a chance to poke his nose and fur back where they don't belong). Companies such as Fellowes (
www.fellowes.com)
and 3M (
www.3m.com)
make keyboard-cleaning kits that sell for less than $10 each, but you probably can just rely on several items that you already have at home: a can of compressed
air, a box of cotton swabs, a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, a tall trash can, antibacterial/disinfecting wipes, two plastic knives, a soft lint-free cloth,
a small tub of soapy water, a tweezers, and several ice cube trays (optional).

(NOTE: These so-called cans of "compressed air" aren't really filled with air; they contain a variety of chemical formulations—depending on the desired
pressure output—that are packaged in cans in the form of compressed gas. When exposed to air, the compressed gas changes form very quickly, so that's why
it's important to hold the can in an upright position before and during use to prevent a gas-liquid mixture from being expelled and damaging an electronics
device. This type of liquid can cause frostbite and burns if it touches your skin, and it can discolor plastics and other materials.)

Shut down and turn off your computer, disconnect the keyboard, and carry it to a clean surface that has plenty of room for your keyboard and your collection
of cleaning items. Turn the keyboard upside down over the trash can and shake it to dislodge some of the debris. Then, grab the can of compressed air,
and while holding the keyboard at an angle and the can upright, blow out any debris from between the keys. Next, dip a cotton swab into a bottle of isopropyl
alcohol (only until the swab is slightly damp—you don't want any liquid dripping inside the keyboard) and use it to wipe the sides of the keys individually.
Because the isopropyl alcohol can sometimes damage the ink on the keys, use antibacterial/disinfecting wipes (that don't contain ammonia-based solvents)
to clean the tops of the keys.

If your keyboard is particularly dirty or if you spilled liquids on it in the past, you can remove the keys and carefully use the damp swabs to wipe the
areas underneath the keys. Make sure you remove the keys in the proper order (this is when using ice cube trays to separate the keys is a big help)—avoiding
the large keys, such as the SHIFT key, for now. Also, please note that removing the keys may invalidate your warranty, so if your keyboard is still under
a warranty, check with the manufacturer first.

Stick the two plastic knives under opposite sides of a key and pry upward, exerting equal force on both sides. The key will probably fly across the room,
but that's how you do the job without breaking the key or the switch. Once the keys are off, they're actually washable, so if damp swabs and antibacterial/disinfecting
wipes didn't remove all the stains, you can dunk the keys in soapy water to eliminate the rest of the grime. You'll need to let the keys air dry before
putting them back on the keyboard, but we'll cover that process in a moment.

When you're ready to clean the bigger keys (such as the Spacebar, SHIFT, ENTER, TAB, BACKSPACE, etc.), please note that these keys may be loaded with springs
or hinges that make them difficult to remove or replace, so you may want to reconsider removing them if they're not causing you any problems. If you decide
you need to clean them, use the plastic knives again and apply pressure slightly upward (toward the top of the keyboard) as you lift from both sides of
the key; while doing so, you may find that the metal hinges holding the large key slide free.

With all the keys off, the plastic layer protecting the circuit board should be in view. Use your wipes to clean the area, and use your tweezers to remove
any stray hairs and fibers. Save the alcohol-dampened swabs for truly stubborn gunk. Removing the keys also will help you remove debris in the divider
between the main keyboard and the numeric keypad. Even so, if you see a few crumbs caught in the keyboard's underside that you can't remove, keyboard manufacturers
and repair shops alike say to never unscrew a whole keyboard: Go only as far as removing the keys.

Popping most keys back on should be fairly easy: Just push straight down with even pressure. For the large keys with hinges, slide the metal hinges down
into their catches with slight diagonal pressure before pushing down on the key and snapping it in.

Finally, open a word processor and press/type every key to make sure you put them back correctly. Your keyboard may feel a little soft during the first
few minutes of typing, but after that, it should start feeling solid again.