A key issue that seems to plague most electronics these days is how hard they are to clean thoroughly. Since nature finds empty spaces abhorrent (horror vacui), it feels as if dust and grime do nothing but conspire to fill every single nook, crevice, and cranny of your favorite device.
Whether you are a pro or amateur e-athlete, you understand that filthy peripherals or controllers can stifle your performance. Dirt can jam or impede buttons and keys. Therefore, as you are lugging around your favorite gaming laptop from tournament to tournament, you want to make sure the keyboard is as pristine as possible.
Tip: If you’re looking for a guide on how to clean a regular keyboard, jump on over to our other article.
Best Ways to Clean a Laptop Keyboard
Gamers hate filth. Whether it is in the form of filthy gear or filthy casuals, we just can’t stand it. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about casuals but we can ensure that our gear is free of dirt. Just like any quality gaming keyboard, your laptop keyboard needs cleaning too.
In this guide, we’ll explore two ways you can clean your laptop keyboard – without removing the keys and by removing the keys.
#1 Cleaning Your Laptop Keyboard without Removing the Keys
Ideally, you need to clean your laptop at least three times per week. This includes the screen and keyboard. In this section, I will show you how to clean your laptop without removing the keys.
What You Will Need:
- Microfiber cloth
- Isopropyl Alcohol / Denatured Alcohol
- Cotton balls
- Compressed Air Cleaner
- Anti-Static Wrist Band (optional)
Related: How to Use an Anti-Static Wrist Strap
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Switch your laptop off, unplug it from the adapter and remove the battery. This will minimize your chances of getting shocked or erroneously turning on the laptop. Although, in some cases, you may not be able to remove your battery. These days, not even budget gaming laptops allow you to take the battery out without unscrewing the bottom panel. In that instance, you can also use an anti-static wristband to protect you from any electrostatic discharge while cleaning your laptop keyboard.
- Open your laptop lid as much as possible (without breaking it). Then hold the entire laptop in the air, upside down over a table/desk and shake it gently to dislodge any dirt, crumbs, dust bunnies or tiny food particles.
- Place the laptop on your desk/table (right side up), then wipe any visible dust and debris from the keys and base using a clean dry microfiber cloth.
- Next, use an air duster or compressed air clear to remove dust particles from the keyboard. Focus on the space between the keys and the base. Tilting the laptop slightly will make things a little easier for you.
*Note: Ensure that the straw is connected to the nozzle. Make sure that you spray in short bursts rather than long continuous ones.
- Once again, wipe the keys and base down with a microfiber cloth. You can dampen the cloth with water or spray some Isopropyl Alcohol on it before wiping it. Do not dampen the cloth too much. You do not want to get any dampness in-between the keys.
- Next, take a cotton ball, dip it into an isopropyl alcohol solution and use it to clean any stickiness, oil or stubborn grime around the base of the keyboard, between the keys and on the keys themselves. A cotton ball will provide you afford you some precision but if you want to be even more precise, use a cotton swab.
- Use your microfiber cloth to give the keyboard one final wipe down
#2 Cleaning Your Laptop Keyboard by Removing the Keys
If there is dirt or crumbs stuck beneath some of the keys of your keyboard, then you may need to remove the keys to give your keyboard on a more thorough clean. In this section, we will show you how.
What You Will Need:
- Pry/Spudger toolset
- Cotton swabs
- Microfiber sloth
- Compressed air duster
- Small storage container
- Isopropyl Alcohol
- Laptop Manual
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Before removing the laptop keys, take a mental note of their position. If you don’t have a photographic memory, I suggest you take a picture of your keyboard’s layout.
- With most keyboards, you don’t even have to use a pry tool or screwdriver to remove the keys. You can simply pull them out by wedging your fingernails between the bottom part of the keys and popping them out. In some cases, as with mechanical gaming keyboards, you should be able to use a key puller to extract the keys. If you are unsure of how to pull the keys out, visit the laptop’s website or look for the manual
- Neatly place the keys into a clear container as you remove them so you don’t lose them
- Once you’ve removed all the keys, use a compressed air duster to dislodge any dirt stuck between the brackets or membrane
- Use a precision cotton swab or the sharp part of a spudger to clean out any stubborn dirt or grime. If you use a cotton swab, you can dip it in an isopropyl alcohol solution to make cleaning even easier
Once you’re satisfied that you’ve cleaned all the dirt and grime out of the keys, replace the keys and then use a microfiber cloth to wipe the laptop keyboard down
Final Words
There you have it! With the help of the information in this guide, you should be able to clean your laptop with as little hassle as possible. Make sure that you clean it at least three times a week. Remove the keys at least once a month for a more thorough cleaning. If you need more laptop cleaning tips, check out our guide on how to clean your laptop fan. I hope you’ve found this guide to be helpful. Thank you for reading.