A keyboard is undoubtedly one of the most widely used computer components. Almost every mental image of a computer that comes to mind contains a keyboard in addition to the mouse and display.
Keyboards can get dirty over time because they are the main access points we frequently touch when using computers. It’s easy to keep dirt and dust in the tiny nooks behind each key’s settings.
In this article, we’ll cover possible water-cleaning methods for keyboards as well as steps to ensure a thorough cleanup.
Can I wipe my keyboard with water?
The short answer is yes; you can wash or clean your keyboard with water. It’s not quite that easy, though, as with a lot of things in the world of computers.
It should be safe and practical to wash a keyboard with water if you adhere to some specific, advised procedures and avoid using water where it is not appropriate.
Throughout history, water has been utilized to clean a variety of objects. On the other hand, water and electronics typically do not get along.
Like the majority of other parts of a computer, the keyboard contains some delicate electronic parts.
We must make sure that none of these are wet or become very damp. These devices may be damaged by water, which will make them unable to function.
If you are careful, you can use water to clean the various components of your keyboard and reassemble it so that it functions properly.
Are Keyboard Keys Safe to Soak in Soapy Water?
Some people like to clean their keyboards with a little dishwashing detergent, a brush, or other delicate tools. Others decide to put a dish of soapy water over their keyboard keys to soak them.
If you remove the keycaps from the rest of the keyboard before submerging them, everything should be alright.
This should allow you to clean each key’s whole surface, both inside and out.
Although using a mechanical keyboard makes this task often simpler, the same principles also hold true for non-mechanical keyboards.
- Take a picture of your current keyboard before you start. This will make it easier for you to locate all of your keys. This is a great initial step, even if you’ve been using your keyboard for years.
- Half-fill an appropriate container with water. Dish soap should be agitated about in the container just a little.
- Gently yet repeatedly swish or manipulate the keys for the first 10 minutes or so. This makes it possible for some of the cleaning agent to reach all of the angles.
- Regardless of how you start, soak the keys for roughly an hour in soapy water. Make sure you have enough time to soak your keyboards for at least 45 minutes when planning your cleaning.
- After the soaking procedure is finished, carefully scrub each key with a gentle brush or clean cloth to eliminate dirt.
- After cleaning is complete, spread the keys out to completely dry in the air. Make sure you allow enough time for this since keys must totally dry before being reinstalled in a keyboard.
- Keyboard issues could arise if keys are not allowed to dry completely. However, this is a great method for cleaning keys as long as the instructions are followed.
- After the keys have dried, reassemble them on the keyboard’s frame using the image you previously captured.
Will my keyboard fit in the dishwasher?
Technically, your keyboard can be cleaned in the dishwasher. When merging these two ideas, there are a few crucial factors to keep in mind.
You may have heard about people who successfully ran their keyboards through the dishwasher.
While this is conceivable, it is most likely the result of the fact that they used extremely particular settings throughout the wash cycle and just put a portion of a keyboard into the dishwasher.
As we’ve already mentioned, it’s preferable if water and electronic components don’t come into contact.
To ensure that just specific portions of the keyboard get cleaned in the dishwasher, you will typically need to partially disassemble the keyboard. Key switches on mechanical keyboards are typically not sealed.
This suggests that any water that gets into the switches could harm the springs and other parts of the mechanical keyboard that keep it functioning so efficiently.
While cleaning the keyboard, you ought to avoid using detergent as a cleaning agent.
When we say that water is bad for electronics, we really mean that if there is too much moisture in places where it shouldn’t be when you turn a device on, it might cause things to short out.
In essence, since certain keyboards are turned off while being cleaned, you can use a dishwasher to clean them.
The keyboard will not be completely dry and ready to use until after many days of air drying, so keep that in mind. Make sure you have a backup keyboard while waiting.
Is it possible to clean the keyboard on a laptop?
For our purposes, “rinsing” shall mean wiping parts of a keyboard with water or other liquids as opposed to submerging it in any stream.
However, if the keyboard is not given enough time to fully dry, you can run into trouble when attempting to restart it. Even if done correctly, rinsing a keyboard in any stream could make the issue worse.
The keyboards on laptops have additional restrictions. They are a part of the structure of the device and would be challenging to fully rinse in a more conventional manner.
Although the laptop can be disassembled in some ways, doing so is a delicate process that could be unnecessary if all you need to do is clean the keyboard.
Conclusion
A desktop or laptop computer user will use the keyboard a lot throughout the day. It may leave visible grime on or under the keys in addition to a large number of invisible microorganisms.
Although you don’t need to clean your keyboard every day, it will still be useful to know some of the best procedures for doing so safely.
Every few months, check the keyboard to see whether there has been a visible accumulation of dust and dirt that you may wipe away.
