How to keep your laptop and PC clean

Dust, crumbs, bacteria: they all hang under and between the buttons on our keyboard. Regular cleaning is therefore advisable. We'll explain to you how to properly clean your keyboard.

Whether at home or on the go: computer keyboards are exposed to thousands of small particles every day. Dust, crumbs and bacteria get stuck under the keys. As a result, the keyboard quickly becomes a hotbed for all kinds of pathogens. It can also happen that foreign bodies and dirt block the keys.

That's why you should clean the keyboard of your laptop or computer regularly. However, in order not to damage them, you should pay attention to a few things.

Cleaning the keyboard: How to keep your computer clean

For easy cleaning, first remove the coarse dirt. To do this, you should first unplug your keyboard or device. To protect your surface, you can also put some newspaper under it. Now turn the keyboard or device over and shake gently until the worst dirt falls out.

Then it’s time to clean the individual keys. Basically, the gentler the better. Most experts recommend gentle cleaning products such as glass cleaner. But you can also use water.

Aggressive cleaners, on the other hand, damage your hardware and can also remove the printing on the keys. In addition to a rag, you can also use brushes, toothbrushes or toothpicks to get into tight spaces – depending on how much space you have. Glasses cleaning products are also suitable for cleaning.

Cleaning the keyboard – the main thing is to be careful

To clean your keyboard, moisten a cloth or utensil of your choice with the cleaner or water and gently wipe the surface. For frequently used keys, you may need to wipe a little harder to remove debris.

If you are unable to remove dirt in this way, you can help at this point with a cotton swab or scratch gently with a toothpick. If necessary, you can then wipe your keyboard dry with a microfiber cloth or another lint-free cloth.

This is how you clean your keyboard intensively

If a superficial cleaning isn't enough for you, you can also try removing the individual buttons. This works on some laptops as well as most desktop computers. However, always check with the manufacturer whether the buttons on the product in question can actually be removed. Some models come directly with a corresponding tool. Alternatively, you can use a butter knife to gently lift the edge of your keys.

If possible, you should remove all buttons for intensive cleaning. It is advisable to take a picture of the complete keyboard so that you can put it back together correctly later. Then wipe the buttons individually or clean them under running water.

Then place all the keys on a tea towel and let them dry there for a few hours. Before you put the individual parts back on your device, there should be no liquid left on them. Beforehand, you can clean the gaps and the key bed – ideally with compressed air. You use the included spray tubes to direct the airflow. You should always maintain a distance of around 1.5 centimeters between the end of the tube and the keyboard.

You can also try using a vacuum cleaner on the lowest setting. However, always make sure that there are no loose parts that could get lost in the worst case scenario.

Finally, you can wipe the keyboard bed with a cloth. When all the keys are dry, you can press them back into their original positions. They should click into place with a quiet click.

Here's how you can clean your MacBook keyboard

There are also a few differences to consider between cleaning a Mac keyboard and a PC. Because some Apple MacBooks use the so-called butterfly mechanism. This means that the buttons on the keyboard are particularly deep and the overall height is therefore lower. However, this makes it more difficult for users to clean their keyboard.

Users of the MacBook from 2015 or newer and the MacBook Pro from 2016 or newer are affected by the problem. Apple therefore gives some tips on how to clean it well. For example, the manufacturer also recommends using a can of compressed air.

To clean, hold your MacBook at a 75-degree angle so that it is not completely in a vertical position. Then spray the compressed air from left to right over the keyboard or, if necessary, just over the affected keys.

Then turn your MacBook on its right side and spray from left to right again. Then turn your MacBook on its left side and repeat the process.

Keyboard problems?

If your keyboard jams or has another problem, cleaning it may be the right solution. However, if it does not produce the desired result, it is advisable to contact a professional. Because he may have to remove a faulty component.

Your problem could also be related to a design flaw. So check beforehand whether your device is part of a series of faulty products and whether you might be entitled to a free replacement.

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