It’s quite an unpleasant fact to know, but our computer keyboards are usually even dirtier than our toilets! This single fact is already enough to go for a pack of high-level wipes before entering the next dungeon to get a 15 mythic boost or a new legendary sword. They will wait, but your hygiene won’t. Here’s a quick guide on regular keyboard cleaning with high-level wipes and some other cleaning tools.

What’s in There?

If the argument in the intro didn’t sound persuasive enough for you, here’s a more detailed map of stuff that makes your keyboard a mess even if you don’t see it:

• Finger oils – even if your palms don’t seem sweaty, they permanently produce oils that stay on the keyboard. 
• Bacteria – of course, bacteria are everywhere, but sticky keys work as a magnet for them and accumulate dirt much faster. 
• Dust – the grooves between the keys are powerful dust accumulators. Dust also mixes with finger grease and makes a great home for bacteria.
• Food crumbs – eating above your keyboard is highly unrecommended, but, come on, who doesn’t eat while watching a movie or a long walkthrough of the new game. 

Not All Wipes Are Equal

If you think that any wipes will work out, you are wrong. Cleaning a keyboard with low-level wipes won’t disinfect it, but only remove the visible dirt from the surface. The keyboard is a frequently touched area, so it requires high-level cleaning with special wipes soaked with a bleach-free disinfecting solution. In most cases, the main active component is alcohol, but extra components may also be included for a balancing action or extra protection against particular viruses. This type is usually called ‘disinfecting wipes’, and it’s the only one that lets you clean the keyboard well enough. 

Step 1: Shake, Blow, Vacuum

Depending on the keyboard type you have, you should start the cleanup by shaking the keyboard. If you have a flat-type laptop keyboard, blowing the dust and crumbs with compressed air is much more effective. Vacuuming is not always necessary but can help you remove everything you could have missed. Use a narrow vacuum cleaner attachment for the best result. 

Step 2: Cleaning with High-Level Wipes

If you have a mechanical keyboard, you should disconnect it from the computer and carefully remove the keys with a table knife or a flathead screwdriver. Take a deep breath as the amount of mess under the keys may shock you, especially if it’s the first cleanup in a year or more. Take a wipe and thoroughly clean all the grooves. You can use the flip side of a needle wrapped in the wipe to clean narrow areas or just a cotton bud. It’s highly important to finish the process with a fresh wipe to remove the rest of the germs. You should also clean every single key before putting them back.

If you are going to clean a flat laptop keyboard, where it’s rarely possible to remove the keys, you have to use something like a small knife tip, the flip side of a needle, or a toothpick to scrape away grease from under the keys. Next, take a wipe to clear the remains and finish the process with a fresh wipe. 

Never Include These Steps

Pursuing perfect purity you may come up with an idea to use some liquid high-level disinfecting solution. You should never do that as the metal parts within the keyboard mechanism will be damaged forever. Cleaning a laptop keyboard, you risk damaging the chips that are placed right under the keyboard. It will be much more expensive to replace a motherboard than to buy a new USB keyboard. Also, you should never:

• Submerge the keyboard in water – it’s just too obvious to explain!
• Pluck the keys out of the keyboard – they may break or never work again when you return them back. You can yank the keys off only if it’s permitted by the manufacturer.
• Don’t use wipes that contain bleach – most electronic devices, including keyboards, are not protected from bleach corrosion, so you shouldn’t use them to avoid damage. 

Don’t Stop Here

Your keyboard isn’t the only item you touch frequently, so your cleaning and disinfecting routine must include treatment of your entire set of electronics, door handles, household appliances, and the surfaces inside your vehicle. Otherwise, keyboard cleanup will be merely superficial, and the germs will return back as soon as you touch an unprocessed item and go back to your computer.