Since laptops are made to be used outside of the usual office environments, they tend to get dirty much more quickly than their desktop counterparts. The keyboards in particular are delicate and should be kept clean to ensure proper operation.
Table of Contents:
Cleaning a Laptop Keyboard
Before you start cleaning your laptop’s keyboard, make sure it is unplugged and powered off. (It is always better to have a dirty laptop than to shock yourself or ruin your machine during the cleaning process.) Also, remove the mouse, any discs or CDs, USB drives and anything else that is protruding from your machine.
The process you will use to clean your laptop has to do with how ambitious you are feeling at the time and how hardy your machine happens to be. For example, on some machines it is easy to pop the keys off and put them back on. But on others, it is about as simple as performing brain surgery. In other words, if you’re not confident that you can get the keys back on your laptop’s keyboard, do not take them off. You will still be able to clean your laptop pretty well. Not sure? Check the owner’s manual.
Cleaning your laptop with the keys intact
If you’ve elected to take the easy road and leave the keys o attached to your laptop, you can clean in between them by using a can of compressed air. Be aware that a can of compressed air does not simply contain air but contains a toxic chemical. So be careful when handling it and never hold the bottle upside down. Just tilt it at an angle two or three inches away from your key board as you direct the air between the keys. The good thing about having a laptop is that if it is too difficult to tilt the can of air you can always tilt your computer. Just be careful not to drop it.
If you feel comfortable doing it, you can also hold your laptop upside down over a trash can and tap on it lightly to dislodge any remaining debris that might be hiding in there once you’re done spraying.
Cleaning your laptop with the keys removed
If you’ve decided that you would like to take off the keys, use a knife or similar object to gently pop them off. Then store them in a safe place so that they don’t get lost. Even if you’re one of the confident ones, it’s still recommended that you leave the space bar and other larger keys in place. They are a real doozy to get back on due to their design.
Once you’ve pried all of the keys off of your laptop that you will be prying, place them in a small bowl, such as a cereal bowl, and add a couple drops of dish soap for hand washing to clean them with some light scrubbing. (Be sure to plug the drain if the bowl is in the sink.) Then follow the rest of the steps below while they soak.
Cleaning the rest of the laptop
Unlike a traditional desktop keyboard, your laptop has many more nooks and crannies that need to be cleaned, such as drives, ports and the touchpad. For any nook and cranny type areas, the best thing to do is just spray inside them with the compressed air. Remember that the air is pressurized so you don’t want to get too close to the surface or this pressure could damage your computer.
For the rest of the keyboard, such as the touchpad, you can use a cloth that will not leave fuzz, such as an old t-shirt or handkerchief, a microfiber cloth, or one made specifically for electronics.
Dampen the cloth by dipping it in a solution of half lukewarm water and half isopropyl alcohol, a bowl of lukewarm water with a drop of dish detergent for hand washing, or just lukewarm water if your laptop is not that dirty. Wring out the cloth (water dripping into your machine, bad thing) and then wipe the keyboard top, sides and bottom. If you’re having trouble cleaning a tight area, such as where the monitor meets the keyboard, you can use a cotton swab. Just be careful that the swab doesn’t shed.
*You can also use electronics cleaner of course. Always spray it on the cloth, not the machine.
If you have the little rubber nub in the middle of your keyboard, known as the pointer, you can remove it from the keyboard and drop it in the cleaning solution or give it a quick onceover with an old toothbrush to remove any gunk from the grooves.
Letting your keyboard dry
Leave your laptop out so that it can dry. Do not shut the lid. Hopefully, since you used the water or cleaning solution sparingly, it should not take very long. If you removed the keys from your keyboard, you can set them out on the counter or table or wipe them dry with your cloth (if it’s not dry, use a new one of course). Then pop them back on when you’re sure that your machine and the keys are both fully dry.
Never plug in and/or turn on your machine until you are positive that it has dried completely.
Major Spill?
If you’ve had a major accident with some Starbucks and your laptop is swimming in non-fat latte, you may have to remove the entire keyboard in order to clean up the mess. Of course, this is easier said than done. Consult the owner’s manual or call the manufacturer to determine your best course of action in this situation.
Keeping your laptop’s keyboard clean
Of course, there is no way your laptop will remain spotless with regular use, but you can attempt to keep it from harm by not eating or drinking in its presence. Also, try to find a non-dusty area in which to use it. Not only is this better for your computer, it’s also better for your lungs.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
another way to keep your laptop keyboard clean is to wear one of those surgical-type gloves that fit snugly. most of the crud we get on keyboards are from our hands.
2cents.
I was gonna say if you can find one for your laptop, a silicone keyboard protector.
I have a cat and a dog. I was absolutely amazed at the pet hair that was stuck between the keys of my laptop. But rather than using a can of compressed air and possibly spraying dirt and pet hair down into the keyboard I simply used a vaccuum cleaner attachment which pulled the hair and dirt out. Worked great !
If you check with one of your electrical engineers, I think youl find the keyboard operates on very low voltage and does not represent a shock hazzard to people, although the key board itself may not be as fortunate.
(It is always better to have a dirty laptop than to shock yourself or ruin your machine during the cleaning process.)
You could also lay a piece of plastic wrap (i.e., Saran wrap) over the keyboard. Tape it down on the outside edges if you want. Just be sure not to cover any air vents.
I don’t use an expensive, “optical mouse.” the old fashioned connected one still work fine, plus, I don’t have to worry about the battries going dead at a critival time or finding it at the bottom of the fish tank.
I have my tower on a 3″ high raised platform that offers space under it to hold my “Speedstrean” monitor, so I use a (15 cent)non electronic springclip to hold the mouse cable up, out of the way. 78 year old guys like money saving and practical gadgets like this. It’s not just winning, it’s how you play the game.
I find a paintbrush between the keys tidies it up a bit.
To clean any keyboard:
1: Turn off PC/remove batteries from portable
2: Vacuum between keys
3: Either use 91% isopropal alcohol or “Magnetic Head Cleaner”spray
– pour or spray onto paper towel until saturated (don’t be
chintzy)
4: Turn keyboard/portable upside down (to prevent runoff from
entering keyboard/portable) Hold upside down in air
5: Wipe keys thoroughly in every direction until clean
6: Place keyboard/portable upside down on clean double layer of
paper towels for an hour (to make sure all the alcohol has
evaporated) before powering up/replacing batteries.
Baby wipes work great too for cleaning the laptop. just damp enough and no lint.
I use a Shaggymac laptop screen protector and their OptiMist Prime LCD Spray Cleaner. My T44 screen is perfect and looks brand new after 2 years of a nomadic lifestyle. I def recommend the Shaggy.
http://www.shaggymac.com
My Dad spilled a partial cup of tea on his keyboard, which unfortunately had both cream and sugar in it. He was quick enough to turn the laptop upside down so very little if any of the liquid seeped inside the case, however after drying severl keys were stuck.
My solution was to take a baking sheet and add just enough rubbing alcohol to cover the keyboard completely. I then let the keyboard soak for about 15 minutes, while every few minutes giving the keboard a good swish back in forth in the alcohol. I then rinsed the keyboard in very hot water, and let dry overnight.
Placed the keyboard back in the laptop, and all was well. Hope this helps somebody.
Mike
I have a white laptop, so it is very dificult not to have any kind of dust at the end of the month. One day I just experiment using rubber, a simple piece of rubber, and used it all arround the keyboard. And it worked, the rubber cleaned all the surface. With the keys, I use a vaccum cleaner and a paint brush.
If you don’t want to fork over the money for a can of compressed air, just use an air compressor. I also take isopropal alcohol and a few q-tips and wipe between keys on my (rather dated and second-hand from a person I don’t even know) laptop.
I was seeing my laptop getting dirty but didnt have the courage to open up all the keys. So i used a tooth brush to dust away the dirt, then a cotton bud dipped in a very dilute solution of soap water to rub between the keys, then a cotton cloth dipped in the same solution to wipe off the top, and now im not ashamed to take my laptop to meetings!!!
Well another good idea...
It just came to me and I haven’t tried it yet but a good idea might be to use one of those Always wipes that come on the top of menstrual pads or that you can buy seperately. You could just wipe your keyboard down with that, they don’t shed lint (if they did while you were using them for their original purpose then you could get an infection) and they smell pretty good too. Just a thought
HELP!!!! My keyboard!!!!!
My youngest daughter spilled kool-aid by accident all over my lap top…my neighbor came over took my lap apart and told me soak my keyboard in distilled water. Now my keyboard doesnt work at all. Is my keyboard ruined??