The smoother the keyboard switches are, the easier the user can use them to perform various tasks. But after long usage or if you use a mechanical keyboard, the switches start feeling scratchier and a bit uncomfortable. That’s when you should start using the keyboard lube to make the switches smoother.
Lubing the mechanical switches of the keyboard will make your typing experience easier than before. But there can arise a question in your mind about how long does keyboard lube last. It is essential if you are about to lube your rough and scratched keyboard to make it smoother and more comfortable to use.
How Long Does Keyboard Lube Last
The keyboard lubes are usually used to smoothen the mechanical switches of your keyboard. But the thing is that this keyboard lubes don’t last forever. As these lubes are typically a type of grease that dries out with time after using those in your keyboard switches.
The typing and gaming experience becomes much smoother and more satisfying after using the lube. But unfortunately, these lubricants slowly lose their consistency of lubrication and, at last, lose it all. You might apply these lubes to smooth the keyboard, but they tend to wear off gradually.
Finally, after some periods, you will start to feel the mechanical switches getting scratchier. This will happen as the lubricants lose their lubrication. If you use high-quality lubes, these will last approximately for about four to six years.
In the case of medium-quality lubes the keyboard switches will remain smooth for about one and a half to two years. But these are the average numbers which mostly depend on various factors and are based on your usage. I would always suggest using high-quality lubricants for the job instead of the average lubes.
If you are a hardcore user, the lifespan of the lube will be a bit less than the average. On the other hand, you might be an irregular user of your keyboard. If that’s the case, the smoothing lubricant will last a bit more compared to the average.
But no matter which type of user you are, re-applying the lubes every two and a half years will be enough. Now, there are some factors you need to learn precisely to apply and then re-apply the keyboard lubes properly, and those are:
How to Know My Keyboard Requires Lubing?
This is probably the most asked question from users who never applied keyboard lubricants before. It is the most crucial question to ask as well in the context when you are new in the sector of applying these lubes. There are many signs from which you can understand or feel the necessity of lubing mechanical switches.
- If you feel that the mechanical switches of the keyboard getting extra scratchy while typing, that’s the time when the keyboard requires lubing
- In the case when the buttons start producing rattling sounds, you should get prepared to lubricate the switches
- You might feel the tactile bump while using the keyboard buttons, and it will gradually increase, and that’s high time to apply lubes to your keyboard
- When the actuation is rougher than usual times, you need to prepare yourself for lubing your keyboard.
- If the acoustics are not up to the mark, that’s also an indication that your keyboard requires lubrication
These are the possible indications that your keyboard is getting rougher to type and use for other tasks. Those are the scenarios when you need to lubricate to smoothen the mechanical switches of your keyboard.
How To Lube Your Switches w/ Tips and Tricks
How to prevent Keyboard Lube from Drying Out?
It has been stated earlier in the discussion above that keyboard lube is one type of grease. As a result, no matter which lubricant you use, it will dry out with time. Along with that, these lubricants will slowly and gradually lose their consistency of lubricating power.
This drying-out phenomenon will appear once in a while, and you can’t entirely prevent this from happening. When it happens, it will be a matter of great hassle to get it working again at the same pace and efficiency.
If you are willing to prevent this incident from occurring, there is nothing much doable for you rather than re-lubing the keyboard. But the thing is, you can delay the drying out issue, which will also lower the impact. It will require you to take some precautionary measurements, which are as follows:
Cleaning the Keyboard Dust Regularly
Dust attack on the keyboard of your laptop or desktop is nothing new. It is quite dangerous even for the entire computer body, along with the keyboard switches. The prevention you can take for this cause is keeping the keyboard and computer in a safe place where the chances of dust attack are comparatively less.
That will lessen the dust attack, but it is quite impossible to escape entirely from the dirt and dust. More or less, dust is going to come and assemble into your computer body, and thus keyboard will get affected as well. That dust and dirt will most possibly pile up under the keycaps in the keyboard switches.
Because of that, the mechanical switches will be at high risk of becoming scratchy and rough. You might have used lubricants before, but suddenly you may feel that the keyboard is no longer that smooth to use. It is because the assembled dust had dried the lube quickly.
That’s why cleaning the keyboard dust on a regular basis is much more crucial in the context of expanding the lifespan of the lube. You need to clean the keyboard switches thoroughly and carefully. As you do so, dirt and dust won’t have enough time to gather on the lubricants you applied to the switches.
Because of that, the lube will last longer, and you won’t have to re-apply the lubricants within a quick time span.
Keeping Keyboard in a Cool Place
Another path that you can follow to prevent the keyboard lubricants from drying out is to keep the keyboard in a cool place. After applying lubes on the keyboard switches, knowingly or unknowingly, you might have kept the keyboard in a dry or hot place.
Then after some months, you will find the lubes are getting disappeared, and the keyboard switches get rough and scratchy. If these happen, then the hotter and drier condition is the main culprit. As we all know, keyboard lubes are liquid type; the basic behavior of these lubricants will also be the same as other liquids.
Because of that, the keyboard lube evaporates with time when the temperature is comparatively higher. So, you must avoid keeping your keyboard in a room that is either hot or exposed to direct sunlight. Instead, try keeping the keyboard in a cool place or maintaining a lower temperature in your workspace.
When you do so, the keyboard lube won’t get evaporated as the temperature is cool. As a result, the lubricant applied on the mechanical switches of your keyboard will last longer along with keeping the buttons smooth.
Choosing A High-Quality Grease Type Lube that does not Dry off Quickly
The quality of the lube also matters significantly when you are hoping for the applied lube on your keyboard switches to last long. If the lube is a low-quality one, firstly, it will damage the switches and also dry out quickly. Even if you use a medium-grade keyboard lube, that won’t also survive long.
Along with that, those medium-grade lubes will fail to fulfill your expectations of making the keyboard switches smooth and less scratchy. That’s why you should always go for the best quality lubes, which won’t usually dry off quickly. The grease-type lubes are basically the top-grade ones in this matter.
These types of lubes will also perform well to make the mechanical switches of your keyboard smooth, frequent, and well-responsive. The high-quality grease-type lube is also capable of surviving in unfriendly weather conditions. So, whenever you are about to purchase a keyboard lube, always try to go for high-quality grease-type lubricants.
These are the possible precaution and prevention tactics to avoid the phenomenon of keyboard lube getting dried out. By maintaining these tactics, you can keep the lube effective for a longer period. Because of that, the mechanical switches of your keyboard will also remain fast and responsive.
FAQ
As the keyboard lubes are liquid, they tend to dry out with time, no matter whether those are high-quality or low-quality lubes. But the drying-out speed depends on the quality of the lube. Because, the low-quality lubes will dry out fast, and high-quality ones will dry out a bit slowly.
But you can apply some methods to slow down the process of keyboard lube getting dried out. Try cleaning the dust off the keyboard regularly and maintaining a lower temperature in your workspace where you keep the keyboard. Also, if you are able to choose a high-quality grease-type lube, it won’t dry out quickly.
The mechanical keyboards are sturdier and have more pressure-taking capability compared to the usual membrane keyboards. It is because mechanical switches are durable, and their lifespan is also longer. Each switch is good for 30 to 100 million key presses which immensely increases durability.
As a result, the mechanical switches of the keyboard wear out very slowly and ensure a tension-free user experience.
Last Words
The mechanical switches of the keyboard get a bit rough and scratchy, along with time and usage. Using specialized lubricants is an efficient way to reduce this roughness and scratchiness. But if you are new to this, you might have a list full of doubts about how long does keyboard lube last.
The lifespan of these lubricants mostly depends on the usage of the person using the keyboard. If you are not a hardcore user and maintain all the safety and precaution measurements, the lube will last long. Unless the lube dries out with time and leaves the keyboard switches rough and scratchy once again.
