If you have been using your keyboard for a long period and haven’t cleaned it in forever, that might be the reason your keys are sticking or your keyboard is typing wrong.
Well, even if you are not facing any issues, we recommend you clean your keyboard once in a while. This goes both for the external keyboard and laptop keyboard.
Here’s how to clean oily keyboard to get rid of the everyday dirt, debris, and grease. It will also keep the laptop screen in better condition.
How to Clean Greasy Keyboard
Here, we have discussed the methods on how to clean greasy keyboards both for the external keyboard and the laptop keyboard. A regular clean-up is wiser otherwise; your keyboard might stop working or act abnormal suddenly.
Steps to Clean an Oily External Keyboard
External keyboards are easy to clean as they are not connected to the computer while cleaning. But even then, you must follow the proper rule for cleaning it.
Step 1- Get Rid of the Loose Dirt
Firstly, you have to unplug your keyboard so that the process of cleaning doesn’t damage your computer.
After you have unplugged it from the computer, you need to get rid of any loose dirt. Simply, get your hands on a brush and remove the loose dirt.
Step 2- Use a Compressed Air Can
Once the loose dirt is off, take your keyboard upside down. This will remove any leftover loose dirt from the keyboard. You can use a can of compressed air here too.
With this one, you can blow off the loose dirt easily without any complications. When a brush isn’t capable of reaching the hard-to-reach areas, you can simply use a compressed air can to get rid of the dirt.
Step 3 – Rub the Keyboard with Rubbing Alcohol
As your keyboard is greasy, you have to move to the more serious steps to clean your keyboard. Now, get your hands on a cotton swab and dampen it in rubbing alcohol.
Make sure you wriggle the additional liquid so that the liquid doesn’t get inside the keys. Rub the dampened cotton swab on the keys and carefully clean it.
Go around the keys and take off the oil. Make sure the cotton swab is not dripping. In the process, you will need four to five or more cotton swabs.
Step 4- Remove the Stubborn Dirt
After you are done cleaning the outer area, look more closely at the gaps around the keys. There can be stubborn debris stuck.
You can use a brush or a toothpick to remove them. While doing it, ensure you are careful and not too harsh on the keys. Go through the gaps of the keys and take off the dirt.
Step 5- Clean the Top and Space between the Keys
Now that the stuck debris is cleaned, once again, you have to reach out for the cotton swab. Dip it into the rubbing alcohol and wriggle it.
Go through the top part of the keys and clean them. Go through the keys and the space between the keys to take off any leftover oil.
Step 6 – Take off the Leftover Dirt
It’s time to give it a final cleaning. In this step, you will need a microfiber cloth. With the clean micro-fiber cloth, you have to take off all the dust left on the keyboard.
Polish your keyboard in this way for a while. Go for more than one round to certify that it’s completely cleaned.
Step 7 – Let the Keyboard Dry
Now, you need to let the keyboard dry. You can let it air dry. Also, you can rely on a blow dryer for the process. However, if you settle for a blow dryer, make sure you are using it on the low heat settings.
Otherwise, there’s a chance of too much heat on the keys and the keyboard which can damage the interior of the keyboard. Once it is completely dry, you can enjoy using the non-oily keyboard!
Note: You can also plan on cleaning the external keyboard’s individual keys. Go through the Manufacturer Manual to take off the keys carefully.
This will ensure the proper cleaning of the underneath area of each key. If any key is stuck, this can be a good idea to clean the base so that you can fix the issue.
And there are also times when cleaning won’t solve the issue. If you own a Logitech keyboard, you can check out how to fix Logitech keyboard key sticking here!
Steps to Clean an Oily Laptop Keyboard
To clean an oily laptop keyboard, you must be more careful than before because it’s already connected to the machinery of the computer.
For the external keyboard, if any damage happens, it will solely damage the keyboard and not the computer. However, for the laptop keyboard, the damage will concern the entire laptop.
Step 1 – Remove the Loose Dirt
At first, you have to ensure that the laptop is turned off. Certify that no power sources are connected to the laptop. If the battery of the laptop is removable, make sure you have removed it.
Just like before, get your hands on a brush and brush off the loose dirt. Take your laptop upside down so that you can get rid of the loose debris. Tap or shake it slowly to make the process work better.
Step 2 – Spray Compressed Air
Now, it’s time to get your hands on the compressed air can. This will remove all the dust from within. Spray it between the keys of your keyboard. Slowly, tilt your keyboard to one side.
And then, you have to spray between the keys. Make sure you settle for shift bursts and cover the entire keyboard. The debris that is trapped between or beneath the keys will be free in this way.
Step 3 – Clean the Keys
Clean the top part of the keyboard with the help of a microfiber cloth. Now, go for a few cotton swabs and dip them in isopropyl alcohol. Wriggle each cotton swab and slowly clean the top of the keys and the gaps.
This helps in removing the grease caused by your fingers. Also, you have to run the cotton swab along the sides of the keys to clean them properly.
Step 4- Let the Keyboard Dry
Once you are done, you have to wipe the entire keyboard with a clean cloth. You can use disinfecting wipes to eliminate any germs. And then you have to air-dry the keyboard. You can use a blow dryer in the low settings too.
How To Clean Your Keyboard
Wrap Up
The above-mentioned methods will tell you how to clean your greasy keyboard easily. However, after the cleaning process is done, make sure you use the keyboard only after it is properly dried. We recommend you wait for at least 24-hrs before you use the device.
