Aside from spilled soda, you may find potato chip grease, Cheeto crumbs, or popcorn pieces stuck under the keys, making them feel mushy while typing.
If you know of a good way, share it in the comments! Food Particles and Grime With keys that have metal bars, make sure the bars are properly attached to the keys and that the ends line up in the slots on the keyboard (compare the above and below images).Ĭhiclet-style keyboards are great because they prevent a lot of dirt from getting underneath, but unfortunately I’ve still not found a good way to clean them of sticky spills. They shouldn’t feel mushy or sticky anymore, and if they do it’s probably because they either didn’t set properly in the base or it’s in the wrong place. To put the keys back on, just place them over their correct position and press them until you hear a snap. To clean the keys you can wash them in warm water and/or use some cotton swabs. Once the keys are off, you can better use a paper towel and maybe some alcohol solution to clean the keyboard base. Be extra careful, since the mechanism is made of plastic and you don’t want to break it. Start with one corner and move to an adjacent one. You don’t need to use a lot of force you should feel a pop and the key will come right off.įor laptop keyboards, your fingernail should be enough to pull the plastic up. For custom keyboard, it might be helpful to draw a quick map or take a picture with your digital camera so you know where everything belongs when you go to put things back together.įor desktop keyboards, take a butter knife or a screwdriver and try to pry up one corner of the keys. If you have a standard keyboard, you’ll be able to find references to where all the keys should go if you don’t already have the layout memorized. To get rid of sticky keys, we’ll need to pop off the keys and clean the keyboard more thoroughly. While it’s best to clean while the keyboard is still wet to minimize the stickiness, the process is much the same whether you spilled your soda 30 seconds ago or 30 days ago. Dump out any excess liquid and mop up as best you can with paper towels. First thing’s first, unplug your keyboard. What’s worse than accidentally turning on Sticky Keys? Spilling your soda and getting real sticky keys. Scrub it over the tops of the keys, and use a wet cotton swab to go down in between them. Don't let moisture drip underneath the keys.Take a little alcohol solution and moisten an old rag or a paper towel with it. Isopropyl alcohol is still a great cleaning choice, but the laptop's delicate hardware is right underneath the keyboard. This works best for mechanical keyboards with raised keys. Moisten it with isopropyl alcohol, then push it down into the keyboard's grooves. Another cleaning option is to wrap a microfiber cloth around a knife.You can get it at most drug stores and general stores. Isopropyl alcohol dries very quickly, so it is a better option than water.Using alcohol can remove the letters, numbers, and symbols printed on each key, so try to keep it away from the printed part. Repeat this a few times as needed to clean the sides of each key and the space around it. Wipe around each individual key to remove leftover dust, oils, and other grime. Dampen the cotton swab very lightly to avoid getting too much moisture underneath the keys. Before investing in a keyboard cleaning gel, be sure to read each product's reviews so you don't wind up with a poor product.Ĭlean around the keys with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol. When you peel the product off, any loose debris will adhere to the slime. These products are a slimy (yet sort of solid) consistency and can be laid across the keyboard and peeled off.