How to clean your dirty Keyboard

As you may know, your keyboard has more germs than a toilet bowl. Well probably because, some of the users will eat at their desk, scratched something itchy on a body part, or maybe just pick their nose and then presses the keys on their keyboard.

Well cleaning and disinfecting your keyboard is easy. But first here’s what you will need:

• lint free cloth.
• dry cloth or duster.
• suitable cleaning fluid (isopropyl alcohol).
• cotton buds.
• Can of compressed air or vacuum cleaner.
• Flat tip screwdriver (optional for thorough clean)
• Paint Brush

And there are two ways to clean you keyboard:

MODERATE CLEANING (quick and easy)

1. First shutdown your computer, and disconnect the keyboard. If you an older PC, your keyboard is probably AT. But if your using a newer PC, your keyboard is probably a PS/2 Keyboard and it has a purple connector.
2. 
3. After you disconnected the keyboard, you can hold it upside down and press the keys to release any debris from inbetween the keys.
4. If you have a can of compressed air then use it to blow any debris from around and under the keys, if not then use the hose of a vacuum cleaner to remove it, if you don’t have a can of compressed air or a vacuum cleaner, a good ol’ paint brush will do, just brush the debris from around the keys.
5. Now take one of the cotton buds and put a couple of drops of the cleaning fluid on it, use the cotton bud to clean the sides of the keys
6. After cleaning the sides of the keys take your lint free cloth and dampen it with your cleaning fluid (don’t put the liquid directly on the keyboard), give the surface of the keyboard a good wipe over using the cloth to trace the contours of the keys.
7. When you have finished give the keyboard a wipe over with the dry cloth/duster, you should now have a nice clean keyboard.

THOROUGH CLEANING (requires a “lot” of patience)

note: this only for standard (desktop) membrane keyboards. And not for laptops and non membrane keyboards

1. Follow steps 1-2 of MODERATE CLEANING
2. This is where “patience” comes in, Remove the keys using the screwdriver, ease the screwdriver under the key and gently lift the key top off.
3. Alternatively just remove the letter keys A – Z from the keyboard (which is where the most of the dust/debris will be). Make a note of the position of all the keys or you will have trouble putting them back correctly
4. 
5. All the keys can be removed although the larger keys (space bar, enter key, shift keys, backspace, caps lock, etc) can be difficult to put back so you might avoid removing them.
6. When you have removed all the keys (except any keys you wish to avoid) use the compressed air (or paint brush) to remove any dust and debris from inside the keyboard.
7. Now you can clean the keys, for best results clean each one individually (then patience is needed once again) with the cloth and cleaning fluid, when clean, wipe them over with the dry cloth.
8. Before replacing the keys, take your lint free cloth and dampen it with your cleaning fluid (please don’t put the liquid directly on the keyboard), give the surface of the keyboard a good wipe over ensuring to clean as much as possible any keys that you haven’t removed.
9. When the keyboard is nice and clean replace the keys according to your notes to put the keys back on position the key in place and press gently but firmly until it clicks home. Or you can use the keyboard layout below as your guide.
10. After replacing all the keys give the keyboard a quick wipe over with your dry cloth and you have a nice clean keyboard.

And there you have it! Well as you can see, Thorough cleaning takes a lot of time than Moderate cleaning. But if your O.C. (Obsessive-Compulsive) about your keyboard or cleanliness I bet your going to do the thorough cleaning.

click the picture to enlarge

source (keyboard layout): http://www.seoconsultants.com/