By Peggygv
By Comtech090
By Cheryl from Missouri
By Julie
By Julie
Editor's Note: Water has meant death to keyboards for me, so this method scares me.
By Jenny
By Qryztufre
By jodee
By IMAQT1962
I use tapered Make-Up Sponges Dipped In Fabulous 70% Alcohol To Clean Keyboards. Works for me.
By JK Finnell from Rifle, CO
This page contains the following solutions.
I found to my surprise that using cardboard from a toilet paper roll, about the size of a large paperclip, makes an excellent hair and debris picker-upper from off the keyboard.
Take an old toothbrush and wet the bristles with vinegar, then press the bristles against a towel so the bristles are almost dry. Use the toothbrush between the keys gently, just like you would if brushing your teeth.
When I have guests over, I often get questioned on how I keep my keyboard so new and white. The truth is that my keyboard is NOT always clean.
Before you throw out a Post-it Note, use the sticky side to clean around small hard to access places such as under the keys of your keyboard.
Dip an old toothbrush in nail polish remover and scrub debris from your keyboard. Make sure to shake out the excess nail polish remover before scrubbing the keyboard.
Reading the tip on cleaning a keyboard made me think of this tip. If you have a keyboard that seems dead or has too many sticky keys and you're about to pitch it, try this, it worked for me.
I use a moist Q-Tip all around and between the keys. Then I use the crevice tool of my vacuum to suck up the dust that is left over.
Use your hair dryer on the cool setting to clean your computer keyboard instead of spending money on expensive canned air. Turn the keyboard upside down and blow the air up into it.
I use alcohol wipes, such as those used for wiping skin before giving oneself an injection for diabetes. They clean the keys and spaces between them really well. They leave no residue, and are economical. Keep away from pets and children.
You can purchase keyboards that will go through the dishwasher, or wash by hand. I don't have one, but you can also purchase a can of pressurized air with a long thin straw attachment to shoot a blast of air into the small spaces between the keys.
An easy way to clean your computer keyboard is by wiping it with makeup brushes. They make it easier to get between the keys. The inexpensive brushes, large or small, work just fine.
When my keyboard need cleaning, I made a sketch of where each key belonged, and then gently lifted each key off using a wooden kabob stick. It was then easy to clean. I just clipped the keys back on, cleaning each one as I went.
Use makeup brushes for more than just makeup. They are also great for cleaning. I change out my make up brushes often.
When I worked in a pharmacy, we had several computers that were shared by all the staff within the pharmacy. At each shift change, one of us would go around with a paper towel that had alcohol on it and wipe down the keys.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do I clean my computer keyboard?
Use a can of compressed air
Nothing wet while plugged in. We use compressed air at work. You can also turn it upside down and shake out any crumbs. You can use a barely damp cloth to wipe off the keys while it is unplugged.
Besides compressed air, www.amazon.com/
If you don't have anything on hand you can flip your keyboard over and tap on it, or use a sticky note
A technician pulled a lot of dust out of my son's keyboard, after his fan quit working. How do you clear dust out of your keyboard?
By Tamara
There are those who will say canned air is a good idea, but the IT guys at my job before I retired in '09 used mini-vacuum attachments and pulled the dust out. They said the canned air only blows the dust around, doesn't remove it, and that dust in the motherboard killer.
Use the brush attachment in the mini-vac kit to clean the dust and debris from the key board and make sure to also run it over any vents you can see. I use a MacBook now, but when I had a PC I would vac the vents on the CPU tower weekly once the IT guys told me that dust accumulation on the fan blades would slow down the cooling abilities, and eventually kill the motherboard through overheating.
Make sure the computer is turned off when you clean it.
I use the mini-vac once a week now on the laptop, front to back. Scares me to think about the cost of replacing it!
Frugalsurvie, where do you find a mini vacuum?
My desktop keyboard doesn't get very dusty under the keys but about every six months I gently pop the keys off one row at a time with a butter knife being sure to keep the keys lined up in the same order on the desk. Then I simply use dampened Q-tips to clean the exposed keyboard area, replace the keys and start on the next row. It only takes about fifteen minutes tops and I don't have to spend any money other than for the Q-tips which are inexpensive and already have on hand. For regular exposed key cleaning I just use my feather duster weekly when dusting the furniture.
As someone else mentioned; be sure to turn your computer off when cleaning the keyboard (or the monitor or tower).
This is just one sample of the mini vacs. You can also get them at the office supply stores. I hope that helps.
www.scientificsonline.com/
PBP
LanieGirl, in addition to the link and places PoorButProud posted, you can try in the computer section of the big box discount stores-that's where I got mine (WalMrat but I've also seen them in Target). I think I've seen them in drug stores, too.
@Deeli, LOL, my cats loved the feather duster and would chase it whenever I used it to tidy up around the computer. Little beggars shredded it one day. The vacuum on the other hand wasn't their favourite household cleaning device:)
A few years ago I thought I was so bright when I cleaned my keyboard with the edge of an index card. That is completely outdated. Today I learned to use the sticky edge of a Post It. I got gunk out of there I didn't even know I had brought near my computer.
