You never want to clean your keyboard with a soaked cloth, as that can damage the hardware that lives underneath the keys. Wipe all surfaces of the keyboard down -- buttons, keys, cover -- and allow it to dry before plugging it back in or turning it on.
Avoid liquid cleaners
Instead, use a cotton swab or lint-free cloth dabbed in isopropyl alcohol to carefully clean the keyboard. You should then dry it completely to avoid any damage.
Use your microfiber cloth or cotton swabs to clean around keys and crevices. Dip your cloth or swab in water, but dry it slightly before you try cleaning again (they should only be slightly damp – you don't want to drip any water inside your keyboard).
Get a microfiber cloth slightly damp with isopropyl alcohol and carefully wipe down each key. You can also put some alcohol on a cotton swab and use it to clean any hard-to-reach areas.
Disinfectant wipes like the ones Clorox makes should generally be fine on keyboards. Apple just relented on this last week after years of recommending against cleaning agents in all forms. Make sure to wipe gently, of course. But if you have those wipes lying around, you should feel safe to use them.
The best way to clean your keyboard
For cleaning most keyboards, wipes that are moistened with either alcohol or glass cleaner are suitable. It is particularly important not to wipe the keyboard with a cloth that is too wet. Otherwise you could damage the electronics under the keys.
Most keyboards have a thin membrane layer that protects the PCB (printed circuit board). Any water that seeps through can cause long-term damage if not dried properly. If you are able to dry your keyboard and remove the liquid without any deeper-level seepage, your keyboard can walk away from the situation unscathed.
In many cases, water can completely fry electronic equipment and stop it from working entirely. Thankfully, for keyboards, it's very possible to fix them by removing the moisture. It's also possible, although more difficult, to repair a laptop keyboard after it has been water damaged.
The good news, unlike other aspects of water damage on computer components, your water damaged keyboard can be fixed.
You should give your keyboard a quick clean once per week. All you've got to do is wipe down the surface of the keyboard a couple of times: 1. Wipe the keyboard with a damp microfiber cloth.
Turn the laptop upside-down or on its side for a couple of hours (at least). This will drain out any excess liquid. Boot up your computer and try running a few programs. If your keyboard works and performance is normal, you've probably escaped liquid damage.
Dry the keyboard using a towel or cloth. Avoid using paper towels or tissues because they contain a lot of lint. Be sure to dry between the keys as best you can. Let the keyboard dry upside down for at least 24 hours.
It's an essential tool for millions of jobs, but the unassuming keyboard can harbor some nasty, scary, dangerous germs and bacteria. In fact, studies show more than 3,000 organisms occupy every square inch of the average keyboard.
Over time, all this debris works its way into the spaces between and under your keys. This could cause you to have sticky keys or keys that just stop working because the electronics can no longer read the keystroke.
Take our keyboards: The team found the average office keyboard has 3,543,000 colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria per square inch—20,589 times more bacteria than you'll find on your average toilet seat., which only has 172 CFU per square inch.
Never reattach wet key stems or caps to your keyboard! Be sure they are completely dry, including the small corners inside them (see below).
Never try to force the laptop to dry quickly with a heat gun or hair dryer. The heat from these devices will damage the internal components of the laptop if there is water trapped inside.
Repeatedly pounding keys harder than necessary or hitting your keyboard with your fist or other objects can lead to broken keys or switches that can be difficult or costly to fix.
Turn the keyboard over and gently shake any stubborn particles loose. 2. Wipe a damp paper towel over keys and other surfaces. If a board is really grimy, use spray cleaner, such as Windex or Formula 409, on a paper towel.
The short answer is yes—you can use a vacuum to suck out all the crumbs and debris, but be careful. Many keyboards have pop-off keys that a standard home vacuum might easily suck up. A better idea is to use a USB-powered vacuum designed for keyboard cleaning.
The answer is shockingly simple, and it comes from something we all have around the house: clear tape! To clean under your keyboard keys, you simply need to tear off a small piece of tape, about an inch or so, fold it in half, so the sticky side faces out, then rub it around between your keys.
Use enough 3H hand sanitizer sprayed directly on paper towels to wipe down the keyboard and mouse covers.
While durability has come a long way for our everyday gadgets, liquid damage remains one of the biggest issues for computers and laptops. Even if you're careful with your devices, one spill or environmental mishap can cause damage to your computer's internal components.