Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Disinfect and remove smudges Even fancy RGB keyboards need a wash from time to time.

If you need to remove your keycaps, look up your laptop model and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. In some cases, it won’t be possible to do without breaking the keys, and you’ll want to speak to a professional. Whether you can do this will depend on your laptop model. If you’ve done all of this and still have some gunk under your keys, you may need to pop the keys off. Do not spray air directly under the keycaps it could damage delicate electronics. If you don’t have compressed air, you can try another device that blows air (such as a blow dryer). Spray the air in a zigzag pattern so you don’t miss any nooks and crannies, and make sure you hit all sides of each key. You can also use a can of compressed air. (The last thing you want is to suck up one of your keycaps.) If you have a small handheld vacuum, even better. Make sure that you use a small attachment and the lowest power setting. If that doesn’t get everything, give the keyboard a once-over with a vacuum. You can also press cleaning slime into the spaces between your keys, which sticks to and picks up debris. Gently tap the bottom of the chassis to dislodge any stubborn particles. To clear out the biggest crumbs, dust, or other debris that wandered into your keys, turn your laptop upside down and allow them to fall out. (This is, of course, good practice whether you’re cleaning your keyboard or not.) Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Get rid of crumbs And make sure you have everything important backed up in case something goes horribly wrong. Unplug it, as well, to reduce the risk of shorting something if any moisture gets inside. You don’t want to accidentally hit a hotkey combination that leads to disaster. It’ll just take a few minutes out of your day, and your keyboard will look brand-new.īefore you get started, turn off your computer. And if you share a device with other members of your household, you can prevent the spread of germs as well. Whether you’re struggling with crumbs, dust, fingerprints, pet hair, or sticky residue, you should be able to clean your keys with materials you already have lying around. And with so much of your work, school, socializing, and entertainment now taking place online, you’re probably using your laptop more than ever.

According to research done by IT company CBT Nuggets, your laptop’s keyboard could carry 20,000 times more bacteria than your toilet seat.

How to clean a apple computer keyboard