There are objects of his daily life that can hide unsuspected pitfalls. This is the case of the computer keyboard, a surface that according to some studies can collect 20,000 times more bacteria than the toilet seat, and which is often underestimated from the point of view of hygiene. However, cleaning the notebook keyboard is important for several reasons.
During the pandemic period, the PC has become essential for most of the daily activities, including studying and smart-working , and the hours spent typing on the keyboard have increased. Between lunches in front of the screen and endless calls the keys are often covered with crumbs, dust, hair, pet hair and sticky residues that contribute to the proliferation of germs. Cleaning the keyboard is therefore not only important for maintaining the functionality of the computer, but also for a health issue: here are some tips to clean it thoroughly and sanitize it without causing damage, making sure to remove all the dirt that accumulates in the joints and between the keys .
1. Turn off your computer
The first step in cleaning the keyboard is necessarily to turn off the computer, to prevent some keys from being accidentally pressed during the cleaning, thus destroying important projects. Likewise, if the computer is turned off, any liquids that might leak between one key and the next would do less damage. In this regard, it’s not a bad idea to back up before starting the cleanup.
2. Eliminate crumbs and surface dust
Once the computer is turned off, you can proceed with the superficial cleaning of the keyboard . The goal is to eliminate the crumbs and other corpuscles stuck between one key and the other and in the joints, and to do this you can use a brush or a (dry) toothbrush, then turn the computer over and gently tap on the bottom to drop the remnants. You can also use a toothpick to try to reach those that cannot be removed because they are “stuck”.
Those who prefer more sophisticated methods can then use a vacuum cleaner with a suitable reducer and at minimum power to avoid damaging or sucking the keys, or the compressed air , always at low power: just point the jet towards the keyboard, remembering to move in a zig zag to intercept all leaks. Alternatively, you can use a hairdryer , provided you use a flow of cold air. In the event that some particles get stuck, it may become necessary to remove the keyboard cover, a much more complex operation – especially for some models – which should be left to a professional.
3. Remove the stains
At this point you can proceed to clean the keyboard from the surface to eliminate stains, halos and germs . Better to use wipes with plain water or at least a drop of denatured alcohol, but no aggressive detergent. To clean the keyboard it is also good to prefer soft and not rough cloths , well wrung out and that do not drip to avoid liquid dripping between the keys. It is absolutely not recommended to clean the keyboard by spraying water or detergents directly on the keys: with the computer off, with a damp wipe or cloth, every single key must be cleaned by gently rubbing, the joints between one key and another and the other areas.
4. Disinfect
Once the stains, halos and encrustations have been removed, you can pass a disinfectant wipe , making sure that it does not contain bleach, repeating the procedure one last time with water only.
5. Dry
Removed stains and halos and disinfected the keyboard, it’s time to dry. To dry it is preferable to always use a soft and non-abrasive cloth (it could damage the keys), the ideal is a microfibre cloth but the cloth used to clean the lenses of the glasses is also fine. Once the keyboard is dry, the computer can be turned on again. The procedure used to clean the keyboard can be repeated once a week and in general every time the keyboard appears dirty, especially in the summer.
Clean your computer screen
If in addition to the keyboard you want to clean the computer screen , the procedure to be followed is practically the same with the foresight not to use detergents, other than specific ones, but only water.
Also in this case the best choice is a microfiber cloth, well wrung and only slightly moistened, which can remove germs, halos and fingerprints from the screen without risking scratching the anti-reflective surface of the screen. Drying is also an important step, to always be performed with a microfibre cloth.