How to clean and disinfect your filthy keyboard or laptop

We’re just at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic here in the United States and that means a lot of people have some catching up to do when it comes to hygienic habits. And with most Americans now working from home, this means making sure your computer or laptop keyboard — an essential part of your WFH setup — isn’t totally nasty.

With that in mind, we’re going to lay out some essential hygiene do’s and don’ts for those who aren’t sure of how to properly clean their gear. For starters, you can’t just dump hand sanitizer on your keyboard and call it a day, although that might make for a pretty funny TikTok fail. No, there are accepted standards and practices you need to follow, and we’re here to fill you in on them.

What you shouldn’t do

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We’re going to start with the things you shouldn’t do because we care about you; we want you to avoid catastrophe; and we know that not everyone reads articles through to the end. And now, with that out of the way, let’s get started.

The first thing you shouldn’t do is leave your keyboard or laptop on and/or plugged in to a power source when disinfecting it. You’ll want to disconnect the power and turn your keyboard or laptop into a paperweight before doing any kind of cleaning.

Once you actually get to the cleaning process, both Apple and Microsoft make it clear that you should be extremely careful with liquids. Some types of disinfectant wipes are still ok (we’ll cover that in a bit), but in general, avoid any kind of liquid that can get stuck in small openings. You don’t want to break your keyboard.

Even if you’re not afraid of liquid creeping into small crevices, laptop manufacturers warn against using chemical agents or bleach because they’re a little too harsh for the materials. Those cleaning solutions can ruin the finish of a laptop, if you’re not careful. That might not be the most important issue at hand here, but Apple specifically warns against it.

What you should do

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Okay, so now you know to turn everything off, unplug everything, be careful with liquids, and not use bleach. You’re probably wondering what you can do. The good news is that once you’ve ruled out all the potential hazards, cleaning a keyboard isn’t super complicated.

The first step companies like Microsoft and publications like CNET and Wired recommend is to hold the keyboard upside down and shake any debris or loose gunk out of it. It’s gross, but things get stuck between keys over time and this is the easiest way to get rid of a lot of it en masse. This should go without saying, but preferably you should do this over a trash can or something other receptacle that can catch your keyboard residue.

For a deep clean, you can use compressed air to get any remaining debris out of there. Once you’ve gotten the visible crumbs out of the way, it’s time to start dealing with germs.

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. Apple’s website also recommends 70-percent isopropyl wipes. 

If you only have liquid cleaning solutions available, there’s still a way to make this work. Microsoft recommends applying a 70-percent isopropyl solution to a soft cloth with no lint. You can also use a mild soap and water mixture on said cloth, but again, only do so if you can keep the water from getting stuck in small spaces.

The best bet here is probably going to be Clorox wipes, assuming you can find any. Even if you can’t, you still have alternatives. And given how easy it is to spread COVID-19, it’s important that we all do whatever we can, no matter how small, to flatten the curve.