How To Clean A Gaming Keyboard

In this article you will learn how to clean a gaming keyboard properly. There are many variations of keyboards out there in the market.

Those who are dedicated to playing games on their PC, mainly want to improve their gaming experience by any means.

So those people will prefer gaming keyboards more than a common keyboard as it enhances their game play experience. 

How gaming keyboards are designed?

Gaming keyboards are primarily designed for gamers who want to enhance their game play and increase their win rate of their game-play.

Most of these keyboards include lights, colored and more resistant keys and other sorts of designs.

Some of them include built-in joysticks inside the keyboard with which the user can control more smoothly and easily the various axes of movement. This feature improves the user’s gaming experience by a lot.

Gaming keyboards’ general motive is to provide true comfort in using it to the video game lovers who can spend long hours in front of their screen with their competitive games.

Some gaming keyboards give the user the option to reprogram the function of the keys according to the user’s desire.

And most of the gaming keyboards available in the market come with keys that are not only LED back-lit but also able to program it with more than one color combination.  

What can I use to clean my gaming keyboard?

There are plenty of items in the market which cleans both the dust and germs from a keyboard. But if you are looking for free alternatives and a simple way to clean the keyboard, then many household items will come in handy.

There are few cleaning tools like something small, soft and easy to hold. Here, we listed some common available home materials. 

Gaming Keyboard Cleaning Materials :

1. A Paintbrush

There is no need to buy a ‘keyboard brush’ to remove the dust from the surface and the inside of the keyboard.

A normal paintbrush will be more than enough to do the job. Just make sure the paintbrush is completely dry and clean.

If you’re not sure then try washing it and hang it upside down for a whole day.

2. A Toothpick

Toothpicks can be used for getting the gunk out from between the key-caps. The high-end fancy plastic and rubber toothpicks would do excellent. But the normal toothpicks can also do the job.

3. A Cotton Bud

In case if you got some minor spills on your keyboard then you can use a cotton bud to mop up the spills. But be sure to be gentle with it or you might force in some cotton fiber between your key-caps.

4. A Mascara Brush

At the end of the mascara wand there is a fluffy brush attached to it. It is one of the best tools to get in between and under the keyboard keys.

But make sure it is completely dry and remember how to clean a gaming keyboard before you use it.

And if you are willing to use the paid tools which can be found from the market and can be used for a more advanced cleaning of the keyboard, you can use the tools mentioned below:

1. Key-cap Pulling tool

There are many key-cap pulling tools available in the market and they are used to remove the key-caps from the keyboards which have an option to remove the key-caps.

This tool will be necessary as using this you can clean the key-caps from above and below easily.

2. Dish-washing detergent

As we mentioned above, this detergent can be used to clean the key-caps completely from everywhere and makes it absolutely germ free like when the keyboard was new.

3. Compressed Air

This tool is used to squeeze the crumbs between the keys to move them out by using short blasts from the top to bottom.

4. Disinfecting wipes

The disinfecting wipes should be used by gently running them on the surface of the keyboard. This tool is used to sanitize the keyboard from germs.

After using a disinfectant wipe, you will wipe them off using a soft cloth. Make sure the disinfectant wipe is not too wet.

How to clean keyboard keys?

Almost all the keyboards in the world get dirty real fast. It is because of dust, hair and many other things.

The dirt mainly gathers between and underneath the key-caps. So to clean a keyboard, there are few techniques you can follow.

We made this easier for you By dividing it into three sections. Choose your way of cleaning from there.

Simple

If you’re looking for an easy and not complicated way to clean your keyboard, you can use the simple household items to clean your keyboard.

You can use a simple brush tool (toothbrush or paintbrush) to clean the dust off the surface of the keyboard.

You can also use a toothpick to clean the gunk between the key-caps and you can use a cotton bud if you have some minor spills on your keyboard.

Complex

Some keyboards may allow you to remove the key caps and some may not. To remove the key-caps you will need a key-cap pulling tool.

If you don’t have a key-cap removing tool, you can turn your keyboard upside down and remove the screws by using a screwdriver.

When you do any one of those options we mentioned, you can use a brush or a cotton bud to remove the dust underneath and between the key-caps.

Make sure that the keyboard is not connected to electricity.

Advanced

If you want to do something more in-depth, then you can take a bowl of dishwashing detergent mixed with warm water.

Then you can take all the key-caps and place them in warm and soapy water and mix them around for around 30 seconds.

Then you will leave them for about 15 to 20 minutes. This will dissolve all the grease and some of the grime, making it a little bit easier to clean it off in the next stage.

You really need to let it sit there for a little bit to let the detergent soak it into the dirt so it comes off.

After 15 to 20 minutes you want to come and have a look at them. They will feel cleaner than before while in your hand.

The next step is to clean the keys with a towel or cloth. Once the key-caps are clean, you want to leave them there for a couple of hours to dry.

After they are dry, you can place them back on the keyboard and they are clean like they were when you bought the keyboard.

How often should you clean your gaming keyboard?

As a gaming keyboard, it is always being used to keep it clean consistently. You should have a cleaning schedule(how to clean a gaming keyboard). Ideally, it can be done once a week.

Thorough cleaning by removing key-caps is recommended every 4- 6 weeks. In most cases, gamers only clean their keyboard if it is seriously necessary.

Although the opposite results already exist. Normally, you should wipe the surface of the keyboard every day before using it.

For this, you may use microfiber towels. Avoid paper towels because small pieces may be left during wiping.

A one-minute clean can be done every week. It’s very important to disinfect your gaming keyboard when more than one person uses it.

When you decide on a deep clean to your gaming keyboard, you should clean particles between two keys. Remove key-caps to clean properly.

For this, you can use a key-cap puller, which helps you quickly remove key-caps. Clean all the key-caps with warm water by keeping them in a bowl.

After 30 minutes of cleaning with soap water, these could be spread on a paper towel for some time to dry the water, and these will look as clean as new.

This process should be completed between 30-40 minutes.

How to clean a mechanical gaming keyboard?

Cleaning mechanical keyboards are rather easy compared to membrane keyboards. But we need the key-cap removing tool.

In this case as the mechanical keyboard has a physical plastic switch underneath each of the keys.

First you can remove the key-caps of the keyboard and then you can proceed the advanced way to clean the keyboard keys that we mentioned above.

How to fix liquid damage of mechanical keyboard?

Sometimes people may accidentally spill any liquid substance like water on your keyboard. There are ways to prevent the keyboard from damaging.

But first unplug the keyboard as soon as possible from your computer and turn it upside down. Remove the key-caps of the area that was damaged with liquid.

Get a hair dryer and use it to dry the water. Make sure the hair dryer is not too close as it can push the water inside.

And don’t turn the keyboard back up because it still has a chance of making contact with the electronics of the keyboard.

Be patient and keep using the hair dryer for some time. After it is completely dry then you can put key-caps together and you will be able to use it again.

Conclusion

Although you clean your gaming keyboard regularly, it should be thoroughly cleaned twice a year. By maintaining your gaming keyboard well, your keyboard’s durability will increase.

Which will help the keyboard last long. And you can feel the dust-free experience more often. The most important thing is that it does not take a long time to clean.

And you know that a cleaned gaming keyboard can highly increase your gaming performance.

So, follow the above steps(how to clean a gaming keyboard) and carefully clean your gaming keyboard as it’s an electronic device. Happy gaming guys 😀