Have you ever wondered why black colored keyboards are preferred to the light colored ones? It’s because of their appearance. Any light colored keyboard gives a worn out look after a few days of use. However, there is more than appearance to a dirty looking keyboard. E-junk is the word coined by the computer experts referring to all kinds of junk and dirt that gets accumulated on the various computer parts. Thankfully, most of the computer parts are fitted inside and so not much of the e-junk inside is seen to the user. However, an antithesis to it is the computer keyboards. Have you ever thought that your keyboard has become a colony of germs? You can find anything from food residue to dead skin cells that have already made its way into the spaces between the keyboard keys. Not many opt for cleaning the keyboard everyday, as it is quite tedious job. However, keeping the keyboard dirty for long can pose threats in the form of key-malfunctioning, skin diseases, infections, etc. So are you now getting second thoughts on cleaning the dirt? You can carry on picking some interesting tips from the pointers given below.
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Getting Rid Of Dirt From Your Key Board
Given here is a step-by-step procedure of cleaning your keyboard.
- The first thing that you should do before cleaning is that to unplug the keyboard from the computer system that you are using. Or if you are using a laptop disconnect the power supply, if it is connected. You need to make sure that nothing, like any other USB device, is connected to the keyboard.
- Using any flathead screwdriver or knife, extract out the keys of the keyboard. For this you can use the manual given with the computer, or check out videos on how to do it. While removing, be sure that you do it patiently, as there are chances of ruining the keyboard or the keys if they are not taken out carefully.
- Once all of the keys are removed, put them in a bowl of warm water mixed with any mild soap solution or detergent. Let it soak for half an hour or so.
- Now you can clean the keyboard using a damp cloth. For smaller areas, you can use cotton swabs.
- Keep the keyboard upside down and let it dry for a few hours to make sure that no fluid is left in the keyboard.
- Use a toothbrush to clean the keys. You can brush the dirt that is sticking on to the keys and further clean it in warm water. Wipe it with any dry cloth and keep it on a piece of paper or a dry towel for few hours to get it perfectly dried.
- Once the keyboard and the keys are well dried, you can fix back the keys on to the keyboard.
- Do not try to clean the configuration inside the keyboard.
Apart from this, for a better functionality and hygiene along with appearance you can go for a regular clean up using cotton buds. Dip the cotton bud in few drops of any cleaning fluid or isopropyl alcohol before you clean the keyboard. You can even try your hand at the vacuum cleaner. Along with the cleaning try to avoid the below mentioned things:
- Eating near the keyboard.
- Keeping the PC near a window.
- Using keyboards with dirty hands.