Make Your Keyboard Look New with a Good Cleaning

Upon doing so I noticed how dirty the old keyboard had become. I took some paper towel and cleaner and wiped down the keys thoroughly. It looked much better. Then I noticed that the keyboard on a computer we all use, but only occasionally, was even dirtier. So I swapped them.

As I looked more closely at that keyboard I saw that it wasn’t just dirty. It was disgustingly filthy! My mind raced to the story of computer keyboards that tested with more harmful germs and bacteria than a toilet seat — this could be one of those keyboards.

That night I took the keyboard home and did what most people have never done, I cleaned it completely. Before I go any further, I would like to say that this keyboard is made by Apple. I do not have experience doing this with other makes, but I would assume they are mostly similar. Please proceed with caution. I don’t want to be blamed for a broken keyboard.

The keys on Apple keyboards simply pop off if pressure is applied to the backside of the keys. I used a small flat head screwdriver. One by one I popped every one of the keys off and placed them in a bowl. You might want to take a digital picture of the keys before you do this, so you will know where they go later. I ran hot water in the bowl, with some dish washing liquid and later some bleach, to kill germs, and let them soak.

In the mean time, with all the keys removed, the dirt, food particles and hair were fully exposed. It was almost enough to turn my stomach. While you can’t submerge the keyboard, you can wipe it with a lightly damp cloth. I used a powerful cleaner and a soft brush. After a bit of light scrubbing, and lots of wiping, it was clean and ready for the keys to be replaced.

I first tried this without a diagram of where they were supposed to go, I don’t recommend this approach. Fortunately, I had another keyboard handy and was able to get them all put back in place. And there it was, a clean white keyboard ready for another year or two’s service, before having to through this process again.