How to Keep Your Keyboard Clean

It's unbelievable that study found keyboard can be up to five times dirtier than toilet seats. To some extent, your keyboard can give you food poisoning. As people is not washing their hands after using the restroom or eating food at their desks. In the latter case, sticky fingers transfer edible particles onto and between the keys. So keyboard becomes a great place for germs to fester.

In this article, we will tell you a proper do-it-yourself keyboard cleaning, but not before putting the fear in you of how grimy your keyboard might just be.

First, read the owner's manual to check for any specific cleaning instructions. Gather some cleaning supplies such as a soft lint-free cloth, cleaning solution or germicidal solution.

Second, shut down your computer and unplug the keyboard to limit the risk of electrical damage to either the keyboard or you.

Then, target the crumbs and dust under the keys initially. Begin with an "air duster," which is a can of compressed gas that blasts out of a nozzle. Follow the instructions on the can, which say for example to leave a couple of inches between the spray can and the keyboard.

After loosening up the junk in this way, turn the keyboard upside down and give it some gentle shakes to let gravity and agitation work their magic.

With most of the debris gone, now moisten the cloth with the cleaning solutions. Gently wipe across the keys and put in a little extra elbow grease on the extra grimy ones, such as the spacebar. Don't forget the sides and bottom of the keyboard as well. Let the freshened-up keyboard dry before plugging it back in and getting back to work or play.

Another solution to the problem of gross keyboards is buying a keyboard cover. These thin molded latex covers are crafted to fit snugly over the keys on a range of keyboard varieties from different manufacturers. Covers prevent food from falling through the cracks and dust from accruing in the first place. When it comes time to clean, the covers do not have to be removed and can instead just be wiped down.

Compared to the first solution, keyboards with covers on them can be wiped off several times a day in twenty seconds. And this hygienic practice is much easier than having to carefully wipe individual keys and avoiding extra cleaning fluid from leak down between them.

Some final commonsense tips for keeping your keyboard clean include eating food away from the desk, or at least not right over your keyboard and washing hands often. If so, there is little excuse for having a dirty keyboard.