Laptops Arena

One very important part of your laptop is the keyboard. The laptop keyboard is far more fragile than a regular desktop keyboard, especially since it’s more difficult to clean it. If you a person that practically lives in front of a laptop like I do, you may have the bad habit of eating in front of it as well. Your laptop is in great danger of becoming greasy and dirty so we eventually have to start cleaning it. Cleaning a laptop keyboard is a process that requires patience and you have to follow certain steps.

What we are going to write in this article is based on the success of one user that has managed to clean his laptop keyboard using some materials and about 2 hours of his time. Aside from proper cleaning, laptop keys have to be lubricated so they can look as good as new. Pay really good attention and try not to improvise because you may end up completely damaging the keyboard. When you dissemble the keyboard, make sure you place every key in a certain order on a piece of newspaper on the floor. When you place everything back together you have to know exactly where each key goes. You could make a map, a picture or a drawing of your keyboard and place the keys in a small container after removing them so you can make sure no key gets lost. You can remove the keys gently with a screwdriver. Be careful not to use excessive force or you may damage the keys. Some keys have small rubbers underneath so don’t be afraid if that is attached to the key. You also be careful because they tend to “jump”.

After that, it’s time to start cleaning the keyboard. You can use cotton swabs and slightly dampen them into water. Be careful not to have water dripping from them. They just need to be moist. They will also need periodical replaced so keep a box of these in handy. You have to clean every key space carefully and totally because if there is any residue left, you may have a hard time pressing certain keys. After you have finished this process, you have to repeat it using cotton swabs slightly dampened into rubbing alcohol. Unfortunately, you will have to repeat this process again using lighter fluid and cotton swabs. After you have cleaned the keyboard, it’s time to clean the keys. First you should clean them with cotton swabs and lighter fluid (also known as naptha) because this helps removes all the grease. The next step is to place all the keys in a kitchen strainer and spray them with a household cleaner. Leave them like this for 5 minutes and them careful rinse them using hot water. After that, place them on paper towels and leave them there until they have dried completely. You have to repeat this process for the rubber components as well except that after you place them on paper towels, you have to fold the towels and make sure you squeeze gently to remove all the water out of those pieces.



If you want to make your keyboard look as good as new, you have to lubricate the keys. There is a special lubricant called Super Lube Dry Film which is your best friend in this process. Start by placing all the keys bottom up preferably on a paper bag. Coat the keys by using the special lubricant at a 45 degree angle and from all 4 sides. Do not spray them too long because the solvent could affect the plastic of the keys. They will dry almost instantly. Now you have to lubricate the keyboard as well. Make sure you protect the rest of the laptop by masking it off and then spray the keyboard just like you did with the keys.



Reassembly is the next and final step of the keyboard cleaning process. You have to start off by placing all the rubber components into the keyboard. Then you have to install the keys with wires and make sure that the wires are secured in the key. You could hear a snapping sound. Press the key down until you hear that snap. Then you must place the ends of the wire into the special guide slots that are next to the key location. Repeat this process for all the keys. Patience is required in this process so if you are not patient and not good at handling small and gentle laptop parts, ask a friend to help you. I know this all seems really tough to do but think of the satisfying result that you get in the end: a clean and shiny keyboard that looks brand new. Besides, except for the lubricant, you probably already have the necessary material at home so there is no need for a heavy investment to clean your laptop keyboard.



Let’s go over the material again: you need cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, water, lighter fluid, some tweezers so you can clean smaller area which are not very accessible, screwdriver or small scissors to remove the keys, a container where you have to place the keys, a kitchen strainer, a household cleaner (one for windows will probably do the trick), a can of Super Lube Dry Film spray (it’s best if you don’t try to substitute it) and tons of patience. Remember to take a picture or draw a map so you can see the initial alignment of the keys. You don’t want to press “G” and get an “H” instead. If this happens, most laptop models have pictures available on the internet so you can see where each key goes. Of course, that mean you have to press the right keys to google it.



As you can see, it’s no rocket science to clean your laptop keyboard and frankly, I don’t see what you should pay anyone to do it since you have all the materials you need at home. Who knows, maybe your friends will start paying you to clean their laptop keyboards as well.