A sticky keyboard on your computer or laptop would be a huge nightmare. Nothing can be as annoying as typing on a sticky keyboard. You can get your fingers dirty, but in addition – you would also find that the dirt that gets inside can cause severe malfunctioning of a few keys. We have gone through the issue ourselves, and that is exactly why we have come up with this tutorial on how to clean a laptop keyboard without removing keys.
How to clean a laptop keyboard without removing keys?
Cleaning up a desktop keyboard should be one of the easiest tasks. You just need to disconnect it from the computer and then can handle it the way you would want to. For the sake of this post, we will focus on how to clean a laptop keyboard without removing keys.
Let us check out the steps involved in the process here below. Make sure you follow the steps carefully.
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Power off your laptop
To begin with, make sure you have turned off your laptop. Remove any of the cables and other connections before turning it off. If the battery on your laptop is removable, it may be a good idea to remove it as well.
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Tile the laptop upside down
Tilt your laptop completely upside down. Make sure you are handling it properly and not causing any sort of damage to the hinges. This should be an important step in cleaning a laptop keyboard without removing keys. This will help get rid of the dirt if any that may be trapped inside the keyboard.
You can shake a little to remove the loose dirt particles to be removed. Shaking it sideways can also be quite helpful and practical.
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Use a Compressed air can to clean it thoroughly
The next step in how to clean a laptop keyboard without removing keys would be to use some sort of compressed air. No – we have not suggested a vacuum cleaner! That way, you would end up damaging the keyboard further.
A blow drier or air drier may not be a good option in this regard. Moreover, there is no need to blow the air all over the keys. You would need to blow the keyboard from all the sides. A compressed air spray can be an excellent option to clean the laptop keyboard without removing keys. Blow the air to a specific area. That way, you would be able to clean the smaller dirt particles that you would perhaps not be able to see with naked eyes.
A can with a small nozzle would be an excellent option. However, if you are not able to find such a can, you should be able to use a regular can and opt for a straw that is used to drink cold drinks. Never ever opt for a continuous flow of air, but ensure that you do not blow it for more than two minutes.
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Use a Disinfectant Microfiber
Once the compressed air has cleaned the keyboard, use a microfiber cloth for disinfecting the keys and other parts of the keyboard. This should be the final part of your cleaning regime. Make sure you are cleaning it up in a smoother move. A hard or rough movement can end up causing bad keypresses. You can even use a softer cloth if you do not have access to a microfiber cloth.
It may be a good idea to use disinfectant while using a soft cloth or microfiber cloth to clean the keyboard. This can help you make your keyboard germ free. Make sure you are soaking the cloth in alcohol or other disinfectants instead of dipping it.
You can even buy a cleaning kit for the purpose. The cleaning kit available in the market would include cleaning liquid, microfiber, and a compressed air can. Check if you can buy one.
Yet another excellent option would be to use a sticky tape and move it between the keys. Any kind of dirt can come stuck to the tape.
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Use a Toothpick for cleaning the keyboard without removing keys
A toothpick can be yet another excellent option to take care of your cleaning the laptop keyboard. You can lightly moisten it in water or alcohol and use it for cleaning the keyboard. This can help you remove the dust particles stuck between the keys.
Photo Source: iFixit
Once you are through the task of cleaning up your keyboard, make sure that no moisture is left inside the keyboard. You can use a dry cloth to clean the moisture.
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How to clean laptop keyboard after spill?
A keyboard can get sticky because of several reasons. One of the possible reasons can be because you spilled something on the keyboard or laptop. If you have spilled something on the keyboard, make sure you follow the instructions here – INSTANTLY!
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Power it off – Quick!
As soon as you notice that you spill something on the keyboard, turn off your laptop right away. Shut it down, remove any of the cables attached and remove the battery. This will ensure that the water will not damage any other parts on your laptop.
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Get the following items to clean up the keyboard
Arrange the saviours instantly. You would need the following items – rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, and paper towels. Of course, any sort of severe damage will need you to remove the keys for cleaning the keyboard. These items should be enough for most of your tasks.
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The cleaning up!
Soak in as much of the spilled water or liquid as you can. You can use a paper towel or similar another rag for this purpose. Ensure that you clean almost every part of your laptop, including screen and other parts.
The cotton swabs would be useful for cleaning up the water from the smaller crevices on the laptop. Most of the high-end laptops come with the spill-resistant keyboards. In such a situation, you will find that the keyboard does not get damaged. A normal cleaning would do the task for you.
You can even turn it upside down and keep it that way for a while. This can help you drain out the liquid if any. Make sure you keep it on a towel or any other similar absorbent material. Experts say leaving your laptop in this condition for a day would be the best option for better results.
What to do when the laptop keyboard’s keys stop working after water spilled on them?
“I spilled coffee on my laptop”, told James the other day, and we were praying for the safety of his laptop. And yes, we were right. The spilled water on laptop keyboard had some keys, not working.
The aftermath of a liquid spill on a laptop keyboard can be manifold. It can cause electrical or physical damage, long term corrosion effects, and even short circuits. In fact, everything would be dependent upon the type of liquid spilled, the amount spilled, and how fast you were to take care of it.
Make sure you are keeping the motherboard upside down so that you will be able to avoid the liquid reaching the motherboard. If the liquid spill is too heavy, you would need to remove the screws on the rear and remove the hard drive. Wipe down the insides with a soft, yet dry cloth. Allow the laptop to dry for two days. Never ever use a hair drier as it can leave the additional dust particles into the already sticky insides.
If you find some keys not working even after those steps, it may be necessary to replace the keyboard. Getting assistance from an official repair shop can be quite helpful. You can opt for the original keyboard depending upon your laptop model. That should help you in cases where you find spilled water on laptop keyboard and some keys not working.
How to clean a laptop keyboard (By removing Keys)?
If you have not been able to resolve the issue even after those steps, you would need to try cleaning the laptop keyboard after removing the keys. However, this can be quite tricky as the method would need technical expertise of some sort.
Once the keys are removed, you can wash them off with alcohol or water and soap solution. Once the keys have thoroughly been cleaned, you would need to allow them to dry on a towel. After the keys are removed, you will have better access to the areas underneath. A gentle vacuum or compressed air can be one of the best options in this context.
Yet another video that can be helpful here can be:
The Concluding Thoughts
Those were a few tips on how you would be able to clean a laptop without removing keys or even removing keys. However, as we have repeatedly been stating – the steps here may or may not be fruitful. The simple and easy guide here should be helpful enough in addressing the issues.
So, next time you scream “Oh, I spilled coffee on my laptop”, remember us that we shared the best options that you can make use of. If you have come across such situations in the past, do share which of the methods helped you save your keyboard.
In case you are a user of Mechanical Keyboard, then you should read our article to know how to clean a Mechanical Keyboard.
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