Personal summary keyboard cleaning generally involves the following steps：

1. Tool preparation before cleaning

2. Take a photo before the keycap is removed

3. Disconnect all power connections, including data cables, batteries, etc.

4. Remove all keycaps with a key puller

5. Soak the keycaps in a basin mixed with warm water and detergent

6. Remove the top case and disassemble

7. Clean the dust from the crevices with a brush

8. Dry keycaps

9. Install and restore the keyboard

• Tool preparation before cleaning

     What to prepare before cleaning? Definitely our tools for cleaning and disassembling keyboards: key puller, screwdriver, cleaner, basin, cotton swab, alcohol, brush, and fiber cloth. (If you don't have the above tools, you can use alternatives)

• Take a photo before the keycap is removed

     There are many keys on the keyboard. Although you often use it, you may still be confused during the actual installation, so take pictures in advance to confirm the original state of the keyboard, which can be well avoided.

• Disconnect all power connections, including data cables, batteries, etc.

     When cleaning our mechanical keyboard, we need to make sure we disconnect the cable and power it off, if it is wireless, please turn off the power switch or remove the battery.

• Remove all keycaps with a key puller

     There are two types of key pullers, one is short plastic and the other is long, which pulls out the keycap through a wire. When pulling out the big key, be careful not to use too much force. There is usually a balance bar or a satellite switch under the big key. Excessive movement will easily damage the feel of the big key.

• Soak the keycaps in a basin mixed with warm water and detergent

     Put the removed keycaps into a basin filled with warm water one by one to avoid the loss of the keycaps. Personally, it is recommended that the water level should not exceed the keycaps, and ensure that the temperature of the warm water is not too high. Then add an appropriate amount of detergent to stir and soak for a while, during this time we can clean our keyboard body.

• Remove the top case and disassemble

     Different keyboard models have different designs, and the disassembly methods are also different. Here, it is recommended to Google the disassembly method according to your own model and then disassemble. Students who cannot disassemble it can use cotton swabs and alcohol to clean the dust on the surface of the keyboard. That’s it, if your keyboard uses a magnetic frame, then it doesn’t have to be so troublesome to disassemble. Take this one in my hand as an example:

     ①Prepare a precision screwdriver or tweezers, push it into the left edge of the keyboard and push it from the inside to the outside like a lever, then the frame will be slightly deformed ②At the same time, the left hand grasps the outer hook part with its claws and pulls up③ Insert the tweezers into the open space on the top and outside and slide it firmly ④The same operation is done on the bottom, the frame will fall off by itself ⑤The removed outer frame can be wiped with alcohol and a towel in turn.

     Then disassemble the bottom case and PCB board:

     ①Observe the fixing position of the screws on the top plate. ②Use a precision screwdriver to remove all the screws.③ Be careful not to lose the fixed screws, and prepare a small box in advance to install the written screws. ④ After removing all the screws, remove the PCB board and put it away.

     If you have cleaned the bottom case, the bottom case may have accumulated a lot of dirt, you can clean it with water or alcohol and dry it

• Clean the dust from the crevices with a brush

     If your keyboard supports hot-swapping, you can also pull out the shaft body, which is more convenient for cleaning. If it does not support it, it doesn’t matter. Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to wipe it slowly.

     After cleaning, use a brush or brush to remove any debris that has entered the finer gaps, and finally, you can use a hair dryer to dry the moisture on the surface to avoid secondary damage due to cleaning.

• Dry keycaps

     Soak the keycaps after cleaning, rinse the residual detergent on the surface with clean water, then take out the keycaps one by one, and dry them with a dry towel. Be sure to dry them to avoid damage to the keyboard caused by residual moisture. If you don’t use it urgently, it Can be placed in a ventilated place to dry naturally for one hour.

• Install and restore the keyboard

     After the keycaps are dry, we can install them one by one according to the original appearance of the keyboard we took pictures of at the beginning.

     PS: How to clean the non-removable keyboard

     1. Blow off dust and dirt with an air duster

     Blow air through small gaps in the surface of the keyboard to blow away dust and grime that has seeped inside. Be especially careful to spray the small gaps around the keys.

     2. Wipe off dirt with alcohol-based wipes

     After spraying the air duster, gently wipe the entire keyboard with an alcohol-based wipe. For small areas, it is recommended to soak the cotton swab in an alcohol-based liquid such as absolute ethanol and wipe it off.