I routinely clean my keyboard about every 6 months using a dishwasher. Didn’t know you could do that? Well you can if you follow some simple rules.
In theory, you can wash any electronics as long as there is NO electricity because of NO power source including NO micro-batteries and NO capacitors that could store electricity. Electronics become damaged when an electrical short occurs (electricity travels from one place to another unexpectedly, because of a conductive substance such as water.) In theory, you can soak most simple electronics as long as you get them bone dry before you power them up again. For example, if you ever drop your phone in water you should immediately remove the battery without trying to power it down–just get that battery out of there. Don’t return the battery to the phone until it is completely dried out.
How to Wash Your Keyboard
When I wash my keyboard, I can take off the front plate and remove all electronics pretty easily. Here are the rules I follow.
1. First, it depends on the keyboard. Some keyboards are old-school mechanical and if you take them apart or open them up the keys have springs that can escape. Chances are though that you have a keyboard with rubber contacts underneath–not springs.
2. When you open up the keyboard, do it slowly. Often the front plate and the back plate will be connected by extremely delicate wires or ribbons. As you lift off the front plate, do it slowly and check for any ribbons that need to be disconnected.
3. Make sure that any pieces you intend to wash don’t have delicate mechanical parts that would be subject to corrosion or trapping water. Be certain that there are no batteries or capacitors, etc. In my keyboard, the front plate I remove and wash is completely plastic and there is zero risk.
4. You can wash your keyboard by hand OR put it in the dishwasher as long as you don’t turn on the dishwasher’s heating elements aka don’t use heated dry mode. Also, I advise that you clean your dishwasher out thoroughly and wash your keyboard all by itself. You don’t want any food particles or particulate getting trapped in tiny crevices of the plastic keys.
5. After the washing is completed, shake or sling as much of the water out of the keyboard’s front plate as possible. Set your keyboard outside where it is dry and sunny. Once the washed parts are bone dry you can reassemble the keyboard. You’re done.
Always attach images relate to each step to further along your instructions. People prefer media to learning than text if possible.
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