Cleaning mechanical keyboards - The MKB care guide

Believe it or not, our Glorious mechanical keyboard can get dirty, too! If you're using yours daily, chances are you'll have to clean it at some point. And while most of the guides online do a good job at explaining that cleaning mechanical keyboards is quite easy and fast, we deemed it necessary to publish our own take as well. So, here it is.

First off, we'd like to emphasize that you should clean your mechanical keyboard regularly (especially if you like having snacks next to it). That way, you're ensuring it will last for years to come. Luckily, this so-called regular maintenance is very simple and consists of only a few steps. Before you start, though, make sure the keyboard is unplugged.

Remove dust from the keyboard plate using a (handheld) vacuum. Make sure you go through all the keycaps and don't press the vacuum's tube hard. If possible, use an anti-static vacuum cleaner.

Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the whole keyboard. The cloth should be mildly damp. You can also go with a disposable cleaning wipe.

Dry the keyboard using another cloth. Although a very common occurrence, avoid using paper towels since they tend to leave particles on the keyboard.

Another simple process that will leave you with a very rewarding outcome. After all, you want your keycaps to be as shiny and glossy as possible.

Use our keycap puller to remove all the keycaps.

Prepare a bowl of warm water (avoid HOT water) and denture cleaning tablets (dish soap works, too).

Place the keycaps in the container and let them soak for at least 5-6 hours.

Rinse the keycaps and wipe them off.

Reattach them to the keyboard.

Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the whole board. The cloth should be mildly damp.

Dry the keyboard using another cloth.

Of course, while you're waiting for the keycaps to soak, you can do some additional plate cleaning. All you need is a dry Q-tip to clean the area between the keys. Then, you may turn the plate upside down and shake lightly until the remaining particles fall off. That's it!

The first thing you'll want to do here is unplug the keyboard right away! Otherwise, you risk further damaging the board, or the PC's USB port.

Then, if it's water or tea, you can try turning the board upside down and shaking out the liquid. After you're done, leave it to dry for about 1.5 - 2 days. That might solve the issue and let you get back to regular keyboard use.

However, if you're dealing with a more serious (flavored) spill, it's recommended that you try the whole "cleaning mechanical keyboards' sticky keys" procedure as explained above. Or even better, you can check this amazingly detailed Reddit Keyboard Spill Guide. It covers several different scenarios and explains how you can bring your mechanical keyboard back to life without walking the most painful route and buying a new one.