How to Clean a Keyboard Properly (Remove the Keycaps)

Learn how to clean any mechanical keyboard safely and fully. I demonstrate by cleaning my SteelSeries Apex Pro keyboard using the best methods available. I filmed the entire process from start to finish and went into detail about what I learned along the way. My keyboard feels fresh, clean and is more responsive than ever. If you haven’t looked under your keys in a while, it may be time to give that keyboard a bath!

📋 Table of Contents

Intro: 0:00
Preparing the keyboard: 00:10
Removing the keycaps: 00:37
Washing the keycaps: 01:21
Cleaning the keyboard base: 02:26
Fixing sticky keys: 03:35
Wiping it down: 04:11
Reinstalling the keys: 04:43
End results: 05:16

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🎥 Behind the Scenes

[bigdreams_makethemhappen]

Great tutorial! I'm a total newbie at deep cleaning my setup since I got proper cleaning tools only recently, and this helped a lot in cleaning my keyboard

[joeybu]

I just did mine today.
I used a soft drill brush to get the suds working and to clean the keys.
A shortcut on the drying the key caps is drying them in a towel and reversing the hose on a shop vac to blow dry them.
A google image search of your keyboard is a good backup in case if you forgot to take the picture.

[sdiarre]

Really helpful tutorial!
I really just watched till 0:47, since I just needed to take out the M and the N from my brother's keyboard to switch them and let him find out on his own.

Thanks for the help!

[UserXtremE]

4:08 The truest part of this whole tutorial:

[profkwl]

I tried cleaning my mechanical keyboard (Redragon Yama K550) recently. The keycaps turned out very clean after washing them, but I made a big mistake that I now deeply regret. Since it was difficult to clean the spaces between the switches with just brushing, I decided to remove all the switches to clean thoroughly without anything getting in the way.

Unfortunately, when I reassembled the keyboard, many switches no longer worked. No matter what I tried, they just wouldn’t function. Most of the keys on the left side stopped working, and an entire row of letters (ASDFGHJKL;') became unresponsive.

Now, I’m left with a defective keyboard and have started shopping online for a replacement. Lesson learned—next time, I’ll think twice before removing the switches for cleaning!

[ZuprToxiK]

Thanks for the video! I recently got a apex pro keyboard 2 months or so ago and im looking forward to cleaning it. Also, love the energy in the video, you can really tell you enjoy what you do. Keep up the cool content!

[Aaalllyyysssaaaaa]

just gave my entire keyboard a bath trying to fix keys that were sticking, turned out there was a wireless keyboard in my backpack pressing random buttons, and there is an entire horror movie worth of goo I cleaned up that I had no idea existed, 10/10

[KristenHallman]

👏🏻absolutely love how detailed you are in this. You covered absolutely everything ❤

[Ragnarra]

Great Tutorial. I am going to have to do this to my keyboard so I can get rid of a lot of issues specifically in regards to the 't' which has been sticking.

[KazuyaYuza]

Thanks, certainly helpful!
Haven't cleaned my keyboard since I bought it 6 years ago or so. It must be worse than a rabbit hole underneath those caps.

(5:10 am I the only one that is triggered by the spacebar being upside-down?)

[alphenex]

this was actually a solid video, nice work

[sanmhk.]

Used my hands for the keycap removal, looked like I killed someone with the keyboard. My hands are bleeding 😅

Definitely going to need a key cap remover.

[germanmunoz]

im js dropping a comment to say that im typing this without any keycaps on. W keyboard knowledge.

[DorukHerdem-lsgg]

Amazing video! What's the tool you use at 3:36? I need to get that

[meocyr]

ykw i approve this saved me my delte used to do asteriks and this lowkey workied

[FrazzTheGamer]

I don't have a keybind remover but it worked great still, This tutorial was super good it helped me very much. Thank you!

[lucy]

This would have been helpful if it wasn't the fact that my keyboard was different. It didn't have the bubble pieces under the caps, and now it's worse 😢

[digitalclips]

OK, fine for one of those 1980s-style PC keyboards, but how do you clean a modern keyboard such as those made by Apple?

[Silyxo]

Great vid, but my microfibre towel keeps on leaving little threads on my keys and idk what to use instead that wouldnt have the same problem

[gravityisfalling]

I cleaned the keycaps of my creamy keyboard just like how you did. After placing them back on, the sound became different, I couldn't find any answer or fix to this. Maybe you have an answer?
Thanks