How to Clean Your Keyboard and Devices to Prevent the Spread of Germs

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, lots of people are wondering about the extra measures they can take to stay protected.

And although extra hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray is never a bad idea, you should be focusing on cleaning the surfaces you come into contact with every day. Your electronic devices are a great place to start.

There’s as many as 7,500 bacteria on the average keyboard, and 17,000 on a smartphone. But don’t go burning your electronics just yet, because we’re about to tell you how to deep-clean your keyboards and phones.

With a few basic cleaning tools and twenty spare minutes, you’ll be able to disinfect your technology and keep your workspace safe from all sorts of germs.

Desktop Keyboard

Unplug your keyboard from the computer, and then flip it over so the keys are facing downwards. Over a trashcan or paper towel, gently tap the back of the keyboard to knock out the loose crumbs and dust.

Then set it back down with the keys facing up and clean the more stubborn dust out with a can of compressed air.

Finally, wipe over the top of the keys with standard rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. Be sure to use isopropyl alcohol for this, since ethyl alcohol might rub the letters off the keys.

If you’re feeling particularly germophobic, you might want to go even further and deep-clean your keyboard. Before you begin, be sure to take a picture of the keyboard so you can see where all the letters are supposed to go when it’s time to re-assemble.

Using a flathead screwdriver, gently pry the keys off of your keyboard. Use a can of compressed air to blow the dust out, and then wipe the keyboard base clean with isopropyl alcohol and a paper towel.

Clean the key caps with alcohol and a cotton swab and then use your reference photo to put the keys back on.

Laptop Keyboard

Laptop keyboards can be trickier and riskier to disassemble. We recommend doing a light clean the same way as your desktop computer, and then investing in a keyboard cover.

Since laptops get packed away and carried around, it might be a good idea to give them more frequent cleanings than your desktop keyboard.

Cell Phone

Your cell phone is the ideal hangout spot for all kinds of bacteria, and since it makes regular contact with your face, you should be cleaning it regularly.

For a gentle, effective clean that won’t damage your phone, invest in a pack of microfiber cloths (the kinds used to clean reading glasses) and mix a home solution of roughly 60% isopropyl alcohol and 40% water. Dip the microfiber cloth in this mixture and wipe down the screen of your phone.

You can also clean the sides and back of the phone. You can clean your phone case with the same mixture or a disinfectant wipe. We recommend doing this once every other day to be as hygienic as possible.