New post: cleaning keyboard

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+---
+title: "Cleaning my keyboard"
+date: 2023-08-29
+lang: en
+categories: [ blog ]
+tags: [ keyboard, cleaning, hygiene]
+translationKey: "2023-08-29-cleaning-keyboard"
+---
+
+I have replaced my keyboard with a mechanical one around July last year, so
+it's been more than a year, but shamefully I haven't cleaned it properly.  The
+most cleaning I've done is using a tissue paper and rubbing over it.  In my
+defense, it came with a plastic cover, so I thought covering it when not in use
+is enough, but apparently it isn't.  As its keys are getting more and more
+often stuck, I looked more closely between the keys and noticed dust and even
+cobweb (I'm not exaggerating it).
+
+![my keyboard and its plastic cover](/images/keyboard/keyboard-cover.jpg)
+
+I didn't even get the tool needed to disassemble it for cleaning, so I just got
+a keypuller last week, along with a switch puller and a brush.
+
+So let's start cleaning this keyboard.
+
+First, I remove all of those keycaps.  Hopefully I'm not breaking anything in
+the process.
+
+![my keyboard without keycaps, with a lot of dirt](/images/keyboard/bare-board-dirty.jpg)
+
+Afterwards, the keys are put into a bowl of water mixed with handwash.  Some
+guides would recommend mixing a lot of 90° alcohol, while some others say too
+strong agent can damage the keys, so I prefer to stay safe with it.
+
+![keycaps in cleaning bowl](/images/keyboard/keycap-soak.jpg)
+
+Now, I brush the board gently while holding it upside down to avoid dust
+sticking in further.  The keyboard is significantly cleaner after brushing.
+Then, I use cotton swabs to clean it more thoroughly with water, and then dry
+them with a towel.
+
+![cleaning keyboard with a cotton swab](/images/keyboard/cleaning-board.jpg)
+
+Next, I wash the keycaps that have been soaking.  The keys are quite clean now.
+I rinse them with water to ensure no soap is remaining.
+
+And voilà, the keyboard is as clean as new!
+
+![the keyboard, now clean](/images/keyboard/bare-board-clean.jpg)
+
+OK, not "as new", but it's much better than before.  The cleaning process takes
+around 1 hour.
+
+Finally, I and dry them completely before reassembling them.  Several methods I
+use to dry faster include:
+
+- use a towel
+- use a fan
+- human-powered centrifugal force
+
+It takes another hour to dry.  I tries to use my memory, but it seems I don't
+remember all the positions as well as I thought initially, particularly the
+navigation buttons and the volume controls on the right of the main keys.
+Fortunately, I already took the pic of the keyboard before disassembling it, so
+it is not a problem.