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Have you noticed an odd whitish residue on your keyboard lately?
The white stuff on your keyboard results from several things, like skin cells, oil, sweat, and dust. Since you’re seeing it, it’s a sign that its keyboard is dirty and needs cleaning. One way to prevent gunk is by regularly cleaning the area underneath the keys with canned air or a vacuum cleaner.
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Why is there white stuff on my laptop keyboard?
Here’s a frequently asked question; why is there always white stuff on some keyboards? A lot of things can cause white stuffed to start appearing on your keyboard. However, one thing you need to understand is any time white stuff starts appearing on your laptop keyboard, it’s giving you a warning sign that the keys need a thorough cleanup.
According to experts, computer keyboards have no adhesives that could make them degrade or gunk up over time. Since that’s the fact, it means the white stuff you keep noticing on your laptop keyboard isn’t a sign of degradation.
Ask yourself this question; when was the last time a cleaned the laptop keyboard? The answer you give is enough to understand where the problem is coming from. If the answer is “a long time ago,” then the white stuff could be a sign that your keys are dirty and needs cleaning.
No doubt, white stuff on keyboards often looks like the keys have degraded or something. But don’t let this scare you as you can always clean it off and get your keys back to how they used to be before.
What exactly is the gunk on my laptop keyboard?
Some people call it “gunk”, some call it “dirt,” while others call it “white stuff.” No matter the one you choose, the fact remains that the white stuff you keep experiencing on your keyboard is not a good thing for your laptop.
As earlier mentioned, the unpleasantly sticky substance on your laptop keyboard is a result of a mixture of several things, including your sweat, skin cell, dust, dirt, pollens, oil, and food (sugary and salty).
There are a few ways you can prevent gunk from your laptop keyboard. First, avoid eating at your work desk. And if you must do, ensure to keep the laptop away or use a small, clean towel to cover the keys.
Unfortunately, you can stop dust and other factors, such as dead skin cells and sweats, from completely touching your keyboards. Since that’s the truth, the best way to avoid white stuff on your keyboard is to clean it regularly – possibly weekly.
How to clean the gunk off your keyboard?
Since you’re reading this post, I’m pretty sure you already have the white unpleasantly sticky substance on your keyboard. If yes, then you must be wondering how to det rid of it from your keys. Well, the good news is there are a couple of ways that you can follow to clean off the gunk on your laptop keyboard. Let’s have a quick look at some of them below:
Keep your laptop keyboard clean
The importance of keeping your keyboard clean at all times can not be overstressed. Fixing the gunk isn’t the only thing that matters at this stage. You also need to understand where the problem is coming from and avoid it.
One of the many factors that can cause the white unpleasantly messy substance on your keyboard is “eating over your keyboard.” When you do, crumbs from the food might fall underneath the keys. And when that happens, it could cause gunk on your laptop.
So, avoid eating over your keyboard. Apart from that, you need to also avoid drinking over your keyboard. Doing just that will help you prevent spillage of liquid on your keyboard, causing the white messy stuff.
It’s also important to do everything you can to keep dust from your laptop. One way to do that is by not leaving your PC opened when it’s not in use. Above all, regular cleaning of your keyboard keys is also essential.
Canned air
Canned air or “air duster” or “compressed air” is arguably one of the best options when it comes to getting rid of the gunk on your laptop keyboard. The approach involves using pressurized air to get rid of debris and dirt from different substances.
With compressed air, you can always clear out computer vents. Furthermore, you see that cookie crumbs underneath your keyboard keys, canned air can help you get rid of them easily and quickly.
So, what is the best way to use canned air to fix the white substance on your keys?
- First, start by getting a reliable canned air product.
- Next, grab the canned air and attach a long straw securely to its mouth. After that, angle the can in a way that allows the debris on the keyboard to fall off when applying the air. According to cnet, the best you can do is to keep the can at 75 degrees.
- However, before going ahead to spray the stuff, you need to switch off your laptop. That’s not all; in case you have the laptop plugged, ensure you unplug it from the power plug before proceeding to spray the gunk.
- Next, turn your laptop upside down to make it pretty easy for any loose debris to fall off.
- Now, it’s time to apply the canned air on the keyboard. When spraying, you need to continuously press down on the nozzle to achieve an even stream of air to the keys. Furthermore, ensure you go slowly and move in a zigzag pattern across the laptop keyboard.
- Next, turn the laptop to its side and continue spraying using the same zigzag approach.
Apart from canned air, it’s also worth knowing that you can always opt for a computer vacuum cleaner to get the job done.
The benefit of that is that it’ll allow you to run the device for approximately 30 minutes continuously.
Screen Wipes
Screen wipes are effective if what you have on your keyboard is caked-on grime. To get rid of the gunk, all you need to do is apply the product gently to the affected area. It’s important to go gently when using this approach to avoid peeling the letters and characters on the keys.
Things to avoid when cleaning the gunk on your keyboard
There’s this misconception that you can always get rid of the gunk on your keyboard by placing them in a dishwasher. According to Seal Shield, that could be true for some keyboards.
However, you need to understand that the possibility is slim and putting a keyboard in the dishwasher will not work for most modern keyboards.
Furthermore, you need to avoid removing the keys on the keyboard in the name of washing them by hand. This approach isn’t effective and should be avoided.
Lastly, always keep in mind that it’s not ideal to get rid of the gunk on your keyboard with the laptop on. So, ensure you turn it off before applying the canned air or any other product. In addition to that, it’s also important that you unplug the laptop from the power plug before performing any action.