How to Clean MacBook Keyboard? [Easy ways]

The MacBook’s keyboard is perhaps the dirtiest component. No matter how clean you are or how frequently you wash your hands, the dust in your room and the bacteria on your fingertips will make their way to your keys.

A soiled keyboard can render keys inoperable and make you sick. To prevent this, you must do surface cleaning and maybe a thorough scrub if your keyboard has accumulated filth for a time.

Fortunately, it is not a difficult task. Dust and wipe the surface, then wipe away any cleaning solution and dry the keyboard to clean your MacBook keyboard. Utilize a can of compressed air if you wish to thoroughly clean your keyboard and leave it an additional shine.

In this article, you will learn how to clean your keyboard efficiently and without harming or scratching the keys. So, let’s get in!

How to Clean the MacBook Keyboard

Table of Contents

Get Your Cleaning Supplies

For a thorough cleaning of your MacBook keyboard, you’re going to require certain items.
Although some of them are technically optional, we strongly advise their use. You may rely on them to make your life easier.

Microfiber fabrics
Pressurized air can
Antibacterial wipes
99 percent isopropyl alcohol, lint-free cloths, or paper towels (for the work surface)
Cleaning liquid

Cleaning and Decontaminating the Keyboard’s Surface

Let’s begin by discussing how to clean the keyboard surface of your MacBook. Turn off your MacBook and disconnect it from power.

Don’t miss this step since you’ll be pushing a lot of keys when cleaning the keyboard, and if your desktop is on, it might be damaged. Unplugging your laptop will also protect you from injury.

Imagine altering vital settings or deleting crucial files by mistake! We absolutely do not want that. Therefore, switch off your MacBook and consider it a spa day for this hardworking computer.

Follow the instructions below to clean and disinfect the keyboard’s surface.

Shake your MacBook against a garbage can

Open your laptop, flip it over, and gently shake it over a garbage can to remove any debris, dust, or food crumbs from behind the keyboard.

Use one hand to grasp the MacBook’s base and the other to hold the display in place while shaking the laptop. This will prevent damage to the hinges.

You may not see any material falling from the keyboard, but that is no cause for concern; it merely indicates that you are a very clean individual!

Shaking your laptop will still assist in removing undesirable debris, even if it has not yet fallen out.

Dust the surface

Use a lint-free cloth, such as a soft microfiber cloth, to remove dust from the keyboard’s surface. You do not need to apply pressure to the keyboard when cleaning; a little touch will be enough.

This procedure is not appropriate for abrasive cloths or paper towels since they might scratch the keys.

Cleanse the surface

Utilize disinfectant wipes to remove spills and stains from the keyboard’s surface. They will enable you to clean filthy, hard-to-reach areas and eliminate invisible germs and bacteria.

If you’ve owned your MacBook for some time, filth has probably gathered on the keyboard’s surface. You simply need to take your time and scrub harder on the dirtier areas. Remember to be cautious and mild to prevent keyboard damage.

Apple recommends Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, although any other brand would suffice as long as it does not include chlorine or peroxide.

Alternatively, you may use an electronic cleaner and a microfiber cloth to wash out the exterior of your MacBook.

Whatever method you use, you must avoid pouring liquid directly over the keyboard and allowing it to pool around it.

Apply the liquid on a microfiber cloth and keep a second, dry microfiber towel handy for mopping up any spills.

Clean away

Use a slightly moist microfiber towel to wipe away any remaining cleaning solution and to provide a last scrape on the keyboard.

Remember that liquids are the deadliest enemy of electronics, therefore be careful not to add any water to the keyboard with your towel.

Dry your keyboard

Before shutting your MacBook, get a dry, lint-free microfiber cloth—yes, another one, but trust us when we say it’s necessary—and completely dry the keyboard. Extra caution
should be taken to dry between the keys and around the ports.

Finally, power up your laptop and test each key to ensure everything is functioning properly.

Eliminating Debris and Dust from Your Keyboard

If your keyboard is very grimy or if the keys are uncooperative, you may need to perform a more thorough cleaning.

Using a can of pressurized air to remove dust and dirt from below the keys is an excellent way. However, it cannot be used on certain older computers, like a MacBook Pro older than the 2016 model, since the air might push dust further inside the laptop.

Now, if you are confident that your MacBook model can withstand compressed air, switch it off and proceed as follows:

Spray the keyboard with a can of compressed air.

Hold your MacBook at a 75-degree angle to aid in the removal of dust and particles. So that you may work more comfortably, you may wish to ask a buddy to hold your laptop for you.

Spray pressurized air into the keyboard, keeping the end of the straw approximately half an inch from the keyboard. If you spray closer to the keys, you run the danger of harming them, so be mindful of this.

Hold the can upright, without tilting or inverting it, and slide it from left to right, down the length of the keyboard, and then back up to ensure you’ve reached every crevice.

Flip the laptop

Spray the compressed air onto the keyboard from left to right, traveling up and down the keys, while rotating your laptop to the right and maintaining a 75-degree angle. Rotating your MacBook will continue to expel dust from the keyboard.

Again rotate the laptop

Complete the cleaning procedure by rotating the laptop one more time, holding it at a 75-degree angle, and spraying it with compressed air.

Navigate the nozzle from left to right while zigzagging up and down the keyboard to let the compressed air reach beneath each key at a variety of angles for a thorough cleaning.

How to Clean a MacBook Keyboard in a Fun Way!

Have you ever encountered cleaning slime or gel? No? Then you are losing out on a really entertaining method to keep your keyboard clean!

This slime may appear goofy, but it is actually incredibly beneficial. Simply take some
slime and place it on your keyboard for one or two minutes before removing it. Because it can creep below the keys and create a mess, avoid pressing down on it.

You will be amazed by how much dirt, dust, and debris the slime collects!

How To Clean A Macbook Pro Keyboard

Conclusion on How to Clean MacBook Keyboard?

It is a reality that keyboards become dirty regardless of how hard you try to prevent them. The good news is that you can maintain appropriate functionality by routinely cleaning your MacBook keyboard.

It’s rather simple, and you don’t even need any specialized tools or equipment. Simply have a few disinfectant wipes on hand at the workplace or home, and wipe off the keyboard keys after each use.