Alyss has been working in tech since 2012, with diverse experience in Sales Engineering, Developer Advocacy, and Product Marketing with companies such as GitHub, Box, Atlassian, and BigCommerce.
For my keyboard, I turn it on its side and use canned air to blow debris out. If there's a tough to get at spot, I can remove the key and use rubbing alcohol + cotton swabs or microfiber cloths.
Mouse: rubbing alcohol + cotton swabs or microfiber cloth
Keyboard on desktop, it's bluetooth and I shut it off. Then I wring out a clorox wipe so it's only just damp. Then clean away. If anything is dripping or rolling with moisture it's too wet.
So my keyboard gradually accumulates a bit of muck, and I've long since learnt to buy gamer keyboards, because:
They last longer.
They're usually black, so don't show the dirt.
But I have a stupid USB vacuum cleaner my mother gave me as a joke which turned out to actually work, so that's good for crumbs when I've rammed an entire pack of biscuits (or crisps; I'm an equal opportunity snacker) into my mouth while coding. Sometimes I invert the keyboard and apply percussive cleansing techniques.
My screens I clean with Windolene and a microfibre cloth once in a while.
But every now and then I make the fatal mistake of looking at what the underside of my mouse has accumulated.
What the hell is that stuff? No, don't answer that, I really don't want to know.
I was noticing that the screen on my Macbook was always getting fingerprints and smudges and no household remedies seemed to help, so I picked up some generic screen cleaner at Fry's and with a microfiber cloth that seems to do the trick. For the case, I usually use a (barely) damp microfiber cloth and just wipe the whole thing down.
Though I haven't found a solution for cleaning laptop keyboards, so I'm interested to hear what people have come up with.
For the keyboard I just tip it upside down and give it a few shakes to release any loose particles - dust, food crumbs etc. Occasionally when the computer is off I will give it a wipe with a slightly damp cloth. To clarify I have a desktop PC at home (not laptop).
As for the screen usually a microfibre cloth, such as those I use to clean my glasses. Occasionally I will dampen the tip of my finger and use that to clean a spot on the monitor.
I find a microfiber cloth with some water works on the screen + keyboard. Occasionally (like when I go to the plague-ridden office) I'll wipe the whole thing down with something antimicrobial.
The screen I use glasses cleaner and a soft cloth. The keyboard I remove all keypads, dump them into a bucket of water. For the base, I use a cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol
Geek. Polyglot. Developer. Tolkienian. Westerosi. Trekkie. Loves Epic Fantasy and OSS. Evangelical Atheist. Open for Chats, Rants and Chants. Draws comics at Insta @abhnvkmr | https://abhnv.dev
Location
Bangalore, India
Education
Bachelor of Technology (Computer Science and Engineering)
This is the best
bio hackever 👍I haven't cleaned my keyboard and mouse for awhile now (so can't answer... 😥)
But for a PC 🖥️ monitor , I use alcohol wipe (after finding out that it is bad for glasses) for glasses 👓.
I clean my monitor every other day because of this reason,
and then wipe it off with a paper towel for PC monitor.
For my laptop 💻, I use cloth for glasses 👓 as it's more delicate.
For my keyboard, I turn it on its side and use canned air to blow debris out. If there's a tough to get at spot, I can remove the key and use rubbing alcohol + cotton swabs or microfiber cloths.
Mouse: rubbing alcohol + cotton swabs or microfiber cloth
Screen: I prefer dedicated screen or glass wipes.
The best way to clean them is buy the new screens and keyboards.
I am super particular about having a clean keyboard and table on which my computer is kept.
I have a year old daughter who is always dropping all kinds of stuff in my keyboard, so I have kept a cleaning solution handy near my desktop.
First thing which I do when I reach home and see that my computer or my table or my keyboard is empty is get cleaning.
Screen, /very/ slightly damp paper towel.
Keyboard on desktop, it's bluetooth and I shut it off. Then I wring out a clorox wipe so it's only just damp. Then clean away. If anything is dripping or rolling with moisture it's too wet.
Don't. Look. Under. Your. Mouse.
So my keyboard gradually accumulates a bit of muck, and I've long since learnt to buy gamer keyboards, because:
But I have a stupid USB vacuum cleaner my mother gave me as a joke which turned out to actually work, so that's good for crumbs when I've rammed an entire pack of biscuits (or crisps; I'm an equal opportunity snacker) into my mouth while coding. Sometimes I invert the keyboard and apply percussive cleansing techniques.
My screens I clean with Windolene and a microfibre cloth once in a while.
But every now and then I make the fatal mistake of looking at what the underside of my mouse has accumulated.
What the hell is that stuff? No, don't answer that, I really don't want to know.
I was noticing that the screen on my Macbook was always getting fingerprints and smudges and no household remedies seemed to help, so I picked up some generic screen cleaner at Fry's and with a microfiber cloth that seems to do the trick. For the case, I usually use a (barely) damp microfiber cloth and just wipe the whole thing down.
Though I haven't found a solution for cleaning laptop keyboards, so I'm interested to hear what people have come up with.
For the keyboard I just tip it upside down and give it a few shakes to release any loose particles - dust, food crumbs etc. Occasionally when the computer is off I will give it a wipe with a slightly damp cloth. To clarify I have a desktop PC at home (not laptop).
As for the screen usually a microfibre cloth, such as those I use to clean my glasses. Occasionally I will dampen the tip of my finger and use that to clean a spot on the monitor.
I find a microfiber cloth with some water works on the screen + keyboard. Occasionally (like when I go to the plague-ridden office) I'll wipe the whole thing down with something antimicrobial.
The screen I use glasses cleaner and a soft cloth. The keyboard I remove all keypads, dump them into a bucket of water. For the base, I use a cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol
For my screen I've been using the same cleaner I use for my glasses, but with some skepticism, so I'm definitely reading these comments.
I prefer to buy a new keyboard if I need to clean keyboard. If need to clean the screen, I call my mom. She will clean it. She can't accept it :D
Slightly damp micro-fibre cloth. I either use water or a mild alcohol solution.
Screen: Non-abrasive alcohol wipes
Keyboard: Power off > Microfiber cloth > RUB RUB RUB > Blow with an air pump
Mouse: Nothing
Anything else: Microfiber cloth
Simple.
Clean with Isopropyl wipes (any drug store, most grocery stores) and polish with microfiber cloth (Costco) for everything
Little alcohol wipes, similar to those they pass out on airplanes, work great for screens and smudges on my keyboards.
Otherwise, disinfecting clorox wipes 🤷
Keyboard:
