Dust is the mortal enemy of any electronic device, and our keyboards are no different. They are always on top of our desks, exposed and unprotected, waiting for the dust to creep in through every crack and space between the buttons. Over time, dust accumulation can block switches and keys, leading to malfunctions, missed keystrokes, and a reduced overall lifespan of our precious (and expensive) mechanical keyboards. We can't have that now can we? Therefore, it is important to regularly clean your mechanical keyboard. In this guide, we'll show you the best methods to clean a mechanical keyboard and keep it working like new.

Doing a quick wipe regularly is a great way to keep dust and dirt off your mechanical keyboard and keep it looking fresh. After all, aesthetics are one of the reasons you invest in a mechanical keyboard in the first place, right? Allowing your keyboard to collect dust defeats the whole purpose.

Before starting the cleaning process, disconnect your mechanical keyboard from your PC. If your mechanical keyboard is connected, carefully disconnect the cable from the computer's USB port. Doing so ensures that your computer does not register any accidental keystrokes. I learned this the hard way. Trying to clean my mechanical keyboard while plugged in was nothing short of a nightmare. I glanced back at my monitor only to find my browser in full screen mode with a sentence being typed with laughter in the search bar, the toggles on, my microphone disabled, and a bunch of problems that took me a couple of minutes to diagnose and resolve.

Lesson learned – always unplug the keyboard before cleaning it.