Chromebooks are an innovative and cost-effective way to get online. They are perfect for students, professionals, or anyone who wants to take their web browsing experience with them wherever they go. But what if your keyboard needs to be cleaned?
Cleaning a Chromebook can be a confusing task as thousands of questions might be occupying your mind, like what cleaner to use, what cloth to use, or how to clean the key.
Getting Ready..
You don’t have to worry about all this because this article will cover it for you!
No matter the part of the Chromebook you’re cleaning, you must follow the prerequisite instructions we will give shortly.
This guide is written for Chromebooks specifically, but the same principles may work on Windows or Mac laptops as well. Please take caution if you choose to use this guide on a non-Chromebook laptop, as you could damage your computer.
So, before we get to the cleaning part, let’s see what precautionary measures one must take!
Precautions
Now let’s talk about cleaning.
Even though there is uniformity in the build of all the Chromebook models, still there are exceptions, and depending upon who built them, they can be very different from others. So, yours might be one of those unique ones, so you must first consider whether you should do a certain cleaning process on it or not.
When cleaning, it is important to take proper precautions as working with electrical components and small parts can be tricky and might damage them. Furthermore, they pose a shock and electrocution hazard. Therefore, exercise caution.
Note: Some of these instructions may not apply to your specific Chromebook model, so please use caution before attempting any of these procedures.
Preparations:
Step 1: Completely power down
To turn off your computer, hold down the power button in the top right corner. Be sure to completely shut it off and not just set it to sleep or hibernate.
Step 2: Remove/Disconnect any attached peripherals from your Chromebook.
This includes any USB devices connected to your laptops, such as a mouse, power cable, keyboard, external hard drive, or USB drive. Ensure that there is nothing still connected to your laptop before continuing.
Step 3: Remove any removable battery.
Chromebooks that don’t have a removable battery can skip this step. But if you have it, make sure you remove it properly. The processes for doing it are specific and differ for every model, so don’t just pull it out. Also, be sure you are careful with the electricity.
To safely disconnect the battery, you need to unlock the bottom panel and then disconnect it from the cable.
Cleaning your Chromebook!
Now that all the precautions are taken, let’s come to the purpose!
Cleaning the keyboard is important because it’s the most-used part of the device. Dirt, dust, and crumbs can accumulate quickly and cause errors in your typing speed and accuracy.
Items needed:
- A blunt knife or a screwdriver
- Compressed air
- 70% Isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol
- A microfiber cloth
Step 1:
Use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol if your keys are noticeably dirty.
A terry cloth or towel can be used for this purpose.
If your keys aren’t excessively dirty, use a microfiber cloth. It’s less abrasive and thus safer for your keys (to prevent scratching the paint off).
Step 2:
Choose your cloth and firmly, but slowly, go over the individual key in a circular motion.
Be careful not to let any of the liquid falls through the cracks. Although there is no harm to the electronics from pure alcohol, the impure one can screw up your keyboard as it can leave hard minerals or calcium in the key membranes.
To clean dirty keys, use a firmer motion and wipe the debris off with a cloth. The dirt should stick to the cloth pretty easily. Then gather the bits of dirt and take them off the keyboard. If they fall into the spaces between the keys, don’t worry about that and let it be. Still, try to avoid it as much as you can, And if it does, do remember the keys where the debris fell.
Apply more alcohol as needed. You don’t need to worry about the alcohol damaging your keys. Many power users clean their computer parts with rubbing alcohol because it does not conduct electricity. Although it’s not harmful to electronics, you shouldn’t spray a lot of it on your keyboard.
Step 3:
Let it completely dry.
After all the keys are cleaned, let them sit until completely dry. You can either wait for a few hours or you can turn your Chromebook off, open the case, and let it sit in the sun or under a light for about an hour.
Next, once it is dried, use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the debris. Make sure to take care of the ports and cables. You can also use a can of compressed air to clean the dust bunnies.
Finish by wiping down the entire keyboard with a cloth and a little bit of rubbing alcohol. Don’t worry about the alcohol now because it will evaporate!
That’s it! Your Chromebook keyboard is now clean and ready to use!.
Conclusion
You must have realized by now that the process of cleaning the Chromebook is not difficult, but rather interesting! But while it may sound very easy and fun to do, don’t forget to take care of all the aforementioned precautions to avoid any damage! Once you clean your Chromebook, You will be amazed at how much dirt it collects over time!
So, If you have found this guide helpful, please consider sharing it with another Chromebook enthusiast.
