How to clean the keyboard

General instructions

With the keyboard, you have to be especially careful that no water drops get into the surrounding cracks of the keyboard. At most, use a damp cloth or cotton swab - do not use a wet cloth and do not spray any cleaning agents directly onto the keyboard.

Otherwise, the same instructions apply as for the other surfaces of the laptop.

Remove particles from inside the keyboard

Over time, particles (e.g. grains of sand) can penetrate the keyboard and interfere with the mechanical triggering of individual keys. This can manifest itself in the fact that individual keys require more force or that they sit crooked.

The gentlest method for removing such particles is the targeted use of compressed air spray.

Please note: Compressed air spray cans must always be held vertically. The escaping gases must not be inhaled directly. Please refer to the detailed instructions in the FAQ article above: Instructions for use of compressed air spray.

To use compressed air spray for keyboard cleaning, we recommend the following steps:

• Set up the laptop as described in the previous section so that the keyboard is tilted as perpendicular to you as possible. The easiest way to do this is to place the laptop on its side with the monitor opened to well over 90 degrees. You should avoid an exactly right-angled opening angle, as the laptop can then fall over too easily in one direction or the other.
• Use a fingernail to gently lift the key cap of the key in question. Be as careful as possible. The goal is not to remove the keycap, but only to open a small gap for the application of the compressed air spray.
• At the same time, spray the compressed air spray into the opening gap. Make sure that you always hold the compressed air spray can vertically. You do not have to force the "trunk" directly into the gap, but simply place it close in front of the gap so that the compressed air can distribute well below the key cap.
• After applying the compressed air spray, check whether the key's release behavior has improved. If necessary, repeat the process from several angles until the key releases normally again. This may also require you to reposition the laptop, for example by placing it on the flat back of the display lid with the display lid open at 90u00b0.
• If you are unable to gently lift the key cap with a fingernail, you can alternatively use a flat precision mechanics screwdriver. However, you should use maximum caution when using such a tool, as applying too much force can damage the material of the keycap or the latch underneath.

We hope that these tips have helped you clean your keyboard. If you are unsure about how to use these tips, or if you would prefer to have the cleaning and maintenance done by our professional staff, please see the instructions below under the heading "RMA return for a voluntary device check-up".

Removing the keycaps (only for repair)

Removing keycaps is tricky and can be quite risky on most keyboards. Therefor, it is not recommended for regular maintenance.

The latches underneath are very sensitive and can be irreparably damaged when trying to pull the keycap off from the wrong angle.

There are 3 main keyboard types with three difficulty levels.

Reminder: laptop keycaps should only be removed as last resort, not for everyday cleaning. This is especially true for the membrane and Cherry MX keyboard. If keyboard switches are irreversibly damaged during inappropriate keycap removal, this damage is not covered under warranty.