How to clean your MacBook keyboard
Whether you own a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro, you already know one thing: it’s an essential tool in your life. Unfortunately, strange things happen when the keyboard gets dirty. For example, one or two keys may start to stick or suddenly stop working altogether. Maybe the keys just got musty with regular use. Regardless of the situation, it is imperative to properly clean the laptop keyboard at times like these. Here are some recommendations.
What not to use to clean your MacBook keyboard
When cleaning your MacBook keyboard, you should avoid certain chemicals, including liquids that contain acetone or hydrogen peroxide. Window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, and abrasives that contain any of these chemicals should not be used near your Mac laptop. Also, never spray any liquid directly onto the keyboard as it could drip under the keys and cause significant damage.
Cleaning Your MacBook Keyboard: Best Practices
Apple recommends cleaning a MacBook keyboard (opens in new tab) with compressed air. This is a great place to start if you think an object has fallen under it and is causing problems. For example a small piece of paper or food.
To use compressed air, Apple recommends:
- Hold your Mac notebook at a 75 degree angle so that it is not in the vertical position.
- Use the compressed air to spray the keyboard or just the affected keys in a left-to-right motion.
- Next, turn your Mac notebook right side up and spray the keyboard left to right again.
- Repeat the action, this time with the Mac notebook turned on its left side.
Keyboards are notorious for collecting or hiding tiny particles; they also like to reach for fingerprints and finger oils. When that happens, a can of air won’t help. In this case, you should use a mild detergent.
We recently explained how to clean a MacBook screen. You can use the same tools to clean a MacBook screen. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, Apple added a significant disclaimer to its website advising that it’s okay to go beyond simply using a damp cloth for cleaning.
The disclaimer reads:
“Is it okay to use sanitizer on my Apple product?
You can use a cloth made of 70% isopropyl alcohol, 75% ethyl alcohol, or Clorox disinfecting wipes to clean your Apple product’s hard, non-porous surfaces, such as the keyboard. B. the display, the keyboard or other external surfaces, wipe carefully. Do not use products that contain bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Avoid getting moisture in openings and do not submerge your Apple product in cleaning fluid. Do not use on fabric or leather surfaces.”
If you are using an acceptable cloth to clean the keyboard, go through each key individually. and make sure no excess liquid could spill underneath.
Clean Your MacBook Keyboard: Equipment to Buy
Check out the essential tools you need to clean your MacBook Air or MacBook. Our list includes sprays, wipes, microfiber towels and more. You can use these essential tools on the best MacBooks, including the 2022 MacBook Air.
What’s in the can?
Apple suggests you use a fairly simple product to clean dust and debris from under MacBook Pro keys if you find the keyboard is unresponsive. The key to using compressed air on your MacBook Pro is holding the laptop at an angle. Spray the air in a zigzag pattern and don’t spray the air too close. If you hold the nozzle too close to the keys, liquid could get into them. That’s the opposite of helping.