Squeaky keys are a common occurrence in keyboards, most often on the larger keys. This is often due to the stabilizer bar beneath the key cap needing to be lubricated. There are a variety of lubricant options and most work fine, but we recommend you avoid WD-40 and silicon sprays as they contain petroleum-based solvents that are known to damage plastic. Many people report success using either a white lithium grease or a synthetic grease like Super Lube. A squeaky key is an easy problem to fix and you can lubricate the key yourself by following the tips in the video below:

Update: Several people have reported to us that in order to fix their squeaky key, they lubricated the white plastic hooks underneath the key cap as they were rubbing against another plastic part. We recommend you try this if our suggestions don’t eliminate the squeak.

It’s not always possible to avoid people who are sick since they will still go to work, to school, or out in public. While hand sanitizer can help, you can’t pour it on everything, and that includes your computer keyboard. At work, school, or home, it’s not uncommon for someone else to have a cause to use your computer. With scary statistics like the UK study that found a computer keyboard that had 150 times the recommended limit for bacteria, it’s important to think about disinfecting your keyboard to avoid catching illnesses.

We know you want to keep your Das Keyboard looking good, which is why we’ve advised on the best methods for keyboard cleaning. Some chemicals can damage the plastic or leave a hazy film that leads to instant cleaning regret. Because of this, we tested a few wipes to see how they would impact the Das Keyboard.

When testing the disinfectant wipes,  we squeezed any extra liquid out first and then wiped down both the keys and the case. We then wiped down the area with a dry micro fiber cloth. After letting it sit for a week, we did it again. The only issue we encountered was lint left behind by the disinfecting cloths. Finishing with a dry micro fiber cloth not only dries the keyboard, but also helps clean up the leftover lint.

For our tests, we used antibacterial hand and face wipes, and disinfectant wipes that primarily contained ammonium chloride or benzalkonium chloride. Keep in mind our tests were specific to Das Keyboard, different keyboards use different types of plastic and some are more sensitive to chemicals than others. Always check with the manufacturer before using any chemical on your keyboard.

We didn’t ruin any keyboards in this test, but recommend the following tips if you try this yourself:

• Unplug the keyboard before disinfecting it.
• Squeeze out any excess liquids from the cloth to avoid liquid dripping into the keyboard.
• Don’t let any liquid from the wipe sit for long periods of time on the keyboard.
• Don’t scrub the keyboard, just lightly wipe down. Rubbing too hard leaves behind more lint.
• Avoid cleansing cloths that contain bleach.

Tools

Andreas went through some “oops!” while reassembling his Ultimate keyboard after cleaning. He realized all keys are not the same shape – not talking about the space bar and return key here – but letters and numbers. Even though they have the same size, they don’t have the same angle of curvature. The angle of curvature makes fingers hit keys at the optimum angle of attack, limiting the impact pressure can have on the highly sensitive finger extremity. Fingers are fragile as some heavy Blackberry users know (Wired article: The Agony of ‘BlackBerry Thumb‘). That being said, Andreas shared his experience putting it all back together on his blog:

• Andreas: Reassembling Das Keyboard