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  • How To Clean a Mechanical Keyboard
    June 8, 2023

    How To Clean a Mechanical Keyboard

    Here’s a sad fact: we’re gross! Our fingers ooze oil. Our skin flakes off. Our body sheds hair as fast as we can grow it. Despite our best efforts to keep our keyboards clean, the reality is that we’re all just grubby little garbage people. Given enough time, our natural processes will reduce a keyboard to the hygenic level of a public bus seat. 

    That’s why it’s essential to give your keyboard a regular cleaning regimen. We suggest two: a quick clean every two or so weeks and a deep clean every four to six months. 

    Method 1: Quick Clean 

    Use this method to remove germs, debris, dust, and hair, and also to prevent the build-up of grime. Using this method every two weeks will extend your keyboard’s longevity.

    1. Unplug your keyboard from your computer. 
    2. Turn your keyboard upside down and gently tap on it over a trash can. 
    3. If you have canned air, spray it between and beneath the keycaps to remove dust, hair, and debris. 
    4. If you have a vacuum cleaner with an attachment for small applications, suck out hair and other debris from between the keys. 
    5. If you have keyboard cleaning gel, use it to remove debris from hard-to-reach places like beneath and between the keycaps. 
    6. Spray a small amount of all-purpose cleaning solution on a microfiber cloth (do not spray anything directly on your keyboard!) and wipe your keyboard down with it. 
    7. If there’s grime in hard-to-reach spots, like between the keys, wet a q-tip with an all-purpose cleaning spray and use it to wipe off the grime. 
    8. Wipe your keyboard dry with a microfiber cloth. 

    Method 2: Deep Clean

    Use this method to thoroughly clean your keyboard of everything from germs to deep-set grime. We recommend doing this every four to six months. Because this process involves lengthy soaking and drying times, please read all of the directions before starting!

    1. Unplug your keyboard from your computer. 
    2. Remove your keycaps with a keycap puller.
    3. Mix a solution of warm water and dish soap in a large bowl. Soak your keycaps in it for three to four hours. 
    4. Remove your switches with a switch puller and set them aside. As your switches are protected by your keycaps, they shouldn’t be dirty. If they are, you can brush them with a dry Q-tip or use canned air to remove particulates. You should never use liquids to clean your switches. 
    5. Turn your keyboard upside down and gently tap on it over a trash can. 
    6. Either use a hand vacuum to vacuum up the debris or use a can of compressed air to blow it away. You can also use a Q-tip or tweezers to remove debris. 
    7. Spray a small amount of all-purpose cleaner on a microfiber cloth and wipe the non-electronic parts of the keyboard with it. (You should never spray anything directly on your keyboard.) 
    8. Wipe your keyboard dry with a microfiber cloth. 
    9. Reinsert your switches into your keyboard. 
    10. After they’ve soaked for three to four hours, remove your keycaps from the soapy water and rinse them in clean water. 
    11. Wipe your keycaps dry with a microfiber cloth. Because the plastic can absorb water, it’s best practice to allow the keycaps to dry for 48 hours before reassembling your keyboard. 
    12. Reassemble your keycaps on your keyboard.
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  • Are Mechanical Keyboards Better?
    August 22, 2022

    Are Mechanical Keyboards Better?

    Maybe you saw an amazing keyboard on Tiktok or YouTube, or you went to a friend’s house and saw them clacking away on theirs, or you saw a retro board in a show like Severance. Whatever your hook was, you’re...

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  • Keycap Group Buy Guide
    August 22, 2022

    Keycap Group Buy Guide

    What is a Group Buy? A Group Buy is a form of crowdfunding, like Kickstarter. When you join a Group Buy, you pre-order the product you want to be made, usually at a much lower cost than retail. At first...

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  • What Is a Mechanical Keyboard?
    April 7, 2022

    What Is a Mechanical Keyboard?

    For those just starting out on their mechanical keyboard journey, we hope this article will be an easy and fun first step. We’re going to tackle some of the most common questions we hear from newcomers.

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  • What Is a Hotswap Mechanical Keyboard?
    November 6, 2019

    What Is a Hotswap Mechanical Keyboard?

    Hotswap technology in mechanical keyboards is inevitable. Removing and adding switches without soldering makes keyboards easy to take care of, but hotswap may mean different things as it penetrates the market. Learn more about hotswap keyboards here to avoid confusion.
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  • The Silo Beam Switch
    April 18, 2019

    The Silo Beam Switch

    The Keystone mechanical keyboard brings brand new switch technology with it! Read about the newest developments in mechanical switches utilizing the famous Hall Effect technology.
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  • The Future of Keyboards
    March 26, 2019

    The Future of Keyboards

    Computers embody our future. Until recently, technology was slow enough to bottleneck users. That’s no longer the case. Developments in computing power, mobility, and storage speed easily drove the industry forward, resulting in faster machines for decades. Now we’re held back by a lack of human input device innovation — primarily in the field of keyboards.
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