How to Clean Razer Keyboard Safely

Razer keyboards are mostly popular among gamers. Nonetheless, their quality products are attracting normal office users too.

Whether you own a mechanical or optical Razer keyboard, every model needs to be cleaned properly if you want to enhance your typing and gaming experience. Moreover, cleaning the peripheral can keep your setup germ-free, which is an additional health benefit.

Unlike other manufacturers, Razer crafts dedicated switches for different kinds of keyboards. So, you’ll need to consider some additional things before cleaning it. In this article, we will guide you step by step on how to clean a Razer keyboard safely.

What Types of Keyboard Does Razer Manufacture?

Undoubtedly, Razer produces one of the best wireless mechanical keyboards. This is because the electronics company claims that their keyboards have a durability of 80 million keystrokes.

Well, Razer manufactures three different keyboards that all follow the switch mechanism. In fact, they craft their own switches for each type. In this section, we will explain them in detail.

Mechanical Keyboard

In 2010, Razer introduced the first-ever mechanical gaming keyboard, The Razer BlackWidow. Since then, their keyboards have attracted professional gamers from all over the globe as they are e-sports validated and have optimized actuation.

While most manufacturers adopt CHERRY MX standard switches, the Razer keyboards have their own blueprint for switch production. In their mechanical gaming keyboard, you’ll find different colors in the three switches: yellow for linear, orange for tactile, and green for clicky.

Well, a Razer mechanical keyboard is similar to other gaming keyboards. So, cleaning them is also similar to cleaning any mechanical gaming keyboard.

Mecha-Membrane Keyboard

Basically, a mecha-membrane keyboard is a combination of both mechanical and membrane keyboards. Interestingly, they integrate both switch and rubber dome.

This way, you get a cushioned touch and a clicky sound both at the same time. Indeed, these kinds of keyboards haven’t gone mainstream yet but is definitely an emerging product in the gaming community.

Since the keyboard adopts both rubber dome and switches, you need to put extra care when removing the keys. Also, cleaning and lubing become a much more tedious task.

Ultra-Low-Profile Keyboard

The ultra-low-profile keyboard suits you if you’re a big fan of a chiclet keyboard. Apart from providing the facilities of a normal chiclet-type keyboard, you’ll get to experience tactile feedback, thanks to the mechanical switches.

The keycaps are comparatively harder to remove in this type of keyboard. Thus, you’ll require some additional tools to take off and clean them.

Tools Required For Cleaning a Razer Keyboard

Before cleaning your Razer keyboard, it’s important to collect all the essential cleaning tools and products.

How to Clean Razer Keyboard (Step-By-Step Guide)

Despite remarkable features, even a Razer keyboard needs constant care, and the only thing we can do is clean it when possible. This won’t just keep it neat and tidy but can also help to preserve its lifetime in the long run.

Most probably, you’ve got all the tools as we discussed earlier. Now, without further ado, let’s jump right into how to clean Razer keyboard step-by-step.

Disconnect Your Keyboard Connection

Whether your keyboard is spill-resistant or not, we recommend disconnecting your Razer keyboard cables before cleaning it. This is because we’re going to use some forms of liquid, and even small drops can damage the PCB if not handled with care. 

Indeed, it’s best to remove the power cord for your own safety. When water or flammable isopropyl alcohol is left in the ports, there’s a risk of getting a shock if the cable is not unplugged. 

Also, if you’ve accidentally spilled water or coffee on your keyboard, we recommend cutting off the connection immediately. This is because it may short-circuit the device, and your keyboard may randomly stop working. 

Well, some Razer keyboards come with a passthrough port. So, we recommend disconnecting this cable as well.

Lightly Clean Dust From Keyboard

Before moving on with the deep cleaning process, let’s first focus on how to normally wipe away dust and food crumbs. Follow the guideline below to start cleaning your Razer keyboard lightly:

1. Take a lint-free microfiber cloth and wipe the dust and food particles around the keys.
   
2. If you find greasy fingerprints or tougher stains, slightly dip another microfiber cloth in water. Then, apply a little pressure to get rid of them. 
3. Sometimes, food crumbs or even tissues might be stuck between two keys on a Razer mechanical keyboard. In such a case, turn the device upside down and shake it slightly so that the dust or other particles are removed.
4. If that doesn’t work, use a can of compressed air meant to clean dust from a PC. Blow air beneath the keycaps so that the tougher dust gets removed.
   
5. When you see hair coming out of the keys, there’s a possibility that your keycaps are full of filth. So, we recommend using a cleaning gel to get rid of them.
   

Pull off All Keycaps

Once you clean dust and food crumbs using cleaning gel, your keyboard will look a bit shiny. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean your keyboard is cleaned properly. 

Now, from this section, we move on to the deep cleaning process. Here, you to remove dirt from the inner parts of your keyboard.

So, the first method is to pull off all the keycaps on your keyboard. Follow the simple steps below to learn how you can do just that:

1. First, take a picture of your Razer keyboard.
2. Take a keycap puller and insert its first end to the left part of your desired key and the second end to its right part. 
3. Now, pull the key upwards, applying a little pressure.
4. Repeat the same steps to remove all the smaller keys on your Razer mechanical or mecha-membrane keyboard. However, we suggest using a flat tool, like a screwdriver, to pull off keys from a Razer ultra-low-profile keyboard.
5. Now, pull the key upwards for longer keys like a Spacebar or Shift, and then use a screwdriver to slide the stabilizer.
6. Next, remove the keycap and repeat the same process for other larger keys. This will leave you with a keyboard full of switches.

Soak Keycaps

Once you’ve removed all your keycaps, you need to wash them using a cleaning solution. Here’s the complete process on how to do it:

1. First, prepare a solution of warm water and soap in a container. Well, you can use any detergents, handwash, or body wash. However, the ideal one is the dish cleaning soap or detergent, which will clean your keycaps, leaving no residue.
2. Now, accumulate all the keycaps and place them in the container.
3. Leave them for about an hour. This will remove all the residues from the surfaces.
4. Next, gently wash each key and throw away the solution.
5. Finally, let them dry, or you can even use compressed air to do it faster. Some may suggest keeping keys on the sun. However, we do not recommend this as it might wear down your keycap colors or even the imprinted letters.

Clean Razer Keyboard Surface Below Keycaps

When you leave the keys soaked, you can start wiping the dust from your keyboard surface beneath the keycaps. Once all the keys are removed, you’ll notice the debris lying on the surface. Here’s  how you can clean them the right way:

1. Use a medium cleaning brush to wipe the heavy dust particles.
   
2. Next, use a small brush or a cotton bud to clean the corners of each key and switch.
   
3. Even after properly cleaning the surface, you may notice hair that doesn’t dust away easily. So, we recommend using a tweezer to pull them one by one. Also, you can blow them away using a can of compressed air.
4. If you notice tough stains or want to make the surface a bit shiny, we recommend dipping your microfiber cloth in isopropyl alcohol.
5. Then, start cleaning each part of the keyboard, including the corners of the switches.
   
6. Indeed, you can clean the switch stems slightly using the vividly soaked microfiber towel. However, we suggest not to wet the switches too much.

Clean & Lube Keyboard Switches

The first thing to remember is that Razer keyboards are not hot-swappable. So, you cannot change its switch or plug them off the PCB. 

Hence, we recommend the simple method of lubricating switches, and here’s exactly what you need to do:

1. Take your desired lubricant and apply a little to a brush.
2. Next, press the stem of the switch so that a space is created to apply the lube.
3. Gently insert the brush inside the steam and brush well.
4. Continuously press the stem to ensure that all the parts get lubed.
5. Also, brush the outer region – the top and bottom housing.

Unfortunately, this simple technique may not help you lube and deep clean them. In fact, your spring and the leaves present in the bottom housing are left unlubed. So, if you want to clean and lube them, here’s what you need to do:

1. Unscrew all the keys from the backside of your keyboard.
2. Then, desolder all the mechanical switches one by one. During the process, you can also remove the rubber dome from a mecha-membrane keyboard.
3. Now, start cleaning the rubber dome. 
4. Once you’ve removed all the switches, use a switch opener to disassemble all the parts.
5. Next, lube every part of the switch in a small amount.
6. Once done, reattach the switch and repeat the same process for the entire switches on your Razer keyboard.
7. Finally, plug all the switches back into PCB and tighten all the screws.

Reattach Keyboard Keys

Once you’ve lubed the Razer switches, it’s time to reattach all the keycaps back to the keyboard:

1. Using your hand, align and adjust the keycap properly. Take extra care for ultra-low-profile keys as they are fragile and may break quite easily.
   
2. Once the keycap is placed, tap on the key to ensure the connectors meet and connect.
3. Finally, press multiple times to ensure that the key is reattached properly.

Let Dry Your Keyboard & Connect the Powercord

Now, the final step is to let dry your keyboard. Indeed, your Razer keyboard is left with moisture after deep cleaning. So for safety purposes, we recommend not to connect the power cord until and unless the peripheral is completely dry.

Well, you can let the dry air do its job or use a can of compressed air. Once the Razer keyboard is moisture-free, plug in the power cord and start using your mechanical, mecha-membrane, or ultra-low-profile keyboard.