The best way to clean a keyboard is… the DISHWASHER?

The video opens with the Linus Tech Tips team exploring a provocative question: can you actually clean a keyboard in a dishwasher without ruining it? They recruit a range of keyboards from their office, including both membrane and mechanical switches, and they outline a careful experimental setup. The host explains that they will run multiple keyboards through cold, no-soap dishwasher cycles, compare with hand cleaning, and use a parallel “golden sample” to gauge what real dirt looks like and how well different methods remove it. They discuss key design differences such as plastic versus metal chassis and the risk factors like residue, heat, and plastic warp, setting expectations for what might survive. Early on they decide to remove keycaps for certain tests because access to hard-to-clean grime underneath matters, and they acknowledge this adds time but is essential for a proper assessment. Throughout, the team frames a broader objective beyond a single sample: to understand which cleaning method yields real cleanliness and maintains keyboard functionality over time, including a lab-based microbial assessment to quantify sanitation results.

Topics · science_and_technology · testing · gadgets_and_hardware · consumer_electronics