Cleaning a mechanical keyboard with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol?

Therim · December 28, 2019

My Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition 2014 has been causing some issues lately, I press one key and it registers it as 2 or 3 keystrokes. It was a little infuriating at first but it has come to a point where it is a challenge to even form a sentence.The keyboard was kept clean, there wasn't any case of liquid spilling.

Now for the place I need help.

I have purchased a 99.9% isopropyl alcohol solution for the cleaning, however it's hard to come up with a good cleaning method when everyone's doing their own method. I've read that 99.9% isopropyl might be actually dangerous for the keyboard. That's why some people mix it with water to drop the percentage. However, I'm afraid of water damaging the keyboard too.

So, I'm lost. Is 99.9% isopropyl okay for cleaning or is it dangerous? If it is dangerous, should I mix it with water and if so, with how many percentage should I dilute it? 50/50? 75/25? I don't really know, I really need some help on this matter. I'm looking for you guys' assistance on this matter. Thank you.

Footnote 1: I am aware that the alcohol may damage the plastic and some paint but I'm not concerned by that.

Footnote 2: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes. I wrote this on my phone because its less infuriating than typing it on my keyboard :D

Sir0Tek · December 28, 2019

Better use 99% isopropyl, not water. Wait after cleaning until it has completely vapoured before reconnecting the keyboard.

In your case there may also be an issue with the electronics itself, probably dying capacitors or so.

Phas3L0ck · December 28, 2019

Okay, here's the cleanest way I can personally recommend cleaning:

Take apart the keyboard completely, keep the purely electronic components separate, and clean those alone with the alcohol straight from the bottle, and be sure to rub off any remains with cotton balls and the softest paper-towels you have... and clean everything else that's not electrical as you would for delicate dishes; light soap and warm water (NOT too hot, but not cold either) and then let it all dry overnight and you should be fine.

The only thing to really be careful of is not to get anything on the cable(s) or in the connectors-- those don't drain well-- I speak from experience.

Doobeedoo · December 28, 2019

I just use alcohol and cotton pads.

HumdrumPenguin · December 29, 2019

On 12/28/2019 at 3:53 AM, deniz.erim said:

My Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition 2014 has been causing some issues lately, I press one key and it registers it as 2 or 3 keystrokes. It was a little infuriating at first but it has come to a point where it is a challenge to even form a sentence.The keyboard was kept clean, there wasn't any case of liquid spilling.

Now for the place I need help.

I have purchased a 99.9% isopropyl alcohol solution for the cleaning, however it's hard to come up with a good cleaning method when everyone's doing their own method. I've read that 99.9% isopropyl might be actually dangerous for the keyboard. That's why some people mix it with water to drop the percentage. However, I'm afraid of water damaging the keyboard too.

So, I'm lost. Is 99.9% isopropyl okay for cleaning or is it dangerous? If it is dangerous, should I mix it with water and if so, with how many percentage should I dilute it? 50/50? 75/25? I don't really know, I really need some help on this matter. I'm looking for you guys' assistance on this matter. Thank you.

Footnote 1: I am aware that the alcohol may damage the plastic and some paint but I'm not concerned by that.

Footnote 2: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes. I wrote this on my phone because its less infuriating than typing it on my keyboard

Unless your board is dirty beyond measure, it may have broken over time. In case you replace it, think of getting one of those that have the keys standing above a flat metal or plastic board, like the K70 or G815. They are much easier to keep clean without disassembling.

PapierMacheGlueSniiffer · December 18, 2021

I did this today. Had he same problem A, T, and H keys were a lottery. Razer Blackwidow 2014.

either no letter ( ), 1 letter (a), 2 letters (aa) or very occasionally 3 (aaa)

I bought 1 litre of 99.9% isopropyl alcohol from amazon.

Used a chopstick to depress each key and poured it directly down every key hole. Used about 75ml. Slight overkill in retrospect.

Pressed all the keys a bunch of times to get it into any nooks.

Put it next to something warm for like 3 hours and plugged it back in.

It's seems fixed for now. No multi key strokes, no missing key strokes. Strangely the loud clicking of the keys is significantly reduced since doing it. If I press the number pad keys which I left alone, they're still super clacky, but the qwerty keys sound closer to cherry reds now.

Tl:dr: isopropyl alcohol works, you probably don't need loads. A pipette or syringe would have been a good idea in retrospect. I used a gravy boat.