A digital keyboard (or electronic keyboard) is a fun and versatile musical instrument that has a lot of the advantages of a piano but it’s also portable, less expensive, and takes up less space. A keyboard can also be more sensitive to dust but with regular cleanings and proper care, a digital keyboard can last decades.
To clean a digital keyboard, you need 2 cloths and soapy water. Start by fully dusting off the entire instrument and keys with one cloth. Then, dampen your other cloth in the water and wipe everything down. Clean the keys from back to front. You can also use a keyboard cleaner for better results.
The entire process will only take about 15 minutes unless you have some caked on grime that requires a little more work. In this article, I’ll show you how to easily clean your electronic keyboard first with soapy water and two cloths, and then more effectively with MusicNomad’s Key One piano cleaner.
If you’re playing your keyboard regularly, you’ll want to clean it every month. If your instrument doesn’t get as much attention, clean it every 6 months or so. I’ll cover some other ways to take care of your electronic keyboard later in this article but let’s get into cleaning it.
Note: Throughout this article, I’ll be using my old Yamaha electronic keyboard as an example. I’ve had this instrument for over 20 years and I haven’t cleaned it in about 4 months. Just for comparison, I’ll clean the left side with soap and water and then the right with Key One. That way, we can see how they both methods “play out” side by side.
Cleaning Your Digital Keyboard With Soap And Water
Many keyboardists will choose the soap and water method since everything you need is cheap and easy to find. Stay away from most other household cleaners since the chemicals could be harmful.
What you’ll need:
- Lukewarm water
- Dishwashing soap (not dishwasher)
- 2 cloths (either cotton or microfiber)
You probably have some dishwashing soap next to your kitchen sink, like Dove or Palmolive. The cloths can be microfiber or cotton, although a softer cloth will work better for dusting.
Steps To Clean Your Keyboard
- In a bowl, add a few drops of the liquid soap to lukewarm water.
- Unplug your electronic keyboard.
- With your first cloth, wipe down the body of your electronic keyboard, brushing all dust away from your keys.
- Next, dust your keys, wiping them from the back of the front, towards you. Dusting is done.
- Dampen your second cloth with the soapy solution and wipe down the body of your instrument. Don’t let any water drip into your instrument, since water can damage the internal electronics.
- For any spots or areas that don’t wipe off easily, allow to soak for a minute or two and then rub out with some pressure.
- For the keys, sometimes the paint on the black keys can bleed, so you’ll want to clean all the white keys first and then the black keys so none of the black paint gets on the white keys. Dampen your cloth in the soapy water and then wipe down each white, from back to front. To clean the side of each key, hold down the key next to it.
For most cleanings, this is all that’s needed. If you have some trouble areas though, you can also use vinegar to break down extra dirt or oils. For the corners, you can use cotton swabs (Q-tips) if the cloth didn’t quite reach.
Cleaning Your Digital Keyboard With MusicNomad’s Key One
For a better cleaning and better protection, not to mention a quicker cleaning, we recommend MusicNomad’s Key One cleaner along with their Microfiber Dusting & Polishing Cloth. There may be other products on the market but I haven’t seen any that work as well. These do an amazing job and cost around $9 each.
The Key One cleaner is safe for plastics and does a great job cleaning but also has anti-static properties to reduce future dust buildup. It also includes UV protectants to protect against harmful rays from the sun. The cloth is really two cloths in one since it has a plush “high pile” side for dusting and a “lower pile” side for wiping and polishing with the cleaner. These two products really work well together.
What you’ll need:
Click on the above links to purchase on Amazon, or I’m sure you can find them at your local music store.
Steps To Clean Your Keyboard
- Unplug your electronic keyboard.
- With the plush high pile side of the cloth, wipe down the body of your electronic keyboard, brushing all dust away from your keys.
- Next, dust your keys, wiping them from the back of the front, towards you. Dusting is done.
- Spray Key One directly onto the lower pile side of the cloth and wipe down the body of your instrument. Don’t spray directly onto your keyboard since the cleaner could drip inside and potentially damage the internal electronics.
- For any spots or areas that don’t wipe off easily, allow to soak for a minute or two and then try again with a little more pressure.
- For the keys, sometimes the paint on the black keys can bleed, so you’ll want to clean all the white keys first and then the black keys so none of the black paint smears onto the white keys. Spray into your cloth and then wipe down each white, from back to front. To clean the side of each key, hold down the key next to it.
The Key One cleaner will also break down grime and oils to return your keyboard back to its original shine, working well with gloss or matte finishes. For the hard to reach corners, you can use cotton swabs (Q-tips).
Comparing The Two Keyboard Cleaning Methods
Using both methods side by side, I cleaned my old Yamaha keyboard a much needed cleaning, following the steps above. On the left I used the soapy water approach and on the right I used the Key One cleaner. Which one worked better? See for yourself!
As far as the actual experience, cleaning with Key One was much easier and I was able to clean the keyboard 5 minutes faster. Even though the cleaner and specialty polishing cloth cost around $18 together and I had to wait a few days for them to ship to my house, the extra convenience is worth it for me personally and I’ll have them on hand for the next cleaning.
How To Whiten Digital Keyboard Keys
If your keys are starting to look a little old and you’d like to whiten them up, look no further. For most digital keyboards, the keys will be made out of plastic but don’t be fooled since many plastic keys are made to look like ivory. However, ivory keys are a lot more expensive to make (since the ivory comes from animals) and you can tell if you have ivory keys since they will discolor more over time and feel more heavy. Ivory keys also come in 3 pieces while plastic keys only come in 2 pieces.
For plastic keys, you can use white vinegar or Cory Key-Brite (around $20). With both options, you’ll dampen a new cloth and wipe down each white key. The Key-Brite will work better though since it’s specifically engineered to clean, whiten, and brighten keys.
For ivory keys, you’ll want to use a whitening toothpaste. Since ivory is similar to teeth, teeth-whitening toothpaste works the best. Apply the toothpaste onto a microfiber cloth and rub each key from the back to the front of the key, making sure to only get the toothpaste on the white keys. Wipe off any excess toothpaste. For a little extra shine, you can use Cory Key-Brite afterwards.
Keyboard Care
I have a few additional tips to share that will help keep your keyboard clean and in better shape.
- Store your keyboard in a safe place. Keep your keyboard away from doorways and windows to prevent it from getting bumped or knocked over. Also don’t store it in the cold or in a damp place since temperature and moisture can damage the electronics.
- Cover your keyboard when not in use. Covering it with a cloth or felt sheet will reduce dust buildup or pet fur, especially if you have a cat since they are more likely to jump up on your keyboard. You can also purchase a keyboard dust cover.
- Wash your hands before playing. Whatever you have on your fingertips, you’ll deposit on the keys when you play. So make sure to clean those filthy hands!
- Keep liquids away. Many a keyboard has been ruined by a spilled drink so just to be safe, don’t place your drinks on your keyboard.
- Call a professional if you need repairs. Unless you are absolutely confident in your skills, it’s better to take your electronic keyboard into a professional if you need repairs.
In Conclusion
Cleaning your electronic keyboard is easy to do and if you make sure to clean it regularly, your keyboard can last decades. Especially if you also follow my keyboard care tips.
With the two approaches that I shared above, I prefer using the Key One cleaner with the specialized cloth since it’s quicker and has better results. However, you may decide the soap and water approach works better for you. Either way, you’re taking care of your keyboard and that’s what counts.
Happy playing!