Is it safe to vacuum-clean a keyboard?

[Hlaalu]

It happens fairly regularly to read about dirty contacts and the misbehavior they cause. I don't know if Nords are more or less susceptible to this than other manufacturers keyboards, but apart from humidity and subsequent oxidation, I guess another major cause is dirt/dust getting inside the buttons and knobs.

It seems to me that by sweeping/brushing dust away one is simply pushing it further down under knobs and pots, and that vacuum cleaning would be the best practice.

I am aware thought that some people warn against vacuum cleaning electronics because of the triboelectric effect (which has to do with the generation of static charge by the small dust particles being sucked in by the vacuum cleaner). I have always done it with laptops and keyboards (computer keyboards) with no problems, but I am not vacuuming straight onto the motherboard, CPU, hard drives or stuff.

Now would it be safe to vacuum the front panel of a keyboard - and a metal one for the matter like the Nord's? Would touching it with your hand while doing it "ground" it and make the practice safer? Would vacuuming the inside of the line-out jacks be safe?

Is there anyone here with an expertise on electronics but really electricity in general I guess, that has an educated opinion about this topic?

Thanks everyone.

[Skylight]

I don't see any issue, or better it's is all a matter of how you do it: if you use a mild vacuum cleaner (such as one of those for computers or one of those "dustbusters" for tables/cars) and don't insist too long on a fixed position, then I can't see how this could make any damage, particularly if done through the panel or keyboard.

[Elias]

I think blowing air is more effective than vacuuming. Neither approach should cause any damage, as long as pressures are kept reasonable.

READ FURTHER FOR CLARIFICATION

[Skylight]

Thanks for for asking about this! All my gigs are outdoors and often the stage is next to a road or next to sand dunes (under a tent with sides, at least!). The keyboard is noticeably a bit gritty after a gig, and I was just wondering about this same issue.

[Elias]

I think blowing air is more effective than vacuuming.

It might be more effective into driving dust into the sensors too?

[docbop]

From working with in IT and dealing with printers and similar device they all say use a vacuum cleaner not compressed air. So when possible I will use a small vacuum. Otherwise I will use compressed air from a distance not close then use a piece of t-shirt or some soft cloth to wipe things down. I also have a cloth keyboard cover for at night. I live in the desert so lots of very fine dust in the air.

[Elias]

Ever blow canned air into your expensive keyboard or audio devices. Worst invention ever. Open it up and clean out the dust.

[Hlaalu]

Thanks for the responses so far. Blowing air *into* the keyboard, by whatever mean (compressor / air can etc) is out of the question. Part of the dust will just penetrate further inside, and part of it will happily be scattered across my studio, eventually landing on the instruments again. That's why I was wondering about vacuuming. Either I vacuum them, or I go fully manual and simply sweep them with a cloth, which is less effective though.

[Elias]

I should probably clarify my previous suggestion:
Compressed air should only be used with the instrument opened up and all the sensitive parts removed.

[Spider]

Always vacuumed my keyboards, includint all the holes, slots and spaces between the keys, buttons, etc.
Never had a problem even with strong vacuuming, in a couple of instances I actually noticed an improvement when some buttons were slightly misfunctioning (double-clicks or missing some clicks) and after vacuuming they were working flawlessly again.

If the keyboard (and your power grid) is properly grounded, I see no problem with static charges. Just vacuum with the instrument turned off, and before turning it on again touch it several times to discharge any static. Anyway, I think that with a few seconds of vacuuming it's VERY difficult to build up a static charge so strong that it burns the components.