Filthy Keyboard: uncleanable?

It's embarassing and I'm usually not a slob but my computer keyboard has accumulated three years worth of

coffee
tea
milk
orange juice
pineapple juice
apple juice
bread crumbs
Chinese food
Japanese food
American food (no pizza)
Greek food
salads
salad dressing
fruit
pie filling and crumbs
cake crumbs and icing
salt
sugar
Equal
dust
dirt
and general crud.

At this point I'm at a loss as to how to clean the d@mn thing. My GF can't understand why I don't get a new one. She says it's disgusting and washes her hands after using the computer. I probably should get rid of it but I've grown accustomed to it and I actually feel attached to it in the same way you might grow attached to an old, underperforming but familiar flashlight.

Is there any way for me to clean this incredible accumulation of hardened crud from my keyboard or should I just chuck it?

Brightnorm

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

go to biglots get a 7 buck board lol trust me ya will be happy

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

Like raggie says, for a few bucks you can get a new one.

Otherwise I spray a rag with Windex and run it over the keys. Do this while the K/B is unplugged and use a DAMP rag...not a staurated one. A little moisture can short and destroy things. I lost a Logitec trackball this way. I have heard of people soaking them in distilled water or steam cleaning but it might take forever to dry out to the point it's usable.

The quality of the cheap ones is acceptable these days...if I were you I'd go for it.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

It ain't dirty until the keys stick to your fingers and pull off..

Pros use DISTILLED water and a bit of mild dish soap. Pop off all the keys and brush loose crud off with small paint brush and use brush to scrub key area with distilled water and soap. Rinse off key area with plain distilled water and let air dry overnight, replace keys...

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

take a picture of it before you pop the keys off

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

You know I like that idea..next time I clean one I think I'll pop off all the keys and do that...and put the keys in a fine mesh strainer and cover it with aluminum foil then put it in the dishwasher.

Editing for spelling

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

Either dissasemble it and clean it... use windex, rubbing alcohol and water or if you are adventurous I have heard of people putting them in the dishwasher upside down and not adding soap to them, not sure if it works well but the theory sounds good.
I prefer to pull the keyboard apart rather than pulling individual keys off, as sometimes you can break the tabs holding them on if you are not careful.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

Vacuum cleaner with the small brush attachment for the lose dirt. To remove the stains isopropanol (=rubbing alcohol 70% is good enough) with a strong paper towel works best. Some plastics however get attacked by sweat, like the silver parts on my Logitech mouse. That's of course no dirt. Also, some plastic might not react well to the isoprop (check on the backside). Logitech and Microsoft keyboards are not affected by the isoprop.

If you really, really, REALLy want to keep you keyboard, take off all the key caps. Clean all of them by hand with dishwasher detergent. Rub down the rest of the board, either with dishwasher/water or isoprop. Let everything dry (especially if you used water) and put the caps back on. It's a lot of work, and only worth if it's not the standard cheapo keyboard and something you really want to keep.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I like using windex also because it leaves no residue of its own, dries fast and has some grease/grime cutting power to it.
I have a 1991 model keytronics I am typing on that was made in the USA.... heavy and sturdy keyboard I plan on using till I cannot fix it any more. I have an adapter already for it so I can use it on ps/2 ports when I upgrade to a newer system. You cannot buy a keyboard made in america any more. This one retailed at over $75 when I got it for $50.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I know what it's like to get attached to a keyboard. If you want an industrial strength keyboard, check out http://www.nmbtech.com/products/kbrds/rt8200w.html

The NMB boards are tanks. They are unaffected by crumbs/debris/peanut butter/etc.

I have seen several that are used 8-5 M-F, and are over 10 years old.

Once you have one, you'll never go back. I personally consider them the surefire of keyboards.

These keyboards use old-scholl mechanical switches, rated at 100 million cycles per key.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I have two spare keytronics keyboards.. one with a built in 8k chip you can program keystrokes in it, another one barely used sitting in a box when this one dies. After 13 years the keycaps have not lost any text on them at all. I had to put some electrical tape under one of the arrow keys it quit working right I used it so much I probably wore out the key itself some but it works perfectly now. I have a trackman marble... first optical mouse type device on the market I have had to replace two of the switches in it I wore them out and it took me two months to track down a place that had the exact model of switch and pressure rating.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

look for sales to. last pc i built for myn dad we found a logitech combo. all new a course i forget hwere it was sold maybe office max .but it came with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse.and webcam for 20 bucks after rebate.cant beat that price. i bet ya can find free keyboards after rebate

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I like trackballs instead of mice... takes a few months to get used to but they are less stress on the arm/hand and take very little desktop space. Also you don't move them so breaking a wire in the cord is all but eliminated. If were to buy another keyboard I would get a lifetime warranty keytronics keyboard.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

Here's what I do:

Unplug the keyboard, remove it, then turn it upside down and shake it over the floor. Now vacuum up all the potato-chip crumbs that fell out.

Use a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol to wipe each key. You can do this without popping the keys off. You may also want to wipe down the mouse and vacuum off the mousepad as well.

Plug everything back in when done and use as normal. I clean my keyboard every couple months. You may also want to wipe off the computer monitor screen while you're at it!

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

watch what you clean your monitor with some LCD screens do not like but perhaps water with a tiny bit of soap in it, rubbing alcohol is a no no for some of them also. Unless my monitor is filthy I use filtered or distilled water on mine because all other stuff streaks it for some reason.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one! Thanks for all the suggestions.

BN

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I had my keyboard for about a month and spilled half a can of grape soda on it.... had to completely dissasemble and clean it several times and dry it to get all the sugary stickiness out of the contact pads inside of it. since then I keep drinks at least a foot away and in spillproof containers, it takes a little longer to fill them but you never worry about soaking the keyboard.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

Hey Lynx_Arc, make that two for the Northgate club!

Norm, I would go to a computer store and try out the various keyboards they have there. I they do, pick one up. $35 gets you a good keyboard these days.

If not, cleaning the keyboard is very doable - it just takes a little time.

First, I would avoid putting it in the dishwasher or dousing it with distilled water. While I have done similar things, it was only because something was spilled in the keyboard that would cause it to stop working if nothing was done. If you have a keyboard that works fine* and is near and dear to your heart, I'd skip the drastic measures and just give it a good external cleaning.

Next, consider removing the key caps. If you really want to go at it, this is fine, but keep in mind this can be a pain. Some keyboards have little springs in them which can be trouble, and it is possible to break the little parts while removing. So, do this with caution.

Personally, unless something is actually gummed up, I'd go for simple, exterior cleaning. I'd go for a couple of steps here.

You might start off with some canned air and free up the loose trapped stuff. If it is really bad it might be best to do this outside.

First, I'd use water with a cloth and a tad of dish detergent. The key here is that a lot of grimes are sugar based, and water is the best approach. Detergent also helps break things down. Be careful as previously mentioned to only have the cloth damp, not wet. You don't want to drip this dirty mess further into the keyboard. Keep cleaning the cloth and you should be able to get it pretty well cleaned.

Then, dry with a towel and then start over with a clean cloth and isopropyl alcohol. This will cut grease based stuff and also sanitize the keyboard.

The use of cleaning swaps can also be helpful. Companies like ITW Texwipe have cool stuff if you can find them in low quantities. Normal cotton swaps don't work well because they don't hold together.

-john


* If it doesn't work fine, you probably do need to disassemble it. Cleaning the mechanicals depends a lot on what type they are.

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

[ QUOTE ]
14C said:
.and put the keys in a fine mesh strainer and cover it with aluminum foil then put it in the dishwasher.


[/ QUOTE ]

Are you sure they won't melt? And if they get lose they can get broken - the dishwasher is a pretty rough place. A mesh bag would probably work better. You could tie it to the rack.

Probably, tho, gently hand washing them in the sink with dish detergent would probably do fine.

-john

Re: Filthy Keyboard!

I find using a dental pick helpful also for cleaning a keyboard without dissasembling it or removing keycaps, you can reach under a key you are cleaning and keep it in the up position while pushing the keys around it down to clean it. paper towels work well for cleaning keys... fold them in half and wet them slightly and you can slide them the whole length of the keyboard and lift them up to pull out the dirt. you can also wrap one paper towel around a playing card if that will fit and move it now and then upwards to a clean spot on the towel. For very stubborn, gooey, greasy stuff try a small amount of 409 on a cloth or towel.. damp not dripping and then go back over with water. Q tips work ok around the outside edges but are mostly useless except on the top of the keys because they cannot get down between them.