[Pawanhammers]

Hi there.

I need some help. I want to clean my keyboard. I've had my keyboard for 5 years and have never cleaned it.
And it looks awfully dirty. So I would like to clean it without the need of going out and buying things. I would just like to use things you would find in homes. I also would not like to break my keyboard.

THANKS

PawanHammers,

Edited by Pawanhammers, 05 April 2010 - 04:16 PM.

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Pawanahammers-

Hello again. This article gives good, detailed advice for cleaning your keyboard.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

[FNP]

Pawanahammers-

Hello again. This article gives good, detailed advice for cleaning your keyboard.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

[Pawanhammers]

Hmm, do you have any gurantee that the keys will click back in again?

[FNP]

Unfortunately, no. I use a laptop and a can of compressed air to clean my board, so this tutorial doesn't apply to me. I've never tried this before. But I found several articles that recommended this method, so I can't imagine that the keys wouldn't slide back in.

[Axelion]

I usually just spray it using air compressed can.

[Pawanhammers]

Thanks for the article. It worked and clicked back. Now my keys are extremely clean. I was so suprised of how much dirt there was under there!

[DaffyKantReed]

I'm lazy when it comes to some things. Cleaning keyboards would be one of them.

Place the keyboard in the top rack of a dishwasher. Do not use detergent. It may produce better results, but you run the risk of corroding contacts if it isn't rinsed out properly. Use the lightest cycle and DO NOT use heat to dry. While still warm, give it a good shake with keys pointed toward the floor. Repeat several times. The key is to get the internals dry, which means you can put it outside in direct sunlight if you wish. If it's taking more than 24 hours to dry, you can pour 30-60ml of 99 to 99.99% pure isopropyl alcohol on the KB. Swish it around, then point the keys toward the ground and shake it out. This should drive out any stubborn water.

[dsenette]

i concur, as long as it's not an "advanced" keyboard or a wireless keyboard. if it's your standard wired keyboard the dishwasher is the quickest sollution

[Pawanhammers]

Won't it electrocute the keyboard or make it not function.?

[dsenette]

standard keyboards use simple pressure switches to read the key presses. to make them spill resistant they seal the switches under a layer of plastic or rubber (usually), so you really won't hurt anything in there with water.

water is only a problem with electronics in 2 ways. first if there is an active electrical current (i.e. the device is on or plugged in) when water comes across an open circuit, this will short the circuit and could cause issues. the second is if the water or other liquid stays on a corrodible surface which will cause the surface to wear away and thus break

so as long as you make sure the thing is dry before plugging it back in, there's no issue.

if you take the battery out of your cellphone you can submerge it in water for a week, as long as you make sure it's 100% dry before you power it back on then it will work

[Pawanhammers]

Wow thats kind of fascinating and I think this will help me in future situations. Thanks.

[Cold Titanium]

Huh..I was thinking of saying the dishwasher as a joke. I didn't know you could actually do that. Will have to try... Thanks guys! I learned something!

[Axelion]

Me too. I thought it wasn't possible but now I learn something really new that other people cannot imagine. It would be hard for me to convince other people about this haha.

[DaffyKantReed]

In the manufacture of circuit boards, it's common to wash PCBs in a dishwasher. The secret is to drive moisture from them before power is applied. Forced air can be used if it's not too dry as can near pure 2-propanol.