After spending a good few hours dismantling, scrubbing, drying and rebuilding my keyboard at the weekend to clean finger gunk from the keys, I am wondering if there is a reasonable daily routine that would help prevent gunk build up? After one day of typing I can already see the greasy shine again!
You can buy keyboard gel - it's literally the same stuff as they sell for people to clean the vents in their cars, but with a different label: roll it on to the keyboard then peel it off and it brings the muck with it. Never tried it m'self, though. Other than that, quick wipe with a microfibre cloth after each use? Weekly blast with compressed air or a blower?
As its a K70 the dust/hair issue is more minor as it can be shaken out (the worst of it) as there is no "edge" to the keyboard deck. Figured a cloth wipe down of some sort is required but wondered if there were other suggestions
For easily movable dust, just use compressed air/blower and/or soft brush attachment on vacuum cleaner. For finger gunk, will need tougher approach. I've not tried the gels, sounds like they should work. Quick wipe with cloth every day should also work. I can usually feel the gunk on WASD after a gaming session and just use my finger to rub it off, this have reduced build-up by a lot.
Clean my keyboard every day? WTF! From time to time vacuum off and, wipe with microfibre cloth with a little alcohol. Also, make sure my hands are clean so, the keyboard doesn't get dirty quickly.
I've found microfibre cloths the best thing for mini-just-tidy-it-up-a-bit cleans. Mine needs a proper one tbh. Trouble is I can't be arsed.
Won't this discolour/otherwise deteriorate the keyboard over time? I know it evaporates, but does it do so in destructive fashion or leave residue?
Is this a mail order job (e.g. amazon) or can I source from a store? Seems daft to get £5 worth delivered but I see "Surgical Spirits" as the UK equivalent to rubbing alcohol but both have other ingredients than isopropyl. Is alcohol hand sanitizer (now cheaply available) the same (or close enough?)
I buy it by the litre from Amazon, a bottle lasts me for years. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003D8QFR8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I decant it into a little spray bottle.
Nope! Full of moisturisers that you don't want anywhere near your keyboard. Isoprop is readily available in pretty-much-pure form. Six quid, free delivery. Seven quid, more professional label - that's what I'm using at the moment. Should also be able to pick it up from a chemist for less.
Don't some of those use a citrus oil-based solvent? Which is why you often need to clean off the cleaner.
Thanks, 2nd link was free delivery (first was free over £20 for me). I do have some TIM cleaner but its definitely citrus "flavour". Was already running low so this could serve a dual purpose! Thanks all.
Ah true enough. Not used it for a while for CPUs but it worked at treat cleaning up the dirt and plaster the crap builders left on our plug sockets - I do seem to recall a lemony whiff now I think about it. May get myself a bottle and save the lemon for general cleaning.
Is it just me or do you folks all have gross hands? I don't think I've cleaned my K8 a single time since I got it and it's reasonably clean. Then again, I am inclined to wash my hands quite regularly, and I'm not a heavy keyboard user. I've only ever thoroughly cleaned a keyboard once, and that's because it was a frickin' biohazard sent to me by a lovely chap on ebay. I think some of those might be scalp flakes (mmm)...
, that is burn it with fire worthy! I am a clean person who washes myself and hands regularly and don't eat food at my desk. However, I do seem to have sweaty/greasy fingers that is outside of my control!
