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Hardware The best way to clean your keyboard

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Sifter3000, 5 Jul 2009.

  1. stoff3r

    stoff3r What's a Dremel?

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  2. Valdisnei

    Valdisnei Can i haz a dremelz!?

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  3. Horizon

    Horizon Dremel Worthy

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    *Raises hand* umm this is my keyboard
    I'd like to stick it in the dishwasher, there's a distinct crunch when i hit certain keys, but at the same time I'm just very very afraid of the worst case scenario
     
  4. quack

    quack Minimodder

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    I have some Cyber Clean. It's awesome, I let my girlfriend loose with it on her keyboard today and she was impressed with the results, and it was a pretty manky keyboard!
     
  5. The boy 4rm oz

    The boy 4rm oz Project: Elegant-Li

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    My keyboard has never gotten that bad before, ever, I hardly get any grime on mine. I give my keyboard a good blow out with the air compressor every now and then to get the dust and crumbs and such out of it, then I wipe it down with a damp cloth, works great.
     
  6. [USRF]Obiwan

    [USRF]Obiwan What's a Dremel?

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    instead of buying 10 pounds of cleaning stuff and take a few hours of your time to clean the keyboard. Buy a new one for around 12 pounds. Unless you have some kind of fancy gaming keyboard...
     
  7. JoHoschi

    JoHoschi What's that?

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  8. Primoz

    Primoz What's a Dremel?

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    What do you do if the keyboard doesn't disassemble so you can't wash it? I used to 'explode my old keyboard and wash it, but this Lotitech Ultra Flat only goes down to the keyxs' rim being removed.
     
  9. null_x86

    null_x86 Thread Closer

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    I have the G11 ( i know, i know...) And I remove the keys with a jewelers screwdriver, pop the keys in some water or if they're really bad, water with alka seltzer, and use baby wipes on the rest. Works really good. Glasses Cleaner works good too.
     
  10. B3CK

    B3CK Minimodder

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    I would be careful about using dish detergents in with your electronics. Alot of them can etch your pieces as they are designed for tougher materials ie. glass, metal. Also some of them contain alot of phosphates.
    On the same note, especially if it is an older dish-washer, you can get away without using any cleaner as there is usually alot of buildup inside your machine already. Try the first wash without the cleaner, see if it works. If not, you lost <1hr; simply do it again with a cleaner if you want.
    I use clorox wipes about once every other month, and everclear, (95% grain alcohol) every other year or so.
     
  11. jamesthebard

    jamesthebard Too Much Time On My Hands

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    It all depends on the keyboard and your threshold for pain. I'm working off a Unicomp keyboard. The plus side is that each key has a 'cap' that can be easily removed and cleaned. The downside is that you have to remove each 'cap' to clean it. A washcloth, some Windex/cleaner, and a bit of time and the keyboard is as good as new.
     
  12. jhbellsh

    jhbellsh Hmmm... never mind.

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    A quick warning: Don't use hair driers on anything other than the coolest setting and from a bit of a distance... I once had a student at the Uni I used to work at come to me with a melted laptop keyboard - asking if I could help... well, yeah, don't use a hot hair drier! Muppet!
     
  13. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Well it depends on the power of the hair dryer. The expensive one yea, the ones you find at the local or small pharmacy... not so much.
     
  14. brinkz0r

    brinkz0r Minimodder

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    Well I finally took the step to clean my keyboard also. Took it apart, went to the window, and blew a part out :wallbash: Took me 20 minutes to find it in our garden, after I found out that I really needed the rubber spring under the space bar :eyebrow:
     
  15. impar

    impar Minimodder

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    Greetings!
    Not to mention that bacterias get more resistant to those anti-bacterial products, making them harder to kill.

    I usually clean my keyboard with a cloth and alcohol.
     
  16. an4rew

    an4rew System Builder

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    I use the vacuum cleaner for crumbs.
     
  17. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    Off with the electronics, out in the garden.

    3/4 inch stiff bristled paint brush and a hose with a jet setting on the nozzle. I don't care that much about bacteria, so probably not the 'cleanest' way, but a hell of a lot of fun, for cleaning a keyboard.

    My uncle has (or had?) this funky foam stuff. Whip the keys off, stick 'em in a jam jar or something (about a third of the keys at a time), spray the foam in, shake like you're having a seizure in your arm, rinse and repeat. They got very clean very quickly.
     
  18. NethLyn

    NethLyn Minimodder

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    Thanks for confirming the Tesco offer is still going. Sure the pressure's no great shakes but if you can afford two of them who cares - they did both my PCs inside and out and both my keyboards before running out - for 8 quid, bargain.

    In case I get bored of recycling aerosol cans, what's the going rate of an air compressor with tank? Is that something Maplins would have?
     
  19. Spode

    Spode What's a Spode?

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    Annoyingly/ironically - only a few days after writing this feature, I spilled milk and cereal all over my keyboard - my nice shiny new Microsoft 6000 Wireless.

    I immediately turned it upside down and whipped the batteries out. I then took the shower head and while it was still upside down, I hosed it down (milk smells naaaassty when it goes off). Still upside down, I dried it off with a towel and then blasted it with the hair drier for a little bit. Then I left it over night, still upside down, to dry.

    I kept it upside down so none of the fluids could penetrate into the electronics. Put the batteries back in this morning and it's, well, just lovely!
     
  20. NethLyn

    NethLyn Minimodder

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    Actually, now I'm in the market for a new keyboard, but I prefer heavy travel to the point of microswitching, as I learned to type on a really heavy typewriter. Argos sells keyboards like this for only a fiver (the ones that look like they're rebranded by Dell) but you have to keep the room dust free otherwise it'll help take the labelling off the keys over time.

    So if anyone knows of a wired, PS/2 keyboard with keys raised at standard to high profile, that you can strike hard and get a solid response back, let me know, at the moment happy to go up to 20 quid. If it has to be USB then I can live with that.

    Otherwise I'll just buy a plastic dust cover at the same time as the new Argos one, and vacuum my lounge twice a week...
     
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