So, who else dismantles their keyboard to clean it?

[AntonyF]

I know a lot of people wouldn't have the know how or couldn't be bothered... but there must be others like me that have to clean their keyboard properly, by dismantling it key by key.

I did mine today, first time in a while. As others can agree, what one finds beneath the keys is unspeakable evil.

I am particularly surprised by the key texture this time though, they feel different as there's not so much crud underneath them now. It feels like new!

My only complaint is keyboards are getting more complicated, particulary with my split keyboard design.

 

[RoJoHen]

I don't clean my keyboard ever.

 

[AntonyF]

You do know there's more germs in a keyboard than a toilet?

 

[Kestra]

My brother randomly had a keyboard brush he wasn't using, so I took it and then promptly decided to clean my laptop keyboard. That was quite a lot of fun!

Luckily all the keys have fit back on.

 

[Joshua Howard]

The white letters on my black keyboard are wearing off. The M, N, and L markings are completely gone. A, S, D, C, K, and I are mostly gone. I have never cleaned my keyboard, but now that you mention it, I probably should buy a new one.

 

[AntonyF]

I touch type, so don't mind when letters go. Someone even swapped keys around for a prank once at work, and I never realised.

 

[Mr. B]

I do this every so often. I take the top key section and put it in the dishwasher. I know you can put keyboards in whole if you wait long enough for them to dry but I don't have time for that.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I clean mine out occasionally, just to clear out dust and detritus. I don't normally take it apart, but I will if there's a key that's in particularly dire straits.

I wouldn't notice the letters being rubbed off, though. Like our fearless tech guru, I touch type.

 

[Kirby]

I just turn it upside down and shake it to get some of the crap out of it. Once in a while I'll wipe the keys down with rubbing alcohol. My 7 year old uses it to play his games now, so it's pretty nasty.

 

[sidious618]

I tried to once and broke two keys. They're still missing and I now need a new keyboard. I clean between the keys with sticky paper and I use disinfecting wipes for the top of the keys. It's still not perfect 'cause you can't see everything from above but I'm getting a new one soon so it ain't no thing.

 

[SeerSGB]

Germ-X wipes for the nasty-microbes (Wife works in retail-pharamcy, who knows what she tracks home She married me, that's proof enough that she's an odd one). And $4 can of Endust Compressed Air for between the keys.

Though I'm thinking of switching to one of these:

A CO2 cansister Keyboard cleaner. Never used one before, anyone got any experience with the things before I spring $20.

 

[backstept]

Germ-X wipes for the nasty-microbes (Wife works in retail-pharamcy, who knows what she tracks home She married me, that's proof enough that she's an odd one). And $4 can of Endust Compressed Air for between the keys.

Though I'm thinking of switching to one of these:

A CO2 cansister Keyboard cleaner. Never used one before, anyone got any experience with the things before I spring $20.

turn it upside down and freeze stuff!
don't know about the little CO2 thingy, but the regular canned air can freeze stuff

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, it's the same thing. I just used one to clean out my keyboard. Very effective, though it does splatter the gunk that was inside your keyboard everywhere, so you might want to do it outside, or over a trash can.

 

[SeerSGB]

turn it upside down and freeze stuff!
don't know about the little CO2 thingy, but the regular canned air can freeze stuff

I've done that a few times. Actually cracked a coffee cup once goofing around like that.

 

[TheGodBen]

A few years ago I bought a new watch and noticed that a metal component on the strap was the perfect size and shape for popping off most of the keys, so I gave it a go. It was a family PC and it hadn't be washed properly for over 4 years so it was properly nasty, but I used an old toothbrush to clean the gunk out and by the time it was finished it looked good as new.

Looked good as new, but it didn't function that way; 25% of the keys went weird and became a real hassle to push down from then on. I paid the price for my exuberance because I had to use that nightmare of a keyboard for another two years. I wont be trying that again on my desktop or laptop keyboard.

 

[TrekkieMonster]

Funny, I was actually thinking today (as I was eating lunch over my keyboard ... again) that I really need to clean mine. I've done it in the past, but I spoke to one of our I.T. guys at work about it once and he said it wasn't worth it; keyboards are so relatively cheap it's easier to just buy a new one. That rubs me the wrong way, somehow. I use canned air, and I use a damp cloth (usually over a butter knife or something) to clean the sides of the keys, themselves. But, I'm always afraid I'm going to break a key if I take them off to clean beneath them.

Is my fear unfounded?

Oh, and another touch typist here. Back in the stone age when I was in my first typing classes, they made us use typewriters that had nothing printed on the keys to force us to learn to touch type.

 

[SeerSGB]

With a 7 year old running loose in the house, I learned long ego never put more than $15 into a keyboard. Before I was married: 2 keyboards in the course of 9 years, after marriage before kids: 2 keyboards a year, with out son in the house: 3 keyboards a year. Thankfully he's starting to learn and he's taking it easier on the things.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Something to keep in mind if you are actually going to wash the inside of your keyboard is that the keys are lubricated. Yes, you will wash off the lubricant if you use alcohol or any other solvent! You will need a teflon-based lubricant to relubricate said keys if you don't want them to become all sticky and whatnot.

 

[sidious618]

Something to keep in mind if you are actually going to wash the inside of your keyboard is that the keys are lubricated. Yes, you will wash off the lubricant if you use alcohol or any other solvent! You will need a teflon-based lubricant to relubricate said keys if you don't want them to become all sticky and whatnot.

Sticky keys!

 

[Mr. B]

Though I'm thinking of switching to one of these:
[pic]
A CO2 cansister Keyboard cleaner. Never used one before, anyone got any experience with the things before I spring $20.

Why not just buy a portable air compressor?