How do you clean your keyboard?

[nico]

I have a ton of lint and general crud on my keyboard and was wondering what you folks use to clean yours.  As it is now, my off-white keyboard is becoming more and more tan-brown.

[Greg L]

There is usually a daily cleansing of diet coke or coffee that gets spewed when someone here says something quite witty .

I guess you could (turn off the computer first) get a mild detergent solution, lightly dampen a cloth with it & scrub.  Compressed air to get the lint out from under the keys.

Unless it is a really expensive keyboard though it might just be easier & a better use of your time to go buy another $10 one at Best Buy or Office Depot or wherever the next time that you happen to be passing by one.  

Depending of course on just how long/detailed you plan on this cleaning to be.

[Guest]

I use a soft brush that came with my ThinkPad, or a soft 1" paint brush to "sweep" lint .  

I use pipe cleaners and long wooden Q-tips  to get under keys, sometimes I do "pop off" the key if a large pc is hard to remove. Isopropyl Alchol on a Q-tip  or Pipe Cleaner to clean the keys. Mine are black with white letters.

I don't know why I never use Canned air like Dust Off at home - I have used it at College.

With the LED monitor I have -  I use a Swiffer[tm]  dust cloth , dry of course.

I find the Swiffer to work well on CRT monitors as well.   Granted at school where  I sometimes use CRT monitors , those individiual packets of Alcohol swabs do clean very well.  Like you see Nurses clean an area before giving a shot.  You can buy a box of them at Drug Stores.

HTH

[MaterDei]

I usually go to Frys and buy another when they get real bad.  If you turn your keyboard upside down and tap it on the desk you might be surprised all the stuff that is in there.  Compressed air works well too.  The actual surface of the keyboard can be cleaned with a damp rag if you're careful not to squeeze any liquid into the keys.

[Dave Markowitz]

You can clean a keyboard under a running faucet or put it in the dishwasher.  You don't need to use any soap and in fact I'd recommend against it.

I've done it under a faucet and it works well.  The main thing to remember is to let the thing dry for a few days before reconnecting it to your PC.  (I have an extra keyboard or two laying around so this isn't a problem for me.)

[PMDW]

Strip completely every now and then, wash with hot water and dish soap, dry, reassemble.

At least Microsoft got their keyboard design right.

[Nightfall]

Unscrew the screws on the back, lift off the top cover. Pop off the keys (make sure you know where they go), take a look at the internals and memorize before separating 'em. Clean the keys and casing with hot water and soap. Wipe down everything else that needs it, reassemble.

At least, that's how I did it. Be careful you don't lose a key in the process! :shock:

[lee n. field]

I pop all the keycaps off and hand wash them in clean dish water.  I clean out the part underneath the keycaps with a swab.

I like the original MS ergo keyboard, but it's a cootie magnet.

[grampster]

You can buy a can of compressed air with a nozzle on it.  Blows compressed air onto the keyboard and keeps it dust free.  Do it every couple weeks and it will stay clean.

[spacemanspiff]

Strip completely every now and then, wash with hot water and dish soap, dry, reassemble

too many people in my office whine when i strip down.
ohhh wait, thats not what you were referring to.....



theres an easier solution. swap keyboards with someone who is cleaner than you are.
i do it with my mouse every couple of months.

[Azrael256]

Throw your keyboard away, and get a better one.

I used to take mine apart, scrub out the top with a brush and soapy water, wait two hours for it to dry, and then never get it back together quite right.  I survived on that keyboard for a good while.

Now, I have a keyboard I can toss in the dishwasher.  Google "virtually indestructible keyboard."  It's from a company called GrandTec.  The whole thing is completely sealed, and flexible.  You'll get used to the different type of keys pretty quick, and you can clean it in 30 seconds with one of those clorox wipes.

[Standing Wolf]

I just use paper towels and a squirt bottle of Windex, plus a few Q Tips for the odd spots.

As cheap as keyboards are nowadays, the smart thing to do would be to buy a new one once a year or so; unfortunately, there aren't many split Macintosh keyboards still on the market.

[Guest]

Umm, Since I use a ThinkPad - I don't think  cleaning mine in the dishwasher, under the sink, or tossing it is an option.

Most of what I learned on was on a Laptop; My home PC is a Laptop. You think I type bad as is - a regular Desktop and keyboard is really scary.  

Yeah I know - typical Steve, going about matters different than everyone else.  

[jamz]

Umm, Since I use a ThinkPad - I don't think  cleaning mine in the dishwasher, under the sink, or tossing it is an option.
:

Actually, Steve, it still is- if you turn it over, there are two or three screws with a little imprint of a keyboard next to them (My R40 has two such screws).

If you back those screws out, you can remove the keyboard from the rest of the laptop and go to town cleaning!  Although I'd make sure it's still under warantee before actually putting the keyboard in water though.  




Love, James

[Taurus]

The keys pop out and pop back in, like some others here have said. Just keep in mind: Make sure you keep track of where all the keys go if you take them all out at once, or else you will need to follow a keyboard diagram.

[uvakat]

Umm, Since I use a ThinkPad - I don't think  cleaning mine in the dishwasher, under the sink, or tossing it is an option.
:

Actually, Steve, it still is- if you turn it over, there are two or three screws with a little imprint of a keyboard next to them (My R40 has two such screws).

If you back those screws out, you can remove the keyboard from the rest of the laptop and go to town cleaning!  Although I'd make sure it's still under warantee before actually putting the keyboard in water though.  




Love, James

LOL I just do it the lazy way... since my T30 is still under warantee... when it gets bads I just call IBM up and they send me a new keyboard... but that being said... I usually just use compressed air if I want to keep it clean without calling the company

[Control Group]

Make sure you keep track of where all the keys go if you take them all out at once, or else you will need to follow a keyboard diagram.

Feh

That's the fun part of cleaning out my keyboard: it gives me a pop quiz on how well I know a standard QWERTY 104-key layout.

Though I admit, to my shame, that I did live for a while in college with my 'n' and 'm' keys reversed...what's shocking is how long it took me to realize the problem...

[Darkmind]

I pop all the keys off and wipe it down with windex, end of story.

[Sean Smith]

Blow crud out from between the keys with a can of compressed air, wipe the key surfaces with Windex.

[mfree]

Clean the keyboard? I just don't get it (noticeably) dirty

Nah, every so often I'll turn it over and shake it, then take a dry paper towel, fold it over and use that edge to get the dust from between the keys. I really don't get my keyboards all that dirty, I push them out of the way before I eat

I *do* have a problem with the one at home though.... it's so old and so well-used that the paint is wearing off the keycaps, even smoothing the pebbled finish off some of them. Not bad for a $12 Chinese knockoff I bought... er... A long time ago. 1997 feels right, it's an AT keyboard but has the W95 keys...

[Ktulu]

I just get a new one. The same Mitsumi $9.95 keyboard I've been using for years.

[Wildalaska]

Ive been trying to destroy keyboards with my typing technique for years and have gotten no where.

WildlearnedonamanualAlaska