As I was finishing up work last night, I accidentally knocked a half-full glass of Diet Coke over and got some in my keyboard. Argh! I shook it out and went on my way, but then this morning 7’s and 8’s were mysteriously inserting themselves into words, and the spacebar was only working intermittently.
A spill doesn’t necessarily mean keyboard death, but resuscitation can take some elbow grease. Unplug the keyboard (or for wireless models, remove the batteries), break out the screwdriver and take that baby apart. It can take some time; my Logitech has at least two dozen screws holding it together. Lay out the pieces one by one and wipe them down with a slightly-damp cloth to get off any sticky residue. Use a dry paper towel to mop up drops. If you’ve got compressed air handy, this is a great time to blow out any dust, too.
When all the parts are dry as a bone, carefully reassemble them. All’s well for me now; I’m typing this very post on the keyboard. Here are some photos of my keyboard’s innards from this morning’s clean-up.
7 Comments
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Have you tried the keyboard in the dishwasher trick?
BioXD
Would it be a good idea to try it on a macbook’s keyboard? some of my keys stopped working about a week ago after i cleaned it with some cheap foam. My AppleCare expired already so i´m not worried about voiding the warranty.
Michael Moncur
The dishwasher trick is a risky last resort, but it’s worked on five or six keyboards for me.
Put the keyboard in the dishwasher for a short cycle with hot water, remove it while it’s still wet. Place it keys-down on a dry surface (such as a towel) in a dry place (such as outside in the sun). Wait a WEEK. Drying is key.
I’ve used a manual hot water spray instead of a dishwasher in a pinch, that also worked.
You can speed up drying with a hairdryer or compressed air, but I keep backup keyboards handy, so I just plug one in and leave the other one for a week or so.
Michael Moncur
(Gina’s way is the proper one and far more likely to work, but I’d rather not spend four hours doing keyboard surgery so I usually just take a chance.)
Troy Malone
The dishwasher trick sounds like an emergency tracheotomy. Risky but can save a life. I would have never guessed that you could do that. Looking at Gina’s pictures, I know that I would be left with a few extra screws after the re-assembly!
tamar
Sheesh. You have like one of the cleanest keyboards evar.
Angelo Trivelli
That keyboard is a lot more complicated than most. Usually, the key contacts/membrane and the circuit board are shielded from dirt and spill so all you normally have to worry about are the keys and the platform underneath them.
Here’s I clean my keyboard:
1) Pop off the keys (the first few are the hardest), then put them in a rubbermaid container with water and soap. Shake and let it soak, then rinse and dry overnight.
2) Wipe off the area under the keys and the outside.
3) Re-assemble and your done.