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Thread ID: 107269	2010-02-10 20:53:00	Clean your keyboard carefully	Thomas01 (317)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
857101	2010-02-10 20:53:00	My keyboard and mouse are both ancient and its no surprise that lately both have been reluctant to do their job. I am of the old school - when keyboards get dirty - strip them - wash them in water and detergent - dry them carefully and use them quite happily for a few more years. Well my keyboard was stripped but it was unlike the very old ones I had stripped before, and much more difficult to wash. Lots of crumbs etc dropped out and I decided to use my favourite cleaner Isopropyl. Success. When I assembled it again the control key which had gone on the blink worked perfectly but then I disovered some keys had become "glued up". Yes you guessed it. The Isopropyl just simply melted the keys. Keyboard ruined. I found a replacement including a new Microsoft mouse at Dick Smiths for only $38 and I like them both. Just as a check I left one of the old keys in a egg cup of Isopropyl overnight - I now have a sloppy slimy mess. It was a surprise to me and I will be more careful in future. You have been warned!	Thomas01 (317)
857102	2010-02-10 21:11:00	Alas, those keys are now as useless as the parliamentary ones. The dishwasher treatment still works alright here, but I haven't yet managed to nab a politician to see if they can be cleaned up. Dismantling and manually scrubbing with warm water and Sunlight dish-wash liquid then a hot rinse and overnight in the hotwater cupboard works well for old keyboards. To get the crumbs out of Gov't, boiling in oil may work.	R2x1 (4628)
857103	2010-02-10 21:18:00	Thx for the tip Thomas. The keyboard on my desktop machine had some tea spilt on it and some of the keys have become gummy. I have 2 brand new spares, but the old one has a configuration that's hard to find, so I'll have to get round to cleaning it one fine day.	Greg (193)
857104	2010-02-10 21:26:00	I still clean my keyboards, normally when I am sitting on my ass in front of the idiot box, soap and water and sometimes a bit of toothpaste works wonders also leaves your keyboard minty fresh. Actually I have been known to sit in the bath and clean the keys, but as i haven't had a house with a bath for a number of years that was a while ago	Morgenmuffel (187)
857105	2010-02-10 21:56:00	Alas, those keys are now as useless as the parliamentary ones. It was worth reading this thread just for that.....	Peterj116 (6762)
857106	2010-02-10 22:00:00	I managed to ruin a keyboard by trying to hasten the drying process with a hairdryer. The spacebar and shift keys bent into U shapes.. :( I've never put Isopropyl on any keyboard, guess I won't start now! But I've always found that water and soap worked fine....	Agent_24 (57)
857107	2010-02-10 22:18:00	Iso good for metal contacts use it on glass of fax machines but I always guessed it would dissolve plastics.	prefect (6291)
857108	2010-02-10 23:36:00	When I was a lab chemist, I recall dissolving the adhesive layers in certain film types for film laminates (e.g. wine bags) in isopropyl alcohol. When cleaning a key board, I use to use baby nappy/treasure wipes with soap/water. But had hassles replacing the space key, and lost the spring I think. End up buying a new keyboard (Chicony) of trademe from a local pc importer for $8.	kahawai chaser (3545)
857109	2010-02-11 01:34:00	I've been meaning to give my keyboard a bit of a scrub one of these days. How do you get the keys off without wrecking them? Either my fingers aren't very strong or there's a trick to it that I don't yet know about.	FoxyMX (5)
857110	2010-02-11 01:54:00	The ones I've come across just pop off. A large flathead screwdriver can help if they are tight. I take no responsibility if this breaks anything! The larger keys often have springs or metal attachments of some kind.	Agent_24 (57)
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