OK I AM naive. Yesterday I spilled a glass of orange juice and some of it went into my keyboard. Now I have sticky keys. Should I just pry them off and wash? Can I just push them back after so they click back in? Should I wash with sudsy water?
You could try washing the keyboard in plain water (after first unplugging it), but unless there’s some unusual feature about it that you particularly like, I would suggest just buying a new one; they’re so cheap nowadays.
I’ve also heard throwing it in the dishwasher works well, but I’ve never tried it. Of course, let it dry thoroughly before plugging it back in.
Or just buy a new one, like Mangetout suggested. I saw one at Big Lots for $4 the other day.
Every time I’ve washed my keyboard like that it never worked again. It might have worked for one of the old IBM PS-2 keyboards but those things are invincible. Maybe you could get in there with a moist Q-tip and hope for the best, but that’s pretty detailed work.
It’s really about time. Completely stripping down a keyboard and putting it back together is very simple but how long it takes depends greatly on how it is made. Some go back together in a snap and some are really fussy and can take a long time. Most of the time, it is faster to go to Walmart and buy a new one. If you’ve never done it before, go buy the new one first and then take the old one apart when you have plenty of time. Once you clean it all up and fix it, then you have a handy backup. As someone who likes to sip iced tea while computing and who has cats, I always have a backup keyboard on hand.
I have two keyboards. I usually use one untill it is full of Pepsi, food, ect. then I break out the extra. I then strip it down and put the keys and the plastic in the dishwasher, keeping the electronic board safely on the table, the protective cover inside the keyboard is usually washed with dish soap and warm water. If you have lights on the keyboard, beware of losing your leds. they aren’t soldered in, just held in place. Let everything dry well and put it back together. Oh, and draw a keyboard map so you can put all the keys back on properly. You just press them untill they snap in place. the space bar will be the hardest, you will have to pay close attention when you take it off so you can see how to put it back on.
Yes, I know I am a cheapskate.
Stand it on end and spray it (I use Mr. Muscle Orange Clean) and brush it down with a new paint brush.
Or - buy a new one! I have a cupboard full now, nothing wrong with them*, I just seem to keep buying new ones and hoping to find one that can spell.
*except for them all having had the capslock key prised off and thrown away.
You can pop the keys off and clean it, but it’s a very time consuming process. The space bars on some keyboards are also a royal pain to get back on correctly.
I’ve had very good success with keyboards in the dishwasher. There’s a few tricks to doing this right:
- Put the keybaord upside down on the top rack
- Wrap the cord around the keyboard so it can’t get stuck in any of the dishwasher’s moving parts.
- Do not use soap.
- If the dishwasher has a heat cycle at the end, disable it. Otherwise you can literally bake your keyboard to death. Often the heat cycle is labled “power saver dry” or some such, in which case you have to turn it to ON to disable the heat.
- Let the keyboard dry out for a couple of days before use.
I’ve resurrected quite a few keyboards this way. I personally have never killed a keyboard but I’ve heard of folks who have, so YMMV and all that.
Yep, the dishwasher works great. Still, the point about buying a new one is a valid one, depending on how much your time is worth.
I suggest disassembling the keyboard after washing, since water can get lodged in certain spots and take several days to dry. Contrary to popular belief, electronics are not harmed by immersion in water. Turning them ON while still wet is another issue.
No need to disassemble the keyboard: just stick it upside down in an airing cupboard over the weekend.
What is an airing cupboard, and how would sticking a keyboard in one upside-down preclude disassembly?
I took one into the shower with me probably 10 years ago, never worked again (the keyboard that is.)