This may not be an issue for many laptop keyboards (and some PC/Apple keyboards) but for some of us we have keyboards where crud can get between the keys.
I keep my keyboard pretty darn clean but, over time, some crud just gets in between the various keys and no amount of Q-Tips or blowing with air seems to help.
In my case (mechanical keyboard), I can remove each key from the keyboard and get in there and do a proper cleaning. It may well be that is just what has to be done but I have done it before and it is a real drag. There are a lot of keys and removing and replacing each one, while simple and made to do it, really sucks. It is just monotonous in the extreme and takes a lot of time.
So, has anyone ever found a better method for this or do I just need to get busy with the busy work?
ETA: I think I missed the notice where this was asked before…if so, sorry for the repeat. (I may have asked before)
I handvac my keyboard weekly and occasionally use a canister vac on it for added suction. This probably won’t solve your problem (it doesn’t solve mine) but it might do a good enough job for you to postpone a proper cleaning until you get another keyboard.
I’ve seen people use computer putty on keyboards on Youtube. It works, sort of, but obviously won’t deep clean.
I’ll absolutely spend money if such a device comes on the market. Yeah, I figure at least once a year I force myself to pull the keycaps in order to get a good clean. And I’ve broken one (admittedly cheap) keyboard doing it. Best fix I have is use a multipiece cap puller such as this:
(plenty of other models out there, but I’ve trashed some of the cheaper options as well)
They aren’t perfect, but they do a lot better for me than improvised tool and my stubby fingers.
Compressed air helps and gets the bigger junk out but, over time, some grunge just collects. Hair, food bits and so on that compressed air simply will not remove. It sounds gross and it kinda is (really is) but, as I said, I keep my keyboard clean. Nevertheless, a time comes when too much crud collects in those hard to reach places. I was hoping for an easy way to clean it up without the tedious process of removing all the keys.
I guess it is kinda like Spring Cleaning. Mostly you keep your place tidy but once or twice a year you have to go to town moving furniture and whatnot to get at those hard-to-reach places.
It sounds like you have a preference for a keyboard that demands complicated laborious cleaning. Of course you’re welcome to that preference. But if the cleaning bothers you, consider backing off one level to consider the meta-problem of keyboard selection for both ease of maintenance and ease of use.
I’ve gone through several iterations of desktop, laptop, and tablet keyboards. Each time I was sure the new way was sooo inferior to what I had before. Nowadays I can’t even remember what was sooo important about the sooo much better keyboards of the past. Leading me to strongly suspect I was overvaluing what I was used to versus what was objectively better. Just a thought.
I’ve also heard of people putting keyboards in the dishwasher. They’re mostly cheap enough that if it doesn’t survive, well, the failed experiment wasn’t that much of a disaster. I’ve wasted more on less.
You could drive a Nissan Versa and it will get you from A → B as well as a Mercedes. Why drive a much more expensive Mercedes?
This is the same idea.
I type for a living (read…a lot). I personally prefer a nice keyboard with a nice tactile feel. Could I type on any keyboard? Sure. I don’t want to though. I prefer the nicer ones. Once you get used to a nice keyboard it is hard to go back to the shitty ones. YMMV
(doubtless if I was told I could only ever use a crummy tablet keyboard I’d get used to it)
I’ve seen that too. Even if willing to take that chance the big caveat was a week (at least) to let it dry which is waaaaay too long to wait or, you own two keyboards (in which case probably better off just hand-cleaning the one).
My thinking is that I have to compare the cost of:
Cost of a new mechanical keyboard (about $40 for a general-purpose model) vs
Cost of 30 minutes of my time to clean one (significantly more than $40)
How clean do I need my keyboard to be? (not very)
Cost of canned air (like $10)
I come to the conclusion that I should just use canned air to blow it out every few months, and when that’s no longer good enough, just buy a new one. They tend to wear out anyway. Plus, Bluetooth devices get flaky over time as their firmware falls behind the state of the art.
Or as I’ve seen others approach it… just run it through the dishwasher. It will come out clean. If it doesn’t survive, then it was time to get a new one anyhow.
I was a software dev as my full time job for a few years. Yeah, lotta typing. I totally get wanting nice equipment that you’re interacting with all day every day.
To me the clackety clack ones are the shitty ones. As you rightly say: YMMV.
My underlying point was to deliberately examine your assumptions. Which it certainly sounds like you’ve done. I’ll be curious to learn what you settle on for reasonably efficient cleaning.
Seal Shield has conventional mechanical keyboards that can be washed in a regular dishwasher. This is one. There is a rubber cap that you cover the USB connector with before cleaning it, so everything is sealed.
Mechanical keyboards are very, very customizable. All sorts of keyswitches exist from close to silent to full-on clackety-clack (as well as feel…want a little “bump” when typing or a smooth press…all exist and in-between too). If you use a stand-alone keyboard (as opposed to, say, whatever your laptop has) it might be worth looking in to. The only downside is it is difficult to get your hands on the few you want to try before you buy but sometimes you can (Microcenter near me has some display options which may give a sense of it but I know not everyone is lucky enough to have a Microcenter near them).
Some keyboards now have magnetic switches which you can adjust the feel of as you see fit. A lotta fuss to go to fer sure but cool it is possible.
Here is one example (there are lots of others…I do not own that one so cannot say how well it works)…Wooting seems to be the top of this tier but you will pay a lot for it…the below is a little less expensive…still expensive:
My keyboard is more expensive than some cheap Dell whatever they send you but regardless of the costs your point is well taken. Where are those lines for each case? Something I have to think about. Thanks!
I do not ever eat or drink anything except water at my desk. And I mean ever. Some of my coworkers think this is weird, even unproductive. But I cannot abide some of the keyboards I have seen.
Compressed air, a soft brush and keyboard swabs keep my keyboard pristine.
I have seen keyboards put in the wash and survive but I am not sure I could ever bring myself to do it…even with a keyboard that says it is fine in the wash.
I know…that’s on me and not them. Makes me a little sad because they are trying to solve the very problem I am complaining about!
So instead you laboriously remove all of the keys and clean them along with the carcass? Sure, if that’s what you want. Putting the whole thing in the dishwasher seems easier to me.
Turns out there is one in my metro area. 50 miles from me. Right near where I used to work. Wish I’d heard of it when I was down there regularly. Oh well.
Thanks for the cite and next time I have a reason to be sorta down that way I’ll drop by for curiosity’s / fun’s sake. I haven’t been in a real computer store, much less a computer supermarket, in a long time … a long time.
, so there’s a slow build-up of gunk.
)