If you’re anything like me, you’ve got several old keyboards taking up space. Here are some things you can do with them.
I WANT THE THONGS!!
Whoops…they’re flip-flops in non-Aus-speak.
But I want them all the same.
:: runs off to dig out old keyboards of which I have many ::
THONGS FOR ME!! 
The waffle iron is fantastic, but I want that huge round array of keys just to be able to say “Press Any Key To Continue.”
These may not be old keyboards, but they’re really cool keyboards:
Someone thrown one in a dishwasher and tell me if they really continue to function after being washed. I am a non-believer.
You could make alphabet soup, but be sure to take out the Esc key first; it can be toxic.
It works - usually -well, often.
Trick is to not throw in some wildly expensive keyboard (have it cleaned) but if it is some generic keyboard, throwing it into the dishwasher (keys faced downwards) and then removing the keyboard and allowing it to fully dry (a day or two at least) before plugging it in again - well, it really does work (sometimes).
I love the sports coat with the keys! Of course, everyone would have to fiddle over your entire body while you are wearing it, but that could be fun too.
And I do like the keyboard waffle iron! You would need to have a special form to make butter into the shape of a mouse to put on it though.
I am a disbeliever as well. I have had keyboards incapacitated by a minor water or coffee spill, even after disassembly and cleaning with electronic sprays.
There may be some classes of keyboard that have completely sealed keyswitches and electroncs that would survive immersion washing. But I wouldn’t bother taking the chance.
I’ve done it quite a bit. There are a few tricks to it. First of all, but the keyboards face down on the top rack and carefully wrap up the cord so that it can’t get tangled in the dishwasher’s moving parts. Second, don’t use soap. A lot of dishwasher soaps will leave residue behind that will gunk up the keys and make them not work so well. Third, most dishwashers have a heat cycle at the end to dry the dishes. You need to turn this off or it might melt the keyboard. Note that on some dishwashers you have to turn a feature like “Power Saver Dry” ON to turn the heat OFF so it might be confusing depending on how your dishwasher is labeled. And finally, make sure you let the keyboard dry out completely before you use it. This might take a couple of days.
I wouldn’t recommend it with wireless keyboards or with keyboards that have LCD displays built into them. For a plain old ordinary keyboard though it usually works fine. I’ve done it to dozens of keyboards and never had a problem. It gets all the gunk out and makes the keyboard all shiny and clean. I’ve even rescued keyboards that were thrown into the trash at work because someone accidentally dumped half a cup of coffee into them.
That keyboard suit makes me feel a little weird. Sort of like the lotus boob but not as bad.
The tenth one down is not a joke or artwork but a real alternative keyboard design.
The 10th one down (blue background) is actually a one-handed keyboard. I’ve seen it before (probably linked from here!).
I thought of using old keyboards for cat cushions, but then, what’s the betting cats only like to sleep on them when you are actually trying to use them?
Wouldn’t the one-handed keyboard increase your chances of getting RSI?
If you have only one hand, RSI may not be so much of a concern. Around twenty years ago, there were a bunch of “adaptive device” keyboards hitting the market, and most of them did look like they were cobbled together by a high school electronics class. That may be because I was at an industry trade show and people were displaying prototypes.
My son has done that several times. The only thing is to make sure it is really dry before plugging it in.