do you clean your keyboard

fightingfi

fightingfi

2[H]4U
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Oct 9, 2008
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my keyboard is crusty in between the keys after i guess 10 yrs of use dont want to part with it but not sure how to make it new and shiny or less crusty i guess whats a guy to do !
 
wash your hands before you use the keyboard next time, lol.

They have these slimey goop that you can rub over the keyboard to clean it, looks like the green slime from Ghostbusters. use that as well as canned air to get the crap out of the keyboard.
 
If you've had your keyboard for 10 years it might be time for a new one? ^.^ Mine's looking a little grotty too, now that I mention it. (old Saitek Eclipse backlit) I used to use a q-tip with some rubbing alcohol on the tip for tough caked on crud, but I haven't done that in a while, clearly.
 
I use a hose vacuum with brush attachment to suck it off periodically.
Ear buds to get tricky bits out, clean of course!
 
Disassemble it and clean it proper. Just imagine it is a task from a game in real 3D.

I recommend laying parts out in the Sun all day to get the water all out of the hidey holes.

Or replace it since it is full of bacteria and other gross disgusting nastiness.
 
too much work to clean a keyboard properly (removing all the keys) so if one ever gets too dirty I just buy a new one since they're fairly cheap (standard ones)
 
Guess I'm the odd one out. Once a year, I pull off all the key caps and clean them individually, vacuum out the base with a brush extension and clean in between the switches with cotton tips and alcohol. It's oddly therapeutic.
 
I pulled all the keys off and put them in a bucket with hot water and dish soap.

I could not believe the difference it made.

The vacuum and old toothbrush made hardly any difference but this was huge.
Took about 20 minutes.
 
I clean my work keyboard (Logitech G19) every day before leaving for the day.
Just a small drop of dish detergent on a wet paper towel does the trick.

Sometimes I have to clean my work screens the same way too, since people LOVE to f*cking touch it when pointing something out :|
 
I take all the keys off and scrub the board with 99% iso and a nylon brush. Keys get a soak in warm water + dish soap then get scrubbed with a hand towel. I don't do it obsessively, mostly if I've been using one board for a year or more.
 
HeavensCloud said:
I take all the keys off and scrub the board with 99% iso and a nylon brush. Keys get a soak in warm water + dish soap then get scrubbed with a hand towel. I don't do it obsessively, mostly if I've been using one board for a year or more.
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Same. This has always worked for me.
 
I have taken all the caps of my Filco TKL a few times, washing the caps and then cleaned the case also.. I try to remember to keep the cover that came with the Filco on mine when not using it..but honestly I forget to frequently..

I don't use the keyboard with dirty hands and I don't eat near the computer.. main problem here is cat hair.. for some reason???

keyboard.jpg
 
I usually use compressed-gas duster to clean my keyboard, but sometimes it gets way too messy ( I have 3 cats) I take out some keys and try to clean underneath them. I know I should clean it every week but I get way too lazy.
 
Lens wipes here but I just keep buying keyboards when I even don't need them :LOL: and give the older one's away.
 
Thread bait for all the OCD keyboard cleanliness peoples. :p

I use black keyboards so that if they're dirty I just wouldn't know. I've got a keyboard vac. Useless. Pulling the keys and soaking in detergent works good, but don't try that with your Apple keyboard. :cool:
 


Try this never tried it myself though would be worried about water in the key caps.

Cleaning it is a pain in the butt =)
 
The fastest way is shake it upside down to get the debris out then blast out the hair and dirty with a compressor and just wipe the top of the keycaps with a paper towel using diluted rubbing alcohol so you don't melt the caps at full strength.

If you don't want to take off all the keycaps and keep them in order all 104+ if you have a MMO keyboard.
 
I have a Corsair K70. It's super easy to clean back to a brand-new look. Pop off all the keycaps and wipe them down, then you can easily clean between all the switches with just a rag.

I use a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water for cleaning all my electronics and screens.
 
I use like 20-30 precent rubbing alcohol if it's too high the keycaps can bubble and melt the tops. I had that happen for one set of keycaps on a Corasir K70 replaced them with a set of Lux keycaps.
 
I've seen some nasty looking keyboards in my days...there should be a mandatory expiration period on them where people are forced to buy a new one
 
I've been typing on this particular Model M for oh, maybe a decade or so. When I acquired it, each key was coating in some sort of dirt gunk buildup. As I've typed on it over the years, the keycaps have gotten clean and my hands have gotten dirty. :D But I wash my hands often so it's worked out well. Bonus is I can see exactly where I hit each key most frequently. :ROFLMAO:
 
Haven't i read that if you don't use detergent you can throw it in the dishwasher and let it dry thoroughly and it'll still work?

might be okay to try if it's going in the bin otherwise.
 
polonyc2 said:
I've seen some nasty looking keyboards in my days...there should be a mandatory expiration period on them where people are forced to buy a new one
Click to expand...

Nah, it's different for everyone. I've met some people with keyboards that need a hazmat team to remove them after a few months. And others that look brand new after 10 years.
 
Archaea said:
Haven't i read that if you don't use detergent you can throw it in the dishwasher and let it dry thoroughly and it'll still work?

might be okay to try if it's going in the bin otherwise.
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Sometimes is the rule on this. It varies between keyboards. Anything mechanical would probably be ruined this way.
 
mnewxcv said:
Nah, it's different for everyone. I've met some people with keyboards that need a hazmat team to remove them after a few months. And others that look brand new after 10 years.
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And to some of us, it's more function than form. It's just an input device.
 
Best way to clean it without taking the keys off is shake it for crumbs upside down. Then take a vacuum to it spray bottle with diluted rubbing alcohol wipe with a paper towel using too strong of rubbing alcohol will melt the keys.
 
Generally no, although I have occasionally taken them apart and run the plastic parts through the dishwasher. I think I used a big mesh bag, like you'd use for washing bras, for the keys.
 
Pro tip... spray a rag with your cleaner of choice, THEN wipe the keyboard down. Don't spray the keyboard. Compressed air for in-between keys. If it's a mech keyboard, you should be able to pop the caps off and attack stubborn areas with alcohol and q-tips.

But, 10 years is a long time. Maybe you need a new one anyway. Take it out of your kitty's allowance.

Commander Shepard said:
DataVac, FTW! Price has gone up quite a bit since I bought mine several years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Pow...e=UTF8&qid=1513368653&sr=1-7&keywords=datavac
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Holy cow, that has gone up in price. It's been on my Amazon wish list for a decade (no one seems to want to buy it for me) and it was like $35 when I put it on there.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Burticus said:
Holy cow, that has gone up in price. It's been on my Amazon wish list for a decade (no one seems to want to buy it for me) and it was like $35 when I put it on there.
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Yeah, I paid about $40 for mine and that was just in late 2014.
 
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