Linus throws some keyboards in the dishwasher

There are less cautious guys with better results :

He puts them in the dishwasher without care at 50°C with soap and runs the drying process. But waits 1 month to dry. Seems to work on old cherry keyboards. He didn't check the bunch of others.
Now that guys only waits 2 days to dry and it doesn't work... so he concludes you musnt put it in the dishwater. Sure he should have waited more :

Waiting a week to dry should do the thing.
Apple aluminium keyboard with flat keys, looks as no soap used :

Waiting only 1 or 2 days (dries faster).
Next one is an old Apple classic keyboard. Cleaned with soap (lower temperature but not cold) and probably with drying. Keys retrived. Looks very clean as a result.
4 days later. Doesn't work !
Waiting 3 more days, means 7 days later at all, it works !!!

So this how you should go on the contrary of what Linus does. You should run through the dishwasher with soap and by retrieving the keys and putting them back afterwards.
Linus seems to say it takes off the grease. Not sure where there's need for grease.
 
I'd be afraid of corrosion or rust forming inside the switches from the use of tap water.
 
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The true key may be to spray them heavily with pure isopropyl alcohol before the drying cycle, which should both reduce viscosity and increase the evaporation potential, allowing for water to both drip out more effectively and dry faster.
 
There is no real reason to use a dishwasher. Blasting it with hot soapy water for an hour is just overkill.

Coffee or soft drink spills will clean up just fine with warm water from the tap. If the tops of the keys and keyboard need cleaned any household cleaner will do the trick.

Once it is done dripping, use a hair dryer or better yet ~40 psi compressed air to blow out the remaining water. After 24 hours it will be good to go.

I have cleaned everything from cheap membrane keyboards to industrial keyboards(non qwerty custom) costing thousands. The less time your solvent is inside the keyboard the better.

Resist the temptation to use high pressure compressed air, I learned the hard way that 30 -40 is the max.
 
Ha! Americans! My water is so hard that provided this works, the keyboard would be coated with a layer of calcium based deposit... There is a much safer way for membrane keyboards. Just take out the keys (i use a screwdriver as lever), use cotton swabs with 90 degree alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to clean everything, put keys back to position. Bonus: alcohol is volatile, so it evaporates spontaneously, so there is no way you ruin anything. Disadvantage: It takes time.
 
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