How to clean keyboards?

On 10/11/05, Nigel Gilbert <n.gilbertsoc.surrey.ac.uk> wrote:
> For the moment, I'm stuck with the standard G5 white keyboard. But I shall
> have to get a new one soon, because it is getting clogged up with muck, and
> I don't know how to clean it out. As noted above, undoing the three screws
> underneath only removes the clear plastic case. How do I get the detritus
> that has fallen between the keys out?

I pop off all the key caps and wipe the inside of the keyboard with a
damp (closer to dry than 'damp') cloth to get up all the icky bits,
then I use compressed air to losen anything left and wipe again. If
the keycaps themselves are really bad I will put them through the
dishwasher (I have a little "cage" piece for the dishwasher that holds
the keycaps rather well. I do not inlcude the kaycaps like the space
bar that include a long metal bar. I haven't had to do that since I
cleaned my old Extended II many years ago.

--
<http://2blog.kreme.com/>

I have not tried this with the new keyboards, but I use to put mine in the dishwasher.  Don't do the dry cycle and remove the keyboard and let it sit a day or two.  Came clean as new.

On 11/10/05, Nigel Gilbert <n.gilbertsoc.surrey.ac.uk> wrote:
> How do I get the detritus
> that has fallen between the keys out?

Pop the key-caps off (it may seem like it's going to break, but
they're designed that way). I find that a 6-inch plastic ruler
provides just the right amount of leverage, although beware of flying
key-caps managing to lose themselves someplace!

Then give it a good vacuum, clean stubborn/sticky bits with some
isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud, and pop the key-caps back on. Works
a treat.

At 7:10 AM -0700 10/11/05, Nigel Gilbert wrote:
>I'm stuck with the standard G5 white keyboard. But I shall have to
>get a new one soon, because it is getting clogged up with muck, and
>I don't know how to clean it out.

I haven't tried this with a white Apple keyboard, but I clean my main
black Apple keyboard every few months (whether it needs it or not!).
I have three cats so I'm a bit of a cleanfreak: my trackball gets
cleaned essentially every morning, and my keyboard gets vacuumed once
a week and treated to compressed air whenever I have the can out for
some other reason.

Anyway - the "full clean" regimen goes like this:

- Start burning whatver CD/DVD is on tap
- Unplug the keyboard

- Go down to the kitchen and fill a plastic
   leftovers container with warm/hot water
   and a drop of dishsoap.
- Grab a dry dishtowel
- Go back upstairs

- Use a little screwdriver (usually in my penknife)
   to pop off all the keycaps. *Splish* in the water.
- Dip a corner of the dishtowel in the water, wipe
   down the keyboard and de-crud it.
- Spread the dishtowel out on my desk; fish out the
   keycaps onto it. Fold the dishtowel over, press and
   jiggle. This degunks the keycaps and gets'em dry

- Replace keycaps. Pop click pop click. This is
   the only time where my learning to touchtype
   comes in handy.
- Wipe little bit of moisture off desk. Ooh! Clean!
- CD/DVD is done burning! Plug keyboard back in.

Whole thing takes about 10 minutes, until:

- Three days later: I realize the N and M keys are
   transposed. (Touch-typing? Didn't really take.)

gd
--
Geoff Duncan TidBITS Technical Editor <http://www.tidbits.com/>

<http://www.sterpin.net/uk/prokeyboarduk.htm> will give you all you
need to know to clean your keyboard.

To be honest, it's so complete that I gave up the idea...

Cyril

><http://www.sterpin.net/uk/prokeyboarduk.htm>will give you all you
>need to know to clean your keyboard.
>
>To be honest, it's so complete that I gave up the idea...
>

and to reiterate a little warning...

step 16, detaching the clips from the front of the keyboard... a complete and
utter pain in the unmentionable. Those clips are seemingly designed to snap
off!

As for cleaning the white keycaps etc. the 'Mr Clean Magic Eraser' does a
very good job of doing that, as well as removing palm oil/grease/dirt from
the wrist rests of the white iBook series too.