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Author Topic: Is there a way i can safely clean my keyboard without using compressed air?  (Read 6793 times)

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mag777

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 I want to know if there are options to cleaning a keyboard without using compressed air?

JJ 3000



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If it's really filthy you could wash it in the shower, but it takes a couple of weeks for it to completely dry out.
Or you could just use a damp cloth to wipe it down and use a q-tip to get in between the keys.
Make sure that you unplug the keyboard before you try either of those options.
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Zylstra

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"After the dust, dirt, and hair has been removed. Spray a disinfectant onto a cloth or use disinfectant cloths and rub each of the keys on the keyboard. As mentioned in our general cleaning tips, never spray any type of liquid onto the keyboard. "
From here: http://www.computerhope.com/cleaning.htm#09

Personally, I have used Windex or a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean an extremely dirty keyboard. (Sprayed/applied to the CLOTH you are going to use to clean it, not directly onto the keyboard)

Helpmeh



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BC_Programmer


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Try Cyber Clean.

dear gawd no.

Remember the spammer we had from them? with that "online quiz"... haha... I remember answering all the questions so that everything uses their products "I use cyberclean on my keyboard everyday" blah blah etc. and they decided, in the result, that I could reduce the number of germs by over 98 percent if I used their product... and yet, I answered that I did.
Short answer, don't use any sort of product that is specifically designed for a niche use (such as cleaning a keyboard, or mouse, etc) since it almost always turns out to be a broader product repackaged and marked up. As far as we know they just put soapwater in a spray bottle or windex in a spray bottle or Sanitizer.


Anyway, with regard to the original question, you can just turn it upside down and shake it vigorously. you'll be surprised how much crap comes out when you do this.
I was trying to dereference Null Pointers before it was cool.

2x3i5x



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Anyway, with regard to the original question, you can just turn it upside down and shake it vigorously. you'll be surprised how much crap comes out when you do this.

and don't forget to bang on it's back to get even more crap out. Or you could just, like been said already, just give it a complete hose down and let dry completely before using.

Geek-9pm


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Find a dishpan the size of the keyboard. Fput in the dirty keyboard and fill the pan with enough cheap Gin to cover the keyboard

Next.. uhh you shake the keybaordd....

blahhh... take thenkey outu...

ahhh. I suree like gin...

rthompson80819



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Quote
fill the pan with enough cheap Gin to cover the keyboard

I'm not a big fan of Gin, but that sure seems like a waste of booze.

patio

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Especially when isopropyl rubbing alcohol would accomplish the same thing...
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soybean



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Try Cyber Clean.
If you look at how this product works, it makes sense to use it for cleaning a keyboard.

patio

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Put it in the top rack of the dishwasher...give it an extra dry cycle...
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If you look at how this product works, it makes sense to use it for cleaning a keyboard.

I on the other hand, have a different take.

Take note specifically of the VERY CAREFUL wording they use.

namely,
Quote
physically removes 99.999% of harmful particles

which is completely dependent on what you define as a harmful particle. it seems to explicitly avoid saying "germs" or "bacteria" which implies that it really doesn't do a bloody thing to them.

Also, more interesting wording-

Quote
Catches dirt and harmful particles!

Visibly removes dust and crumbs, penetrates in cavities and cleans where conventional cleaners fail.
which finally defines (if only in a loose and implied sense) what they regard as harmful particles. apparently, crumbs and dust are considered harmful. I suppose they could be in certain cases. Still no mention of germs or bacteria, this would be an ideal time to set our minds at ease and say "yes, despite not mentioning and even avoiding saying it, we do clean germs and bacteria from things".

Looking closer at the site and their "instructions" the product appears to be silly putty. Or at least some bastardized form of silly putty. They put strong emphasis that the product has a "pH" level different from neutral, as if it's notable in killing germs. Considering it takes about 30 seconds to kill most germs with direct contact to hydrochloric acid, even if it does have a different pH level I can't see what possible effect it would have. especially when the video doesn't show the stuff being in contact with any surface more more then about a second. And it certainly doesn't show the users skin peeling off or their flesh being eaten away. On the other hand, they really missed an opportunity to capitalize truly on the different Ph level, by calling the product Silly pHutty. Oh well.

They also seem particularly proud of the fact that they use a "swiss formula". I've never quite understood companies need to label a formula as if it's from some country, or why they predominantly choose "swiss" for almost everything. You don't see "patented German formula" or "patented Australian Formula" very often, and usually when it does appear that country has some sort of connection with the product. they might say "Patented Australian formula" for a Dingo or kangaroo repellent... but we all know how well the swiss are know for their cleaning agents and so forth which is, not at all, to my understanding They mostly seem known for their high quality watches and conversely low quality furniture.for some reason, they decided to put this declaration of swiss origin in quotes, which seems a little curious. "well, tom in marketing <said> it was a swiss formula, but nobody really knows. we just wanted something catchy that was at least big enough to cover up where the weird blob guy's torso disappears... we didn't think of using patent until after we had already saved the file as a jpg and deleted the PSD, so oh well."

Also, IMO it doesn't make sense for cleaning a keyboard. if you look closely, you'll notice that most keys form the approximate shape of a cut pyramid (trapezoidal prism, I think they might be called) Sure, the product might pick up crud from directly beneath the gaps between the keys, but it certainly doesn't expand to fill up the entire empty space underneath the keys, which is where most crud hides eventually. And if it did you would just be ripping of a bit of it and leaving both the crud and a large chunk of the product underneath the keyboard.
I was trying to dereference Null Pointers before it was cool.

soybean



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Seems to me this discussion has not covered some techniques that can be used to clean keyboards.  What about vacuum cleaners?  I occasionally use a vacuum cleaner on a keyboard and find that to be quite helpful. 

And, for a very dirty keyboard, one where crud has accumulated under the keys, removal of keys may be the best approach, although I'm inclined to think of this as a last resort. 

Edit: I'd avoid removing the space bar key unless absolutely necessary.  I once removed a space bar key and found that it has some special spring-type pieces under it that fell out when I removed the key and I was not able to get that properly re-assembled.

patio

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Keyboard replacement hasn't been discussed either...
" Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "