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mdc · Mar 13, 2003, 11:45 AM

i am sitting outside my house right now, it is such a nice day, and add that to how awesome airport is

it's bright out here, and i have just noticed that there is some dust and stuff collecting under the keyboard.

any ideas how to get this out? preferably without popping off the keys.

suprz's ghost · Mar 13, 2003, 01:52 PM

try a can of compressed air?

and by the way, IT'S SNOWING UP HERE!!!
damn you for having sunshine.....

-Q- · Mar 13, 2003, 02:25 PM

I've heard you can run a keyboard through a dishwasher w/out harm. I've never done it myself, so it could be an urban legend. But the concept is sound...well, as sound as the idea of running electronics through a dishwasher is.

xtal · Mar 13, 2003, 02:44 PM

Compressed air works fairly well for me. You just have to be a bit diligent. I use a thin 'straw-like' attachment for the compressed air so it's a bit more directional and focused.

Happy cleaning!

GRAHAMUK · Mar 13, 2003, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by -Q-:
I've heard you can run a keyboard through a dishwasher w/out harm. I've never done it myself, so it could be an urban legend. But the concept is sound...well, as sound as the idea of running electronics through a dishwasher is.

Blimey, that sounds risky!! Dishwashers are very abrasive, that's how they get the crud off your plates. It would probably sandblast the lettering off the keys! And that's assuming the boiling water doesn't kill it. Personally I think whoever suggested this originally was either deluded or being very mischievous

A better idea is to use a vacuum cleaner - most come with a small nozzle with a circular brush around it - running that gently over the keyboard gets most of the crumbs and fluff out of it. Works for me.

stew · Mar 13, 2003, 03:01 PM

You can clean the plastic parts of a keyboard in the dishwasher without problems, a former coworker of mine used to do that. I would recommend it for the iBooks keyboard though...

What's wrong with popping off keys? If you do that, you can clean them in soap water while going over the keyboard with a vacuum cleaner.

iamnid · Mar 13, 2003, 10:28 PM

remove the keyboard halfway (same way you added your airport card) and then holding the keyboard at an angle, blast it with the compressed air... that should do it.

mdc · Mar 14, 2003, 12:56 AM

thanks for the dishwasher idea, but no, i will not be trying that one. anyone else want to try and post results? when ever i opened the dishwasher mid cycle, it was *damn* hot in there. i wonder if it would warp the keyboard.

just after posting, i thought of the compressed air. i picked up a can and it worked wonders. took the keyboard half out and sprayed air at it.

thanks

Carrot · Mar 14, 2003, 01:26 AM

What's wrong with popping off keys? If you do that, you can clean them in soap water while going over the keyboard with a vacuum cleaner.

nothing! that's how i do it too!

SPiNdustrious · Mar 14, 2003, 08:23 PM

I use tweezers for the bits of hair and lint.

I drag thin alcohol "prep pads" underneath the keys using the tweezers. This cleans the crevices and the undersides of the keys nicely.

I'm not too big on popping off keys...

-Peter

neilnet · Mar 16, 2003, 12:55 PM

Alrighty then all you keypoppers!

I jus tried popping off the keys and am serriously confuesed with the space bar. I took it off but now when I've popped it on one side sits substantially lower than the other.

I note that the little bars inside (silver) don't appear to do anything in this position. I'm guessing the large bar fits the small holes, but it's too small to do that - I can line it up and pop it in but a few seconds later the bars will just fall out. Does the fact that the other bar (the one with the ends pointing inward) isn't doing anything make a difference?

It's a *real* nuisance as the space bar is kind of important.

All help is appreciated and anybody posting photo's will hit a 10 on my indefinitely-owed-ometer.

-Neil

Peter · Mar 16, 2003, 02:39 PM

to pop the keys off. How?
Do you just put somthing under a key and litterally pop the key off. Or is there a technique?

mdc · Mar 16, 2003, 03:04 PM

and this is the reason i was not interested in popping off the keys.

a $6.99 can of air worked for me

kentuckyfried · Mar 17, 2003, 04:50 PM

No way am I ever gonna try that on any computer. That's just a bad idea.

Originally posted by mdc:
thanks for the dishwasher idea, but no, i will not be trying that one. anyone else want to try and post results? when ever i opened the dishwasher mid cycle, it was *damn* hot in there. i wonder if it would warp the keyboard.

just after posting, i thought of the compressed air. i picked up a can and it worked wonders. took the keyboard half out and sprayed air at it.

thanks