Definitive Yay or Nay; Cleaning Keyboard in Dishwasher?

[andym172]

I feel a bit stupid posting this, but I'm assured by a techie friend of mine that I can put my Apple USB keyboard in the dishwasher, and that it will come out all spangly, with keys in tact, and fully working.

Is he having a laugh? :o

[kretzy]

Ask him to prove it with his first.

[skunk]

I feel a bit stupid posting this, but I'm assured by a techie friend of mine that I can put my Apple USB keyboard in the dishwasher, and that it will come out all spangly, with keys in tact, and fully working.

Is he having a laugh? :oLet us know how it goes, will you? Mine's kind of grubby...;)

[flyfish29]

I have heard of people doing this (thought it was in a thread here) when they spill coffee in one, but don't quote me on it. I like the idea of your friend doing his/hers first. If you use compressed "Air" remember the stuff in there is a chemical and not air so keep away from kids (and your nose.)

found the following post at http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=129373&highlight=keyboard+dishwasher I also like the buy a new keyboard every three months post- exravagent but cool if you got the bucks- I just hope he/she donates he keyboard to someone to use.

Post:
Ok this may sound strange, but trust me it works great. You will need a keyboard to borrow for a few days while the other keyboard dries.

Take your keyboard and put it in the dishwasher and run it through a cycle with NO detergent. Just run it throught the whole cycle, then take it out and hang it to dry for a few days. I spilled soda on a keyboard and someone told me to do this and I did, there were no stuck keys and it looked like new.

JUST BE AWARE, THE KEYBOARD MUST BE FULLY DRY BEFORE YOU PLUG IT IN OR YOU RISK FRYING YOU SYSTEM!

[Deepdale]

Why stop with the dishwasher? Once that's done, transfer it to a dryer and make sure it is toasty warm.

[combatcolin]

Even better, watch his/hers expenisve Apple keyboard go round and round before you di it to yours!

[kiwi-in-uk]

Instructions for a Microsoft keyboard here (http://www.rabidhardware.net/index.php?id=9).

[Lau]

I think it might work if you have absolutely nothing to lose and have already spilt something sticky in there (I mean like Coke, you filthy minded lot) but I wouldn't do it just to clean it....

Reminds me of people putting their dogs in the microwave to 'dry' them, except less, you know, squidgy. :p

[MIDI_EVIL]

I would not risk it.

Take it apart and clean it by hand, which i have done myself and the results were amazing. (Black Pro Keyboard)

It did take a couple of hours. They are exremely well built, i think there was about 70-80 screws in total.

Good luck.

Rich.

[Arnaud]

JUST BE AWARE, THE KEYBOARD MUST BE FULLY DRY BEFORE YOU PLUG IT IN OR YOU RISK FRYING YOU SYSTEM!

Ok, the obvious: if you have a Blue Tooth keyboard, take the batteries off...
Although it would work too: self-toasted, you need to buy a new one... Tada, all clean !

"But I was sure it was unplugged !" :D

[adk]

the keys on my bluetooth keyboard just snap off... if you have white keys try that before putting it in the dishwasher.

[plinkoman]

just take the keyboard apart and hand wash everything. i usually do that about once a year. i've found putting all the keys into a strainer and running hot water over them works wonders. ;)

[Kingsly]

I just unplug mine and q-tip it w/ rubbing alcohol. Works like a charm.

[Bubbasteve]

I read an article about this in the Chicago Sun Times and they assured that it worked... I'm not sure if you air dried it or put it in front of a fan.

[tiggle]

My keyboard is a little dusty..it is a BT keyboard though. I can find no answer to whether its ok to immerse and wash a BT keyboard...anyone know or done this?

[munckee]

How about my iBook keyboard? Can I just toss the whole computer in the wash and get it nice and purrrty??

;)

[plinkoman]

How about my iBook keyboard? Can I just toss the whole computer in the wash and get it nice and purrrty??

;)

yea, as long as you unplug it and take the battery out, you should be fine ;) :D

[superbovine]

First, several IT certification including the one that would apply to this situation. When you spill something on a keyboard like coffee or soda you can wash it in the shower then let it dry completely. Completely is the operative word here. This also applies to if you drop an electronic device in salt water or the ocean you need to wash off the salt before it rusts. Again, you need to let it completely dry. If you try to run current through something that is still damp you are going to create a lot of problems. However, all this effort could fail as well.

Now the dishwater part. Keyboards are plastic with a circuit board inside them. Besides a few extra components you don't want being wet that is the main thing you have to protect. Basically if you throw a lot of hot water and heat (drying mode) of a dishwasher you are probably going to damage something. Although, in theory is possible for it work, but I would strongly recommend against this. Keyboard aren't designed to this, if they were it would say on the box.

In other words, don't do it.

[jer446]

yeah why not take the keys off and wash them??

[fowler.]

I'm willing to try this in a few days as I have a couple spare keyboards.

They're pretty dirty and if it works.. they hey, nice. If not, no worries on my part.

[CamH]

Well, I spilled water all over my apple keyboard once and I immediately pulled the it off the computer and let it sit for a few days and it still works fine.

[Laser47]

I remember seeing a pic where someone put their apple pro keyboard in the dishwasher. Unfortunately his dishwasher was on the sanitize which melted all the keys on the keyboard.
So if you try this make sure you dishwasher doesn't have high temperatures.

Also, did the keyboard come with your computer? If so is your computer still covered under warranty. If so just call apple and tell them it doesnt work anymore and they will send you a new one. Then see if putting it in the wash will work :)

It was kinda like this, but this one was melted my a heater.
http://www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

[jessica.]

I feel a bit stupid posting this, but I'm assured by a techie friend of mine that I can put my Apple USB keyboard in the dishwasher, and that it will come out all spangly, with keys in tact, and fully working.

Is he having a laugh? :o
#1. I wouldn't call a person like that a friend of mine.
#2. He is a "technie" by what standards? He is the first person his mom calls when she is confused about how to work the turn dial on her 1970 TV?
#3. No don't put your keyboard in the dishwasher. While putting your keyboard in the dishwasher WILL result in you having a "spangly" keyboard with keys in tact, it will be as a result of you having to BUY a new keyboard. So if you want to speak in hypotheticals then yes, keyboard + dishwasher = new keyboard that will happen to be clean because that is how they happen to sell them.

[cyberddot]

I recently cleaned one of our Mac keyboards using the ol' pop-all-the-keys and clean routine - using a combination of vacuum, cotton-swabs and a slightly alcohol-moistened rag. Tedious? Yes. Concerns about getting water anywhere it shouldn't go? None whatsoever.

I had a techie friend of mine offer the same sort of advice, only he suggested warm water and soap. This technique will work fine with a keyboard you can disassemble via screw-fasteners or some other method that separates a key panel from the guts (that one would leave dry), but since our keyboards are riveted it's kind of hard to seperate the electronics from the just-plastic parts.

[CoMpX]

Just a couple days a go I totally pulled apart my entire Apple BT keyboard and cleaned everything. I put all the keys in a baskets and washed them with soap under hot water. The metal part will all of the buttons on it I kept dry, vacuumed, and wiped with a rag. The clear bottom I washed in the sink...some sticky stuff got in the cracks. And I wiped the bottom white piece. I did all of this and I had a brand-new looking keyboard onto which I put an iSkin. Now it will stay like this and I won't have to pull it apart again. I just have to peel the iSkin off every once in a while and wash that. I only wish I would have bought the iSkin when I first got the keyboard because it has some of those "shiny" spots on the keys from heavy use.

I love the iSkin and I recommend it to EVERYONE to protect their pristine white keys. ;)

[ChrisA]

I feel a bit stupid posting this, but I'm assured by a techie friend of mine that I can put my Apple USB keyboard in the dishwasher, and that it will come out all spangly, with keys in tact, and fully working.

Is he having a laugh? :o

This can be done as a "last resort" effort if you get some sticky stuff inside and the keyboard won't work. Like say you spill a can of coke on it. The idea is that the dishwasher trick might just maybe fix it and you have nothing to loose because it's dead anyway. I would never put a funtional keyboard in a dishwasher as there is a better than even chance it will be non-funtional after.

The best way to clean them that I've found is to hold them upside down and a use a vacuum clear brush attachment. After that continue to hold it upside down and use 100% alcohol (the kind you get at the drug store for about a buck a bottle) soaked into a paper towel. It does a good job of desolving the fingerprint oil and dirt but you still do have to rub each key for a while. Do it with the keyboard inverted so that drops fall away from, not into the keys.

The dishwasher trick has about a 20% chance of bringing a dead keyboard back and maybe a 60% chance of destroying a good keyboard.

[fowler.]

i washed mine yesterday. keys feel A LOT better. now if they'd only work :p

seems like it's getting better though. yesterday, no response, today, keys work, but they're applying the wrong letters and too many strokes.

maybe tomorrow.

[DougTheImpaler]

heh, I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.

[Koodauw]

Guys, my MPB keyboard and screen are starting to get dirty, It should be safe to toss that in the dishwasher too right? I mean ill take out he battery and all.

[Eniregnat]

I wouldn't do it.
If I were to soak a keyboard clean, and I have due to soda or rain damage, I do the following.

DI water(if you can't find deionized water, distilled will work) .
Several washings.

Finally, cleaned with 91% or better (97%-99% is optimal) isopropanol.
Usually, a spraying with a squirt bottle, and then with a final heavy rinse in isopropanol. Anhydrous isopropanol will wick water away and from a complex, thus "locking" up any of the left over water. It will dry your hands out.

The reason I question this is that a dishwasher doesn’t use DI water, thus leaving minerals and soap, heating will stress components, and any of the silicon lubricant that the switches have will be completely removed.

[mad jew]

If you've ever been in a dishwasher, you'll know that it's pretty hectic and wet in there. I don't think keyboards belong in dishwashers.

[Eniregnat]

Could somebody remember to repost this question on April 1st.

[jalagl]

A coworker once spilled liquid yogurt on his keyboard - minutes later it was crawling with ants.

What we did was to hose the keyboard, and then left it laying outside in the Sun for a two days. That was more than 3 years ago, and the keyboard is stil working!

I think the key is to let it dry completely before using it again.

[weg]

Post:
Ok this may sound strange, but trust me it works great. You will need a keyboard to borrow for a few days while the other keyboard dries.

Take your keyboard and put it in the dishwasher and run it through a cycle with NO detergent. Just run it throught the whole cycle, then take it out and hang it to dry for a few days. I spilled soda on a keyboard and someone told me to do this and I did, there were no stuck keys and it looked like new.


When I try this with my Powerbook keyboard, do you think I should take it off first, or should I put it into the dishwasher together with the rest of my PB? :D

EDIT: Oops, sorry, seems like Koodauw had that idea before... ;)

[FoxyKaye]

We've had a few folks in the office have "oopsies" with various drinks over their keyboards. The worst was an entire cup of coffee. I thought, "for sure this keyboard's a goner." And, rather then spend time pulling it apart and cleaning the keys, etc. with air, rubbing alcohol and other items (BTW, the pulled off keys in a strainer really does work - I've tossed a handful of them on a paper towl and run them under running water), I thought, "what the heck, there's nothing to lose," and angrily ran the entire keyboard under a running faucet.

After sloshing the water around on the keyboard, running it under water until it ran clear, I turned it upside down and leaned it in a corner of my office. There it sat for a couple months, until one day I needed a spare keyboard and grabbed it to use on an iMac. Worked like a charm, no sticky keys, no input problems.

Didn't someone once say that rage is the mother of invention? Or was that necessity?

[Eniregnat]

Regular keyboards (PS2/mini DIN) are a whole lot more robust that the ones in our laptops.

I came up with my DI water and alcohol routine out of necessity. I actuality cleaned an entire PC this way, and it worked. I was on a job site and management had worried that the new POS system might get stolen. They locked it in an old walking cooler. The cooler filled with water, and we found the 286s floating in water. The POS terminals were sealed. So with water, alcohol, and a hair dryer, my partner and I managed to get the restaurant open on time. It also saved the company thousands of dollars. (Insurance was an issue due to time and due to the fact the computers were unpacked.) - I think I was raging at the time.

I use the technique on some control boxes in my recording studio, that routinely get doused with coffee and coke (The Tallent is tallented.)

I have never heard of using a dishwasher.

[chaos86]

my keyboard was dirty so i did this. it killed my powerbook!

[fowler.]

well, it works fine now. like, 4 or so days after I did it.

now, lets see how long it takes for a nano to come back to life :(

[flyfish29]

well, it works fine now. like, 4 or so days after I did it.

now, lets see how long it takes for a nano to come back to life :(

This doesn't surprise me. Everytime I have had someone recommend it that has done it has said you have to give it a week or so to dry throughly.

[yoyis]

hey i dont know what to do
i left a frozen bottle on my desk and at night it unfroze and the water ran down to my keyboard, and at first the keys were wrong but know when i connect it it makes a beeping noise and it wont work at all, what should i do?
should i just let it sit after all it was just water.

[flyfish29]

hey i dont know what to do
i left a frozen bottle on my desk and at night it unfroze and the water ran down to my keyboard, and at first the keys were wrong but know when i connect it it makes a beeping noise and it wont work at all, what should i do?
should i just let it sit after all it was just water.

Yes, let it throughly dry- depending on how much water it could take a few days. I would type all the keys a few times a few times a day to work out any water from the nooks and crannies of the keyboard. Never connect something to a computer that may have moisture in it still- not good combination- water and electricity~:eek:

[shipdestroyer]

I wouldn't wash it with dirty dishes/detergent and would probably disable the drying phase. If left to dry long enough it should be alright.

I'd still take it apart and clean with alcohol though :)

[eyebeaz]

I want to know who the first person was to try this haha the whole idea seems kind of crazy to me.

[itsallinurhead]

Just a couple days a go I totally pulled apart my entire Apple BT keyboard and cleaned everything. I put all the keys in a baskets and washed them with soap under hot water. The metal part will all of the buttons on it I kept dry, vacuumed, and wiped with a rag. The clear bottom I washed in the sink...some sticky stuff got in the cracks. And I wiped the bottom white piece. I did all of this and I had a brand-new looking keyboard onto which I put an iSkin. Now it will stay like this and I won't have to pull it apart again. I just have to peel the iSkin off every once in a while and wash that. I only wish I would have bought the iSkin when I first got the keyboard because it has some of those "shiny" spots on the keys from heavy use.

I love the iSkin and I recommend it to EVERYONE to protect their pristine white keys. ;)

I have an iSkin on mine and I find it stupidly hard to press the spacebar.