Can I clean an Apple Keyboard with alcohol?

I don't know if the alcohol would damage the keyboard or not, but alcohol is generally discouraged when you're cleaning things with a shiny finish, for fear that the alcohol may dissolve the finish. In the case of the keyboard, I don't think anything will likely dissolve in the process.

I would say that using alcohol would be fine, but I'd still rather use a moist, soapy cloth, and then wash with a moist soapless cloth.

I use it. On a cloth w/ some water. Fingers=germs on keyboard. Alcohol kills germs. Don't over wet the keyboard or over scrub.

Thedutchjelle said:

The Apple website doesn't state I cannot use alcohol to clean a keyboard, while it mentions so for the other Apple products (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3226 ).

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You need to read the information in the link you posted more carefully. It says:

Don’t use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives to clean...

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That goes for all Apple products.

How to clean Apple products

Apple also gives instructions on how to clean your Mac in the User Guides for the MBA, MBP and iMac:

Cleaning your Mac When cleaning the outside of your Mac and its components, first shut down your Mac, and then unplug the power adapter. Then use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth to clean the Mac exterior. Avoid getting moisture in any openings. Do not spray liquid directly on the computer. Do not use aerosol sprays, solvents, or abrasives that might damage the finish.

Cleaning the Mac screen To clean your Mac screen, first shut down your Mac and unplug the power adapter. Then use a soft, lint-free cloth dampened with just water and wipe the screen. Do not spray liquid directly on the screen.

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Also, you'll find plenty of suggestions by searching through the many existing threads on this topic.

LFMNX said:

Fingers=germs on keyboard. Alcohol kills germs.

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Oh don't be silly. There's so many germs on your fingers and everything around you already like you wouldn't believe, and nor should you try to kill them either.

A, because humans are actually adjusted to live with lots of germs on our skin and we even depend on them to stay healthy, and...

B, killing germs help make them stronger and harder to kill, because not all germs will die and those who survive will spread their superior genes to their descendants. Therefore, don't buy, or use anti-bacterial ANYTHING, unless you're a surgeon and are scrubbing in for an operation or something like that. That means no anti-bacterial soap, dishwashing liquid, cleaning spray, mouthwash, toothpaste and so on. All of that junk just toughen those little buggers up more and make the dangerous bacteria even more dangerous.

Theoretically btw, chemical products might wipe off the print on the keyboard keys. Product manuals typically discourage the use of any volatile solvents (such as alcohol, or thinner) for this reason. Some volatiles will actually attack the plastic itself, although alcohol probably isn't strong enough to do that.

Bah! Don't even give it a second thought. I use isopryl alcohol (90%) to clean my keyboards all the time. It makes them look like new. I've also used it to clean up grimy spots on white MacBooks with excellent results.

Basically rubbing alcohol + a ton of q-tips = squeaky clean keyboards.