Split Soda over keyboard.

etha6460 said:

Hello, I've been a lurker for a while but just had an accident a few days ago and wanted some opinions on what to do.
I had just recieved my new MBP and was browsing ect. when a sibling came and knocked over my soda that was sitting beside the mac. Needless to say, it spilt all over my literally brand new keyboard. Luckily I instantly flipped it over and wiped it all down with paper towel- I let it sit for 24 hours and booted up my "new" laptop. Nothing is malfunctioning, the only issue is the keys now make a "crunching" or "popping" noise when I type. I cleaned the keys and mechanism with water, but it still persists; it also seems I have made some keys backlight now shine through the actual letter aswell. I may try isopropyl alcohol but I figured I might as well just replace it if they continue crunching whenever I type.
I'm just curious if any of you have any tips on how to clean the keys or if anyone knows how much for a purely new aesthetic portion of the keyboard- all components are fine and all buttons still work.
Thank you!(sorry for the redundant question that I'm sure is over-asked)

Side Note on the MBP:
Love it! I had upgraded from a MB Air to this-I'm typing on it now! Awesome, fast, and brilliantly designed(except for those non-spill proof keys! )

Click to expand...

Several people have had that problem and posted here, unfortunately, I can't remember exactly the advice. However, I do remember that since it is soda, it will leave a residue and other things that can eventually mess up your computer. Since your keys are already affected, it may just be a matter of time before some sort of issue that can fry your electronics. And unfortunately, since it is liquid damaged and it probably activated the moisture sensor, your AppleCare is now void.

etha6460 said:

Hello, I've been a lurker for a while but just had an accident a few days ago and wanted some opinions on what to do.
I had just recieved my new MBP and was browsing ect. when a sibling came and knocked over my soda that was sitting beside the mac. Needless to say, it spilt all over my literally brand new keyboard. Luckily I instantly flipped it over and wiped it all down with paper towel- I let it sit for 24 hours and booted up my "new" laptop. Nothing is malfunctioning, the only issue is the keys now make a "crunching" or "popping" noise when I type. I cleaned the keys and mechanism with water, but it still persists; it also seems I have made some keys backlight now shine through the actual letter aswell. I may try isopropyl alcohol but I figured I might as well just replace it if they continue crunching whenever I type.
I'm just curious if any of you have any tips on how to clean the keys or if anyone knows how much for a purely new aesthetic portion of the keyboard- all components are fine and all buttons still work.
Thank you!(sorry for the redundant question that I'm sure is over-asked)

Side Note on the MBP:
Love it! I had upgraded from a MB Air to this-I'm typing on it now! Awesome, fast, and brilliantly designed(except for those non-spill proof keys! )

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about that mishap. Sodas contain acids that in addition to doing a number on the enamel of your teeth, usually ruin keyboards. You've been lucky so far, but the corrosive properties of that spilled soda may still manifest themselves later on. Your best bet is to have the MBP taken apart asap, by a qualified tech, and the interior as well as the keyboard internals, examined and cleaned, to prevent any future internal corrosion.

But even plain water can ruin your keyboard, and I would seriously consider investing in one of those silicon keyboard protectors like iSkins or similar; that 20-25 bucks could be saving your bacon if it ever happens again.
http://www.google.ca/search?client=...&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=jlQQU7ebNaPE8gfy04G4Bg
http://www.iskin.com/products/protouch/

Obviously with a new system, it is wise to do everything possible you can to get stuff cleaned.

But I want to just give a counterpoint to the idea that things always get worse over time. A few years ago "in a moment of passion" some wine got spilled on my awesome 2006 Powerbook 15" hires. Immediately flipped it upside down and turned it off (unfortunately that took holding the power button for several seconds). Everything that got screwed up by this; like it continually alternates between thinking it is charging and on battery if the battery is in, some kb keys not working, have been that way for years.

This happened in 2011 some time, and that machine has been running as my torrent machine (with an external hd) ever since. So yes, I did have to repurpose the machine, but with an external KB it still works (I do most operating of it via Screen Sharing).

So at least in my case, it hasn't gotten worse over time.

I do have access to deionized water at my work, and I brought home a couple gallons a while back, but even though it intuitively makes sense that cleaning with DIW and allowing complete drying would have the best chance of fixing things, some things may be permanently damaged and I don't think a DIW wash is worth the effort/risk.

Can you pop the keys on this model? If so I would do that and clean keys and area underneath with alcohol (not water) using qtips or similar.

Tumbleweed666 said:

Can you pop the keys on this model? If so I would do that and clean keys and area underneath with alcohol (not water) using qtips or similar.

Click to expand...

If it’s a new MPB, you will not be able to do that.

etha6460 said:

Hello, I've been a lurker for a while but just had an accident a few days ago and wanted some opinions on what to do.
I had just recieved my new MBP and was browsing ect. when a sibling came and knocked over my soda that was sitting beside the mac. Needless to say, it spilt all over my literally brand new keyboard. Luckily I instantly flipped it over and wiped it all down with paper towel- I let it sit for 24 hours and booted up my "new" laptop. Nothing is malfunctioning, the only issue is the keys now make a "crunching" or "popping" noise when I type. I cleaned the keys and mechanism with water, but it still persists; it also seems I have made some keys backlight now shine through the actual letter aswell. I may try isopropyl alcohol but I figured I might as well just replace it if they continue crunching whenever I type.
I'm just curious if any of you have any tips on how to clean the keys or if anyone knows how much for a purely new aesthetic portion of the keyboard- all components are fine and all buttons still work.
Thank you!(sorry for the redundant question that I'm sure is over-asked)

Side Note on the MBP:
Love it! I had upgraded from a MB Air to this-I'm typing on it now! Awesome, fast, and brilliantly designed(except for those non-spill proof keys! )

Click to expand...

Call your local Apple Store and ask them about this. It may or may not void your warranty. They will probably charge you to clean your keyboard or replace it. This probably won't be a cheap fix either way, but this is a new machine and you don't want to this issue to cause problems in the future.

pdjudd said:

If it’s a new MPB, you will not be able to do that.

Click to expand...

Really? I took off the keys on my 2007 MB. When I bought my 2012 Mac Mini I bought a wireless keyboard. I asked the sales person at the Apple store if the keys were removable and he said no. I bought it anyway and it turned out he was wrong. I think I took off a key from a 2006 MBP, which is lit which would take away the backlighting argument.

BTW, I remove the keys so I can re-arrange them. I type with the Dvorak layout. For years I typed with a Keytronics KB101 keyboard as that company sold remapped keys and a remapping chip for the Dvorak layout. Once a year I would take the keys off and clean them as they would get dirty in the absence of replacing the keyboard every 3 to 4 years as people do when getting a new computer. I used an ultrasonic cleaner we have at work to clean them. There's a special powder that is used with the cleaner.

As to the demineralized water, that sounds a little questionable. Are you hoping to prevent conductivity by using this? If so, I would suggest that even a small amount of contaminant would render it conductive again and there's probably plenty of that inside your computer, if not from manufacture then from your soda. I usually use alcohol in situations like these as it grabs the water and washes it away and the remaining alcohol evaporates quickly. If it were my computer I would probably take it to Apple and have a new keyboard installed rather than mess around with it myself. On a used machine I would go at it as I'm fairly skilled at these things, but being that it's a new machine I would rather pay Apple to get it right.