Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

skyRanger

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 4, 2016
6
0
I was cleaning my macbook yesterday while it was on (which is dumb yes). I pressed all the keys while it was happening and it entered a lot of options and blah blah. I thought it wasn't a big deal and nothing bad was going to happen. SO then I leave the computer and don't touch it for like 50 mins. I come back, turn it on and it asks for my password (which is normal for my laptop after the sleep) but when I type the password it doesn't type anything. I got pretty freaked out. I restarted laptop and i got the same thing.

I decided to let it dry, thinking it maybe water damage, for 24 hours and nothing. But today I was googling stuff and I found out that i probably disabled mouse keys. Unfortunately theres no like numlock button on mac so i can't do that. Just recently I tried holding "option" button and it started typing on every number key except "1" which is a part of my password. Whereas if i dont hold option key , those nuumber keys dont work at all. Also keys like enter, tab, caps lock etc. work fine by themselves.

Please help! I don't think I have liquid damage. My laptop runs fine and just like before. The only problem i have is keyboard and some keys do work. I dont want to take it to repair cause i feel like it can get fixed easily. Maybe I pressed something that disabled keybaord before it went to sleep?

I appreciate any help
 

chscag

macrumors 601
Feb 17, 2008
4,622
1,946
Fort Worth, Texas
I guess we should first ask... what did you clean the keyboard with? And yes, it does sound like you may have done some liquid damage to the keyboard.
 

skyRanger

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 4, 2016
6
0
I guess we should first ask... what did you clean the keyboard with? And yes, it does sound like you may have done some liquid damage to the keyboard.

A household product. I cleaned underneath the keys and let it dry for 24+ hours
 

chscag

macrumors 601
Feb 17, 2008
4,622
1,946
Fort Worth, Texas
I wish you luck with that keyboard but I've seen several of them ruined doing exactly what you did. Keyboards should only be cleaned with a can of compressed air blowing around the keys from 6 inches away.
 

DeltaMac

macrumors G5
Jul 30, 2003
13,425
4,392
Delaware
It will make a difference what you mean by "household product"?
You might say that drain cleaner is a household product, right?

I could not recommend most "household products" for use when cleaning any computer (even if it runs Windows :) ).
You also hear about folks that take the key caps off an older Mac external keyboard, and run the keyboard through a dishwasher cycle. I can't recommend that either, but I have read that some have had success without damaging the keyboard. I would have to convince someone that I know to try that, and see how that turns out.
And, I would never get it so damp that it needs to dry out for 24 hours.... 'nuff said
 

richard2

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2010
236
51
England, United Kingdom
I know from personal experience that liquid damage can affect only a single key — in my case it was the left shift key. :oops:

By the way, the following is the safest and most efficient method of cleaning my MacBook Pro I've discovered:

  1. Dampen a small area of a microfibre cloth with water using a spray bottle. (You must use a microfibre cloth.)
  2. Fold a dry part of the cloth over the damp part and then squeeze the enveloped damp part for a few seconds.
  3. Unfold the cloth and then gently wipe the keyboard and trackpad with the damp part of the cloth. If you used the correct amount of water, then the thin layer of water left on the computer will evaporate within a few seconds.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.