Shiny Keys

[MikeM87]

Hey,

Am sure many of you have the same problem as me where some keys are shiny on the MacBook Pro where they have been used more than others. Just wondering if any of you have found a solution to this.
_____________________________
MacBook Pro 13"
iPad 1 32gb Wifi+3G
iPhone 4 16GB

 

[RetepNamenots]

Hey,

Am sure many of you have the same problem as me where some keys are shiny on the MacBook Pro where they have been used more than others. Just wondering if any of you have found a solution to this.

Are you sure it isn't just a bit of grease? When I've seen this before a quick wipe down will usually clean it up.

 

[MikeM87]

no am pretty sure its wear the keys are wore a little or something just wondering if there a was to get them like new or what cleaner do you use on them.

Just a little bit of OCD here haha

 

[mape2k]

Well how old is your MBP and how much do you type on it? Its perfectly normal for things that get used often to show some level of wear...
The fix would be not to use your keyboard anymore.

 

[Ceebee1980]

Just choose your words carefully, so as to use the letters evenly ...

 

[MikeM87]

Its a 2010 map book pro. Dont get me wrong its not bad at all really just wondering if anyone knows of a good way to restore the keys (if its even possible)

 

[NickZac]

I have the same issue; it is oil. I assume you use your computer a lot. The oil on our hands is quite bad for some materials. Furthermore, it can kill other animals, which is why they say rinse your hands in water before handing live aquatic animals. Some people say Windex helps it, but I've always been hesitant to use ammonia on a surface such as that on the MBP, as well as it's known inability to survive any real water attack. I use the 3M Microfiber Electronics Cloth with decent results, and its good for the screen too.

 

[mtip]

A clean piece of (microfiber) cloth and a bit of rubbing alcohol. They'll be like new.

 

[palpatine]

A clean piece of (microfiber) cloth and a bit of rubbing alcohol. They'll be like new.

Maybe. I'll be interested to hear if this works.

My netbook keys clearly show shiny wear, and no amount of cleaning has helped. With my Macbook, I use a USB keyboard most of the time, so I don't anticipate running into this problem.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

I try to use iKlear every so often. You can still see visible wear especially on the spacebar but it isn't as bad as if you've never cleaned it off.

 

[204353]

I'm pretty sure that the wear is permanent. It's completely normal for keyboards to wear down over time, for obvious reasons. A nice thing about your MacBook Pro, however, is that the lettering on the keys will never wear aware because it's made from translucent cut-outs inside the keys (in order to let the backlight shine through).

 

[Mickyfin]

It's exactly this reason I decided to get a Griffin Elevator, but not before buying a Moshi clear guard for my Mac, then a BK Covers keyboard cover for my Apple Wireless Keyboard with black keys, as I wasn't keen on the white keys.

 

[mape2k]

You could also use the eraser ends of 2 pencils to type, this would greatly reduce wear!

 

[Macsavvytech]

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Its a 2010 map book pro. Dont get me wrong its not bad at all really just wondering if anyone knows of a good way to restore the keys (if its even possible)

Doubt wear is the problem then...
Further reading of all posts proves my point, although technically still wear oil is the problem, my normal solution is to get a screen cleaning kit and use it on the keys as well, I use my MBP all the time and live in the tropics, the method described above has always fixed it for me.

 

[Kissaragi]

clearly sandpaper is the answer here, 80 grit should rough them up nicely.

 

[ctyhntr]

Have you tried using a silicone keyboard skin?

 

[Lumpydog]

Finger Polished....

This is common with keyboards - some refer to it as "finger polished". Your finger tips are abrasive. Repeted rubbing of the keys via typing polishes the surface. Some keyboards handle this better than others.

Notice that the letters on each key are in the upper left. This is to prevent then from getting polished off over time. Additionally, the lettering is made out of a material that does a better job of resisting finger polishing.

 

[204353]

Notice that the letters on each key are in the upper left. This is to prevent then from getting polished off over time. Additionally, the lettering is made out of a material that does a better job of resisting finger polishing.

Are you using an old Apple keyboard or an international one maybe? All the Macs since about 2005/6 have had their letters placed in the centre of the keys. In the case of backlit keyboards, the lettering is cut out to be translucent through the plastic, so they'll never be worn away.