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Definitive Yay or Nay; Cleaning Keyboard in Dishwasher?
- Thread starter andym172
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Let us know how it goes, will you? Mine's kind of grubby...andym172 said: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?
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 https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/129373/ 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!
found the following post at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/129373/ 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!
Even better, watch his/hers expenisve Apple keyboard go round and round before you di it to yours!
L
Lau
Guest
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.
Reminds me of people putting their dogs in the microwave to 'dry' them, except less, you know, squidgy.
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.
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.
the keys on my bluetooth keyboard just snap off... if you have white keys try that before putting it in the dishwasher.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
#1. I wouldn't call a person like that a friend of mine.andym172 said: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?
#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.
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.
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.
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 love the iSkin and I recommend it to EVERYONE to protect their pristine white keys.