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Darn Shiny keys!!

Technerd108

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 24, 2021
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I understand that Apple uses cheap keyboard abs plastic keyboard keys and I really don't know why? I have had multiple MacBook Pro's, and now my M2 MBA and it is already got shiny keys. No matter how you clean them it doesn't go away. no matter if you wash your hands etc. Shiny darn keys.

I have had multiple Windows laptops and I have never had this issue. It looks really bad and happens really fast. Surely I am not the only one who it bothers and Apple has been using these keys for years so I am sure many other people have complained.

Why do they use such crappy materials on their keyboards?
 
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rpmurray said:
They want you to buy a new laptop every year or so.
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How about a couple months. It doesn't take very long.

I mean the rest of the laptops build quality is so good. It is just a confounding decision and I don't understand why more people don't complain about it because even on budget Chromebooks the keycaps are better.

Some people pay more than 5k for a M1 16" MBP and they have the same problem. Doesn't it bother them??

It just seems unacceptable at the price range Apple is charging and there really isn't any reason for it other than as you said a wear point to get people to sell their device before they should.
 
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This is the one reason I was actually hoping for the white keyboard/white bezelled MacBook that was rumoured as the white keys don’t really show this, and in my experience don’t discolour either.
 
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My son and I love MacBooks and we talked about this when I got my M2 Air in July. Believe it or not mine don't shine yet. About once a week I gently wipe the keys and the overall case with Apple's expensive wiping cloth. The popular keys and home keys tend to get oily but the cloth gets if off. I do usually wash my hands good like you before getting on. But so far so good.
 
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Piscestg said:
My son and I love MacBooks and we talked about this when I got my M2 Air in July. Believe it or not mine don't shine yet. About once a week I gently wipe the keys and the overall case with Apple's expensive wiping cloth. The popular keys and home keys tend to get oily but the cloth gets if off. I do usually wash my hands good like you before getting on. But so far so good.
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I clean my keyboard with a microfiber cloth after each use and I have had the laptop for about a little over 3 months and several keys and the space bar have shiny areas.

It is obviously not a huge deal but it looks ugly and the finish on the keys should stay normal for at least a year.

The keyboard is one of the main areas of interaction on the laptop. Why have a glass trackpad that doesn't show wear if your keyboard does in just a few months?
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I use a keyboard cover. While I have had shiny keys in the past, seeing them really bugs me.
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I think a keyboard cover would bother me more than shiny keys but that is me. Keyboard covers have that plastic on the couch feel to me.

But I totally understand why you would do it. It just bugs me that we would have to do that not to get shiny keys when I have used a lot of other Windows laptops that don't have these issues like Microsoft surface laptops with black plastic keys.
 
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Technerd108 said:
I think a keyboard cover would bother me more than shiny keys but that is me. Keyboard covers have that plastic on the couch feel to me.

But I totally understand why you would do it. It just bugs me that we would have to do that not to get shiny keys when I have used a lot of other Windows laptops that don't have these issues like Microsoft surface laptops with black plastic keys.
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My cover is silicone. It is very soft and doesn’t bother me like the old plastic ones you mentioned.
 
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Do the shiny keys affect how the computer runs in any way? Or are they merely cosmetic?
 
Technerd108 said:
I think a keyboard cover would bother me more than shiny keys but that is me. Keyboard covers have that plastic on the couch feel to me.
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For some reason the silicone keyboard covers always leave a greasy residue on the keys after I've used them for months.

I switched over to using TPU and haven't had a problem since and no shiny keys either. And the TPM plastic is so thin that it's practically invisible. I just pull it off and wash it occasionally.

COOSKIN Keyboard Cover Skin for New 2021 MacBook Pro 14 inch A2442 and MacBook Pro 16 inch A2485 Keyboard Protector
 
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Technerd108 said:
I clean my keyboard with a microfiber cloth after each use and I have had the laptop for about a little over 3 months and several keys and the space bar have shiny areas.

It is obviously not a huge deal but it looks ugly and the finish on the keys should stay normal for at least a year.

The keyboard is one of the main areas of interaction on the laptop. Why have a glass trackpad that doesn't show wear if your keyboard does in just a few months?
Click to expand...
I have the shiny areas also on my M2 keyboard and trackpad. also have them on the Magic Keyboard case for my iPad Pro - keys and trackpad. I have always used iKlear, a screen cleaner made for Apple displays. I use this to clean my phone and iPad screen to remove fingerprints and smudges on those screens. It also completely cleans the keyboard and trackpad of the iPP Magic Keyboard as well as the keys and trackpad on the new M2 MBA. It works very well, just a light spritz on a microfiber cloth and wipe them down and they look just the way they did when I got the devices.

I don’t know whether the "shine" would be as noticeable on a white keyboard but there is no way to prevent fingerprint smudges from appearing on any glass-like surface. One of the issues, among several, keeping me from ever putting a screen protector on my phones and iPads was seeing them on some friends' phones and seeing how horrible they looked with smears, smudges and fingerprints. I assume they could be cleaned off but they looked far worse than my devices ever have.
 
Two images of my Shift key, one before cleaning and one after wiping with a tiny spritz of iKlear. Just wiping with a cloth will not clear smudges. A lightly damp cloth will improve it a little but you’ll still see a little shine, with iKlear no shine.

AF27D636-5B45-4CE3-82EC-EF1654E0CA68.jpeg


F4265B46-F891-4B94-ABAC-FB2CF8A9AD77.jpeg
 
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papbot said:
Two images of my Shift key, one before cleaning and one after wiping with a tiny spritz of iKlear. Just wiping with a cloth will not clear smudges. A lightly damp cloth will improve it a little but you’ll still see a little shine, with iKlear no shine.

View attachment 2143874

View attachment 2143875
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I don't know. I have tried micro fiber cloth with a propylene glycol cleaning solution and it doesn't remove the shine. It removes most of the oils but not the shine?

So you are saying iKlear will completely remove the shine from the keys?

Before I go out and buy it can you post the ingredients? I am curious what is in this magic solution? If it is truly different from what else is on the market I will give it a go. Thanks
 
adrianlondon said:
From the photo, it looks like a greasy finger mark rather than the shiny "wear" type issue.
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I noticed that too. But I am hoping Papbot knows the difference. That is why I want to know what is in the cleaner. If it is a similar formula to most safe cleaners then I will still have my doubts but if it is very different maybe it actually works??

Also it really depends on use and age. If the laptop is relatively new like a month or two it might not show the issue yet.
 
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papbot said:
Two images of my Shift key, one before cleaning and one after wiping with a tiny spritz of iKlear. Just wiping with a cloth will not clear smudges. A lightly damp cloth will improve it a little but you’ll still see a little shine, with iKlear no shine.

View attachment 2143874

View attachment 2143875
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How old is your MacBook? How much use on keyboard?

In the first month or so you can clean the oils off the keyboard with no shine. It takes a while for the permanent shine to develop. Still should not happen in 3 months or so but certainly takes a couple months of use before the shine doesn't clean away.
 
Technerd108 said:
That is why I want to know what is in the cleaner.
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Tough one, not much info on the bottle I have, nor their website. I've used the product since prob 2006 but on older KB, MBP surfaces (and screens) that never suffered from shiny keys to begin with.

This from a 3rd party safety analysis report from the early days, indeed their formula's more than likely changed:

iKlear.png
 
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Alpha Centauri said:
Tough one, not much info on the bottle I have, nor their website. I've used the product since prob 2006 but on older KB, MBP surfaces (and screens) that never suffered from shiny keys to begin with.

This from a 3rd party safety analysis report from the early days, indeed their formula's more than likely changed:

View attachment 2143904
Click to expand...
So you use this product and never had shiny keys? Every MacBook I have ever had developed this issue.

I hope it will work after the shine is on the keys. I will give it a go. Certainly looks different than the cleaners I have used. Thank you.
 
Technerd108 said:
Also it really depends on use and age. If the laptop is relatively new like a month or two it might not show the issue yet.
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I have only had it for a month so I will reserve a final conclusion. I looked at my 2013 MBP and it does definitely have a permanent shine on those keys. So I’m guessing all such keyboards eventually will. How long it will take on my new MBA I don’t know since my usage is light. Until then I’ll keep using iKlear occasionally to get rid of the early days shine. It really is a good product, I have probably used it for over 10 years on just about everything. The only aggravation is that I’m used to shutting a laptop down when cleaning the keyboard, and I can’t do that with this without restarting it every time I touch a key.

I have a Smart Keyboard Folio for my ipad and that rubberized material hasn’t ever developed a shine. I really like that material!
 
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