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

Getting oil off of alum macbook keys

T

thecoffeebean

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
6
0
Hi everyone,

I bet this question has been posted already, but I'm new so I will post it anyway. What is the best way to get the oil from my fingers off of my macbook keys? I've heard different things from Magic Eraser to toothpaste, so I'd really appreciate it if any of you could let me know what your experience has been. I've only had my macbook for a few months but I'm a law student so I use it all the time and now the keys are shiny. Gross, I know. Help please!

Thanks
 
domcole said:
The 'Search' button is your friend :rolleyes:

https://forums.macrumors.com/search/
Click to expand...

These are probably the worst posts on forums, JUST telling someone to search. Think about it, you're sitting there on your computer, someone posts a thread about a topic, and you tell them to search. The next person who searches will run into this thread, and receive no useful information. How stupid can forum members be? Why not answer the question and then lead the person to search?

I don't know the answer, and I've search finger oil and "remove oil" for this forum, and nothing useful came up.
 
thecoffeebean said:
Hi everyone,

I bet this question has been posted already, but I'm new so I will post it anyway.
Click to expand...

so just because you're new gives you the right to post another thread?

it gives you NO right at all.

I've actually answered this question before, so i know it exists.

so SEARCH!

Mr D said:
These are probably the worst posts on forums, JUST telling someone to search. Think about it, you're sitting there on your computer, someone posts a thread about a topic, and you tell them to search. The next person who searches will run into this thread, and receive no useful information. How stupid can forum members be? Why not answer the question and then lead the person to search?
Click to expand...

I've already spent the time to type in a response in other thread about how to clean it, so why should i put forth the effort to type it again while encouraging lazy bums to not do any work of their own. I'm not going to be an enabler.

It's about keeping the forums neater so it isn't clogged up by posts like "what is the best sleeve for my macbook" or "how to i get the grime off my white macbook" (the latter question has been answered many times since 2006)
 
thecoffeebean said:
Hi everyone,

I bet this question has been posted already, but I'm new so I will post it anyway. What is the best way to get the oil from my fingers off of my macbook keys? I've heard different things from Magic Eraser to toothpaste, so I'd really appreciate it if any of you could let me know what your experience has been. I've only had my macbook for a few months but I'm a law student so I use it all the time and now the keys are shiny. Gross, I know. Help please!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Chill out ladies.

I use 'iKlear' (available from Apple stores) and works pretty good.

Toothpaste @ lol
 
uicandrew said:
so just because you're new gives you the right to post another thread?

it gives you NO right at all.

I've actually answered this question before, so i know it exists.

so SEARCH!
Click to expand...

xkcdwrongoninternet.jpg
 
I don't have an aluminum MacBook so I'm not 100% sure if this will work for you but I use iClean (monstercable.com) on my black MacBook and it works pretty well for removing oil off the keyboards. I also have an iSkin keyboard cover for my keyboard.
 
Mr D said:
These are probably the worst posts on forums, JUST telling someone to search. Think about it, you're sitting there on your computer, someone posts a thread about a topic, and you tell them to search. The next person who searches will run into this thread, and receive no useful information. How stupid can forum members be? Why not answer the question and then lead the person to search?

I don't know the answer, and I've search finger oil and "remove oil" for this forum, and nothing useful came up.
Click to expand...

You need to relax yourself. Okay, admittedly nothing came up as 'oil on keys' or what have you however there has been numerous posts on getting 'stuff' off your Macbook keys.

I have no idea how long you have been a member on this forum, I'm not a regular poster myself but I always keep an eye on what posts are coming up. Even I can recognise that there has been loads of threads about keys.

Sorry thread starter, I didn't mean to come across rude. Along with another person I thought it was strange to say that you would post it anyway cause your new.

Lol, it's not a regular occurrence that people are getting oil on their Macbook so there won't be pages of "oil on my Macbook keys" would there?
Learn to use the search button effectively.

Try http://www.klearscreen.com/
 
Stetrain said:
xkcdwrongoninternet.jpg
Click to expand...

that's is a great cartoon. It made me chuckle.

what amazes me are the posts that go on forever (especially the debates about $400 dell vs $2000 macbook)

What is equally amusing is the fact that the OP leaves the "conversation" after the first 2 pages of the thread, and the argument sprawls on for 7+ pages.

and there's always the possiblity that 1/2 of them are trolls, which is why I usually don't engage in long winded replies, and reply when I have an "original" thought or an opinion that I can back up with evidence, and if they don't agree with the evidence, then I'll walk away from the conversation, for the same reason the above cartoon suggests :)
 
uicandrew said:
so just because you're new gives you the right to post another thread?

it gives you NO right at all.

I've actually answered this question before, so i know it exists.

so SEARCH!
Click to expand...

I love it when people come here, and nearly all their posts in this forum is, "You should do a search". I'm not talking about you, but there are a handful of people who probably just copy and paste the same "Search first" reply into each thread.

I don't really feel like anyone really has a right to get pissy in any of the HELP forums due to a repeat thread. If it pisses you off so much, then don't post here. If you don't want to help because someone started a new thread, then why didn't you leave after the first week? :confused: One week is probably the amount of time it takes to see every type of help thread imaginable in this forum. ;) Every new thread is a re-hash in some way, so getting pissy about it is pointless.


I've been here for 7 years, and I don't get pissed off from repeat threads. If I don't want to answer someone's question, I don't post, or I avoid the threads that look like they were recently asked.
 
Abstract said:
If it pisses you off so much, then don't post here. If you don't want to help because someone started a new thread, then why didn't you leave after the first week? :confused: One week is probably the amount of time it takes to see every type of help thread imaginable in this forum. ;) Every new thread is a re-hash in some way, so getting pissy about it is pointless.
Click to expand...

i'm here because I enjoy helping other people. specifically, I enjoy helping people who have already tried to help themselves.

My ideal threads are the ones that start off with "this is my problem, this is what i've tried, but i'm stuck here so please help."

there was a thread where someone was having hardware problems. I was the FIRST to reply and suggested running a hardware test, and said how to do it. Other people chimed in and some agreed with me with the hardware test suggestion. FINALLY, at post 20, the OP simply writes "how do i do a hardware test?" Those types of people infuriate me; they waste my time and their own.

and the OP of this thread has the gall to suggest that because he is new, that he can waste other people's time instead of doing some legwork of his own.

but i should take a page from your book and learn to ignore threads. but part of me just want to dissuade others from encouraging/enabling laziness
 
No offense, but are you not wasting more of your time by going off on long winded rants about nothing as opposed to simply typing, 'try water or such-and-such a spray'? I have to have a laugh at someone who claims he or she isn't willing to waste their time on someone whom cannot perform a simple search, yet goes on to write multi-paragraphed rants. That's what we call irony. Lighten up and relax, friend... it's the internet.

Have a nice day.
 
sorry, everyone, I didn't mean to cause a fight at all. i just wanted to see if anyone had updated experiences with getting oil off since i saw a lot of conflicting threads in other forums. thanks to those who gave me an answer to my question.
 
Seriously, I hate people who tell others to search too. There's a reason why this is a forum and not Google. It's meant for discussion. If you feel the need to help someone, then reply and perhaps link them to the appropriate place for an answer, otherwise click the BACK button located on the top left of your browser and move on with your life. IMO, it's rude. It's somewhat like asking a customer service rep in a mall where the nearest washroom is and the rep tells them to LOOK AT THE DIRECTORY MAP.

Anyways, I appreciate the OP asking because it's something that my gf would like to know and it happened to be an "ACTIVE" thread that I stumbled upon.

My take would be to try Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. It seems to have clean everything for me including the keys I have for my white keyboard. So give that a try :)

OT: LOL stetrain I love that pic!!

dL
 
The people at the apple store told me to use a lint free cloth with rubbing alcohol.
 
The Rabbi said:
No offense, but are you not wasting more of your time by going off on long winded rants about nothing as opposed to simply typing, 'try water or such-and-such a spray'? I have to have a laugh at someone who claims he or she isn't willing to waste their time on someone whom cannot perform a simple search, yet goes on to write multi-paragraphed rants. That's what we call irony. Lighten up and relax, friend... it's the internet.

Have a nice day.
Click to expand...

I understand the irony of the situation. but the PRINCIPLE remains that I have NOT answered a question what the OP did not attempt to find the answer himself.

I am relaxed, and i thoroughly enjoyed the cartoon that Stetrain posted.

and since the OP has indicated that he/she has looked in other threads, I will gladly throw in my 2 cents.

Magic Eraser is a bit extreme, it is mostly used to get the grime out of the plastic/rubber of the whitebooks. i mean, you need to use elbow grease.

Toothpaste is just funny.

iKlear is just plain TOO expensive.

I suggest, from personal experience, to go to walmart's vision center, and buy their eyeglass cleaner kit. it contains a small travel spray bottle (free refills!), microfiber cloth, and a mini screwdriver. all for $2-3

I have refilled it many times since buying my kit in 2001. The bottle's pump mechanism is now broken, so i will buy another one. Not bad for 8 years of use. iKlear costs $12+shipping handling. do the math

Please clean your keys ASAP. one forum member claims that the oil marks are permanent. And the unibody has only been out for 5 months.

I am currently using Moshi's ClearGuard to pre-emptively prevent the oily fingerprints. $25 shipped. it's the thinnest one available that has a perfect fit for all the keys except for the top row (function keys) because it was designed for use with the pre-unibody macbooks.

good luck.
 
cleaning the keys

I've had good success with Lysol brand moist wipes. They come in a platic jar-type of container. Take one towelette, squeeze out the excess moisture (they can be a bit too moist if you don't do this) and wipe the keys and palmerst areas.

Works great for me so far. I have also used Handy Wipes brand moist wipes as well though they don't clean quite as effectively, in my experience.

Good luck,
m&c
 
So I started this thread and just wanted to say that I have learned the hard way not to believe the people at the Apple Store all the time. I just bought iKlear upon the reassurance it would get the oil off my macbook keys but NO IT DIDN'T WORK!! It got a little bit off but I can still see it. Grr. Goodbye, $20 and hello, annoyance.
 
thecoffeebean said:
So I started this thread and just wanted to say that I have learned the hard way not to believe the people at the Apple Store all the time. I just bought iKlear upon the reassurance it would get the oil off my macbook keys but NO IT DIDN'T WORK!! It got a little bit off but I can still see it. Grr. Goodbye, $20 and hello, annoyance.
Click to expand...

What you're seeing on your keys may not even be skin oils, but the plastic smoothing from friction of contact. The keys are known to do that, and they'll look shiny, but it's just because the plastic is being slowly worn.
 
thecoffeebean said:
So I started this thread and just wanted to say that I have learned the hard way not to believe the people at the Apple Store all the time. I just bought iKlear upon the reassurance it would get the oil off my macbook keys but NO IT DIDN'T WORK!! It got a little bit off but I can still see it. Grr. Goodbye, $20 and hello, annoyance.
Click to expand...

omg... that's because it's not OIL left on your keys. The keys are worn, this happens to ALL keyboards. Some keyboards (such as the prev. generation MBP) don't show the wear, but it's still there if you look at it from an angle with some light.
 
thecoffeebean said:
Hi everyone,

I bet this question has been posted already, but I'm new so I will post it anyway. What is the best way to get the oil from my fingers off of my macbook keys? I've heard different things from Magic Eraser to toothpaste, so I'd really appreciate it if any of you could let me know what your experience has been. I've only had my macbook for a few months but I'm a law student so I use it all the time and now the keys are shiny. Gross, I know. Help please!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Its not the oil - its keys wearing down.

The keys on my Unibody MBP have gone to shine hell a lot faster than my Blackbook ever did.

I'm trying to find replacements so I can stick a keyboard protector on top as they look REALLY shiny.
 
Hey Kardashian, if you find replacement keys that match the one on the alum macbook, please let me know! Thanks
 
What I'm wondering is, is apple aware of this flaw they have with their black keys on their keyboards? You would think they should sell a replacement kit which would have all the keys. :rolleyes:

Have any of you go out to the apple stores and complain about these shiny keys?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back