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iBook wrist rests...

MacBoyX

MacBoyX

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 3, 2003
406
0
East Coast, USA
I have a new 900mhz iBook (one of the ones with the new white interiors instead of the silver of the last ones) and my wrist rests are starting to show some wear and dirt from my hands (pisses me off since it's only 6 months old or so)

First...does anyone else have this issue and has anyone else had any success with cleaning it?

Secondly...what does everyone think about this product...it's called Wrist Foam for iBook . I am thinking of buying them to get keep it from getting worse..

Thanks for your input...

MacBoyX
 
if anything, i would think the pad would actually look more dirty-- they tend to discolor... I've found that Goo Gone is a plastic-safe way to remove skin oil and grime...

pnw
 
You dont need ANYTHING fancy....

Yeah your typical surficants don't get the grime out of the wrist "pads". I have the same model and I found that a slightly damp solution of AJAX, or some other abrasive bleach cleaner, does just fine.
 
You can always try washing your hands on a regular basis too. That includes your wrists :D
 
I would stay away from anything thats abrasive or corrosive, instead of cleaning I think they would scratch it up instead....
 
Originally posted by dcb
You can always try washing your hands on a regular basis too. That includes your wrists :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I do wash my hands every time before touching my iBook (I acutally have an OCD hand washing issue).

I even have an iSkin to keep the keys from getting dirty which I wash weekly.

The hard drive under the wrist rest heats up and causes your hand to sweat which triggers my OCD and sends me to wash my hands again!

Basically I LOVE my iBook but I wish that I still had my old one with a silver NON textured case as I never had this issue...

I am going to try the goo gone and will post my results. Does anyone know where I can get it? I have never heard of it :(

frescies,

Has this worked for you are you just suggesting? I want my iBook to stay clean!

MacBoyX
 
Okay, I used to sell cleaning supplies and chemicals. Let see if I remember the basics.

I would not recommend goo gone or ajax. Goo Gone is perhaps too soapy and overkill - it is difficult to remove all of the soap residue. Ajax is basically a bleach, so although it may appear that it is removing the dirt, it is actually only covering the dirt (not all of it, but the whole concept of Ajax is to scrub and I don't think you want to scrub). In addition, Ajax is ineffective when it comes to breaking down oils.

Break down the oils with a degreaser/ detergent of high quality. 409 is a great household degrease/ cleaner. If that doesn't work, use Simple Green or any citrus based cleaner. Follow up with a water rinse (damp cloth) then follow up with a solvent type cleaner (windex, keyboard cleaners, etc.) Remove all soap residue and always do a clean wipe with nothing but water! The biggest reason things get dirty is because soap residue is on the surface. Soap attracts dirt and oil which makes it dirty. Since you tend to sweat a lot, you will always have oils on your keyboard...but if you make sure that you break down the oils on a normal basis and remove all soap residue, I guarantee that you will not have the same issues.

As for the wrist foam, If you sweat alot at the wrist...it will get dirtier and nastier than your iBook.
 
DCB, thanks...

I don't sweat alot, it just gets hot in the corner and I am soooo worried abt getting it dirty I get up and wash my hands (the worry and the OCD thing too lol) but I do have a friend who sweats alot at his palms (not to mention I have seen him eat CHEETOS and then go right back to typing on his iBook! YUCK!).

I really appreciate the advice on the cleaners, I was going to try Orange Clean (wasn't sure if I should but now i think I might.)

I did try glass cleaner, it didn't work too great... The guy at the Apple store (was not very nice about it) but suggested iKlear. I read the package and it said it was for cleaning the outside of iMacs and iBooks but said nothing of the inside.

I will try the Orange Clean when I get home and follow with a clean damp cloth to get any residue off.

Just curious..any other "new" iBook users having this issue?

MacBoyX
 
Try household degreasers first...citrus cleaners can be destructive by nature...ESPECIALLY on plastic if you don't dilute it correctly. The glass cleaner is your second line of defense. You are using it as a fast evaporating cleaner to remove soap residue and remove any loose dirt.

Once again, when using Orange Clean, be very careful on the keyboard...if it is not diluted correctly, it can damage the plastic and it can remove the letters on the keyboard.

And when I refer to sweat...I am really referring to the oils that are invariably on your hands.
 
I think the safest solution for almost all of my gear is windex, I use it for almost everything since it isnt very abrasive. I know it isnt reccomended for lcd's but when it comes to any fine plastics, it works very well. I use it to dust off my towers, my anthro ( http://www.anthro.com ) desk, and all my previous ibooks. If it doesn't get all the grime off, leave it slightly damp for 30 seconds or so then wipe again. I havnt had any trouble cleaning with it. All other chemicals I believe are just too strong to use on something so precious.

I personally don't reccomend using any cleaners on the keys while they are on the keyboard (unless just a damp cloth with something like windex). This method might sound a little nutty, but if your keys are very nasty and you are extremely gentle and know how to take the keys off the ibook, you can clean them with dish soap safely. Some people even reccomend putting them in pantyhose and sticking them in the dish washer. I've never tried that but it makes sense. (i just hope nylon doesnt melt while the dishes dry.)
 
YEP

AJAX has worked for me! And it doesnt just cover up the dirt either. It does indeed remove the stain (the solution turns brown and picks up dirt particles and whatnot). I use a solution of about 1 part AJAX, 1 part dishsoap, 2 parts windex, and 2 parts water. It's pretty damn strong and I bet it scrapes the hell out of the surface! But it hasn't done any noticeable damage :D
 
Thanks again all for your input..

I have no problems with my keyboard, it has an iSkin to protect it.

It's just the wrist rests. They are really getting dingy and I want them WHITE again lol.

I wish I knew what the surface of the new iBooks are. I still say this was a bad move by Apple. Even if they had just changed the color of the surface from silver to white that would have been good, but it's also some sort of textured material and I am afraid to scratch it or melt it or anything else. I did use Windex a few times and nothing happened...it seems to be tougher than that. I have always used a glass wipe to clean my PCs/Macs and never had a problem. I never saw this issue on my old iBook or my G4 PowerBook but this white case just bites. I can't believe I said something bad about Apple or my iBook but I almost want to get an old case and swap out the topcase of the Mac. Ugh what can ya do.

Thanks again for all your help and advice!

MacBoyX
 
How did it work out? Like an idiot, I didn't fully read your post and just noticed that you have a newer model. I don't know what kind of surface that is, so I am hoping I didn't give you any bad information.

Is the surface the same as the battery cover on the older white models? If that is the case and you are still reading this post, I might have an even better idea to prevent the dirt buildup.
 
it's not the same. It's like a textured..white coating. It's hard to explain but it's not smooth like the old ones used to me. I think it's the coating that is holding the dirt. I have tried to get it off with 409, Glass Plus, Water and a little dish soap...nothing works! I give up i guess it's permenantly discolored

MacBoyX
 
Your only other option is to try frescies ajax method. If that works, there is a "finish" made especially for the iBook and the iPod. I can't remember the name, but if I run across it today, I will post it here.
 
I know this is an old thread but I have been having the same problem and I have found a solution unique to the above listed.

Use a pencil eraser :)
 
Originally posted by omnirune
Use a pencil eraser :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! I've tried a number of other methods with no success, and was ready to try something harsh when I read your post.

I used one of those white "vinyl" pencil erasers and it worked beautifuly.

To others who might try this, be careful not to let the eraser rubbings fall into the cracks (keyboard etc) :)
 
Success

My IBook was turning gray on the places where I rest my wrists. I attributed this to the time when I'm writing papers and the pencil I use to make annotations in books. Bottom line is I'm a college student and a slob and I eat and do all sorts of other things and don't really think to wash my hands before typing.

And I tried everything and nothing would take the marks off my computer until finally I found Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - it's a sponge and all you do is wet it, rub the spot, and all the marks came off!
 
Re: Success

Originally posted by mandastars
And I tried everything and nothing would take the marks off my computer until finally I found Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - it's a sponge and all you do is wet it, rub the spot, and all the marks came off!
Click to expand...

Yeah these things are amazing, the work perfectly for removing the marks from my iBook.
 
Mr. Clean does it

This stuff really works- I know this thread is old, but I've had my ibook for nearly a year and haven't found a good way to clean it until I checked back in to this thread and saw the postings regarding Mr. Clean Erasers- My iBook hasn't looked this good since it was new!

Thanks!

Also- does anybody know how to get a hold of some palmpads? I have seen these cool carbon fiber ones on the net, but apparently, they're only available in Japan...http://www.conf.co.jp/new_folder/gallery/gs.html
 
In addition to the eraser, as I was trying to remove the little bits of eraser from the wristpad with scotch tape, I noticed that the tape was also picking up some of the grime. My wristpad isn't quite pristine yet, and I don't know if I'll get it to be pristine again, but if you apply scotch tape, press down/rub firmly with your fingernail, and peel it off, you'll notice a difference.

Cheap, and convenient.
 
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