macbook keypad & mouse click, sticky keys and debris, how to clean?

[smithter]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. Was hoping to get some help. I spilt sambucca on my macbook black, nothing drastic, I cleaned it off straight away and it wasn't a major spillage. But now a few keys have gotten sticky as the liquid obviously worked its way under them so i was wondering the best way to get underneath to clean them out and get em smooth again. Would I have to open the machine up or is there a better method? You can see under the keys so was thinking I might get away with using a really thin tool of some description (I had a dentists tooth scraper in mind as that's thin enough to get between the gaps) with fabric on the end so as not to cause any damage and also to wipe off the sticky residue. Would this work or is there a chance of causing damage to like a circuit board of some description?

Also the mouse click seems to have a bit of debris in it. It's been like this for a while. Doesn't affect the performance but it feels like there's kinda 2 levels to the mouse click. If you push it lightly it feels like a click of the mouse has occurred but then you can push it down further to get a the actual click. If I wanted to try and sort this would using a compressed air gun do any damage? I'm thinking it might loosen up and dislodge any crap in there but I wouldn't want it floating around in some other part of the laptop.

Again, would using a compressed air gun on the key pad do any damage? As I look at the keys I can see minor bits of debris. Basically I want to know easiest/least harmful way of cleaning up my macbook.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[session101]

basically it would be easier to buy a new topcase, or a better used one...

the keyboard and topcase are all one unit and there is no way to separate them, i wouldn't recommend trying to pry up the keys either.

if you follow the steps on ifixit.com you can replace the topcase in like 2 mins

 

[smithter]

thanks a lot for your help

 

[burnout8488]

You could try pouring rubbing alcohol all over the mouse button, let it get underneath, then start clicking it like a madman.

As a last resort, you could remove the top case (if you're intent on keeping it) and soak it in hot soapy water. Shake it around to dislodge the crap under the keys, then let it dry for a very very long time. Two days wouldn't be unreasonable. Compressed air would help too.

This method has worked for me, despite it sounding risky. The soapy water is much easier than going in and cleaning each individual key. The stuff just flows right out.

However, it's probably just worth getting a new top case off of eBay for about $50 bucks. It'll be crispy, and new.

 

[Cursed]

You can pop most of the keyboard keys off quite easily and then clean underneath like that. Seems a bit of a waste to spend so much money on a new topcase. If you've got chips on the palmrests Apple might replace it for free though.

 

[burnout8488]

Or that would work too.

Is the mouse button detachable?