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cap2587

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 12, 2010
124
2
I spilled some water on my Apple Wireless keyboard and now about half of the keys are getting stuck. They just don't spring up the same as before. All keys are working when pressed, but it is giving me a clicking sound. I have tried alcohol under the keys and that seemed to improve, but not solve the problem. Even though it would take me 1 year would it help to remove the clips under the keys and put alcohol as well. I guess it is possible that there is not improving this situation. Someone in another post mentioned putting it in a dishwasher, but that seems a little far fetched. Thanks for any advice.
 
Thanks for the quick reply! I did go ahead and order another Apple Wireless Keyboard. It is so close to being normal, but just feels a little different and makes some louder clicking noise on some keys. It did improve with alcohol under the keys, but I do not think that can completely cure the problem.
 
I spilled tea with honey in mine two years ago and I'm typing on it now. I took the batteries out, put the battery cover back on, and rinsed it out under the faucet. I shook it dry then put it in a ziplock bag with rice for a few days. Works fine still.
 
Did you mean you had to take every single key off and clean under it. Did that include taking the clips off under the Key and cleaning as well. I reckon my Keyboard is about 80% working and do not want to do anything radical to ruin it. Thanks for the great tips.
 
I'm guessing this was some sort of flavored water? I'm trying to imagine how pure water would make your keys sticky. If it was just plain water, maybe you can use a blow dryer to speed up the drying process?

I have only spilled on a keyboard once in my whole life and it didn't go well. This was a laptop too! Just wiping up the keys caused some to become undone and that was it. I had get a replacement keyboard and since the laptop was old and didn't want to pay the ridiculous OEM price I got a cheaper non-OEM one that was brown instead of black. One good thing came out of this episode. I bought my first MacBook Pro. :)
 
Unplug the keyboard
rinse the whole thing under distilled water
shake dry
Put it into a bag with dessicants (I use these) overnight (make sure sealed air-tight)
Should work again


I've rescued camera's completely soaked by rain, beepers, etc using this method.

Disclaimer: you break it, you buy it, who knows if it will work for you.
 
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Same problem

:apple:Hi guys I had the same mistake today but I spilt tea, I only spilled I tiny amount but know the keyboard types extra letters after I type and some keys don't work. I am typing of my pc now because it is pretty unusable, is there anything I can do before shelling out the cash?
 
Read my message - if it's just on a couple keys you can just rinse off that area. So long as it's not plugged in distilled water rinse will not harm it if you dry it out right away and use a desiccant immediately overnight.

I've done it several times....
 
My Keyboard is back to keys getting stuck again. I need to try something drastic to get it working again. If I am going to rinse in distilled water should I remove all the keys or do I not need to worry about that. Then should I stick it in a bag of rice for a few days. Do I just rinse or is soaking advisable?

pprior - What is a bag with dessicants? Would a bag of rice be sufficient! Thanks to everyone that has responded to this post.
 
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I didn't remove any keys when I did mine.

The desiccants I list above I've used for lots of projects and are reusable, so IMO it's worth buying one or two just to have around. They will remove more moisture than rice for sure.

OTOH rice is cheap and may work (but I've not tried it and don't know if it will remove ENOUGH moisture to completely dry electronics).

Like I said above, the first time I tried this I took a camera that was left out in the rain, was completely soaked and had water behind the rear LCD screen. Put in the bag and left for 24 hours and when it came out it was like new.

Again, your results may not be the same. You could destroy your equipment, but my experience is that it works (and of course I have no financial attachment, just a satisfied user).
 
Someone in another post mentioned putting it in a dishwasher, but that seems a little far fetched. Thanks for any advice.

I do this once or twice a year with all my keyboards. Works like a charm. Just take the batteries out, run it through a rinse cycle with minimal heat and let it dry out and it'll be as good as new. Trust me.
 
Thanks for the great suggestions.

is something like this worth buying? 100 Silica Gel 1 Gram Packets Meets FDA Food Packaging New Desiccant. If so, how many gels would need to go with my Keyboard when drying and for how long should I dry it for. I guess I also need to get a bigger ziplock bag to try and fit it in. Is the dishwasher method worked for other people besides CopyPasta? What setting is minimal heat. I have steam and Heated Dry. After a rinse cycle how long would you let it dry and does it need to be in a bag of rice?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Silica-...838?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2dddb496
 
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I like the unit I posted above because it's very easy to plug in and recharge the unit. The others you typically have to bake in the over for a certain time, etc. I just find a hassle.

The DW is a great idea, never tried. The concept the same - water is not the enemy as long as it's DRY before you plug it back in.
 
I went ahead and ran my Keyboard through a rinse cycle in the dishwasher. Then I completely dried it by letting it sit for 24 Hrs. It is much improved and time will tell if it is going to be 100% working again. I haven't used it enough to know if it is completely back to normal. Thanks for all of the help.
 
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