What is the best way to clean my keyboard of the coffee that I spilled on it?

Question

I've only splilled my drink on two computers in my life. Once when I was 14 on my friend's Commodore 64 and yesterday on my keyboard. Now a number of my keys are stuck and sticky. What is the best way to clean it? I was thinking popping off the individual keys and spraying them with Windex or whatnot. Any ideas? Thanks. :)

Answer 1

Use plain old rubbing alcohol and a q-tip. You can find the rubbing alcohol in your department store /supermarket where they sell the band-aides about $1. Turn the key board upside down to prevent the alcohol from getting on the circuitry underneath. Worst case, I suppose you can pop off the keys, but a new keyboard, el cheapo is about $12, on up, depending on what you want.

Answer 2

I'm sure you'll get some great ideas from other answerers, so save this one for a last resort if none of the normal ones work.

The computer tech at my last job rescued several keyboards that had had pop spilled on them by putting the whole keyboard upside down in the dishwasher for a short cycle with no soap and then letting it dry out for several days.

This was when all else had failed and the next step was to trash the keyboard, so try it only if you are that desperate.

Answer 3

If you absolutely do not want to buy a new keyboard your best bet is to pop each and every one of the keys off and use a Q-tip to clean them, I would think just a bit of water would work and probably be safer than Windex. Make sure to let your keys dry completely before putting them back on.

Answer 4

Thoroughly cleaning keyboards can be a pain. Some people would rather save the time and just buy a new one. :) Basically, you'll need to take it apart, clean the individual components (soap and water is usually fine), and put it back together.

I found a site below that gives step by step instructions:

Answer 5

I have 2 keyboards for this problem. When this happens to me and it does allot with coffee, I unplug it and hook up my other one then I take the dirty one and spray it with bathroom cleaner and Windex then i soak it in hot soapy dish water, Then i let it dry out for at least 2 weeks, I never take the keys off or take it apart, and honestly it works excellently, Its a good idea to kill bacteria from my kids and such. Believe me it works, Never plug in a wet keyboard, I hang mine to dry.

Answer 6

pop off individual keys (not long ones like the space bar unless they are especially bad, the long ones with the bar are hard to put back on)

use rubbing alcohol on cotton swabs for under the keys,
and a damp towel to wipe off the keys.

it is good to have another keyboard around so you can see where each key goes when putting them back.
good luck!

Answer 7

Your best bet is a new keyboard I'm afraid - dismantling the keyboard is a pain in the neck, and you usually find that once you've put it back together it still sticks because there's still a tiny bit of moisture in there.

Fortunately new keyboards aren't too pricey....

Answer 8

Wow well you can buy some of the electronic cleaning solutions they sell at your local computer store and spray it with it take it to your local computer store and let them take a look at it because some of your liquid may have drained in to your motherboard or hard drive.

Answer 9

specific I trust Thomas, close down your workstation and unplug. Use some rubbing alcohol because of the fact it evaporates rapidly, you do no longer desire to apply water till you desire to attend continuously for it to dry. yet yeah get a gauze pad and a few qtips and pass to paintings on it. basically make constructive this is thoroughly dry in the previous you swap it one, you do no longer wan't to short something out.

Answer 10

You can dip it in distilled water (unplugged of course) or take the keys off and get scrubbing.