Pc Clean Computers Clean

Do we take care of our keyboard cleanliness??

1: Keep the canned air handy

Canned air is brilliant for removing dry particles from the keyboard. Have a dog nearby to eat the crumbs as they are blasted into space.

2: Use a vacuum cleaner — carefully

A dust vacuum cleaner can achieve the same result as canned air — but make sure your keys are firmly attached. It’s just no fun digging through a bag of grot searching for the missing keys.

3: Take on grubby keys with screen wipes

Be sure to power off the computer first (pressing a key repeatedly as you clean could have some undesired results). Individual keys can be removed and scrubbed with hot, soapy water for a more thorough cleaning.

4: Try the dishwasher

As strange as this may sound, some people advocate the use of the dishwasher for thorough keyboard cleaning. Try at your own risk. Altough people have used this to work eg, Joe Rosenbugh wrote this
"When keyboards became cheap enough, they actually became a throw-away item just to get somebody a clean one. This was especially true when a new employee was given another person’s computer — I’d always provide a new mouse and keyboard. After one such instance, however, instead of throwing one away, I decided to put it into the dishwasher to see what would happen. I was amazed at how clean the thing got. It actually looked brand-new.

I turned it upside down, shook the heck out of it so all the excess water would run out, and then placed it upside down onto some paper towels so it could further drip-dry. Every once in a while, I’d shake it again and place it in a slightly different position to make sure all the water would drain out of it.

When I tested it a few days later, I made sure to plug it into a computer that was expendable; if it trashed the computer, I wouldn’t care. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover that the keyboard worked perfectly — and it looked great. Since then, I’ve washed about a dozen keyboards in the dishwasher, and I haven’t had one issue with any of them.

It’s interesting to do an Internet search with the key words keyboard dishwasher. Most major keyboard manufacturers, like Microsoft and Logitech, only recommend cleaning them with the can of air or a damp cloth, but I’m obviously not the only one who’s had success putting them in the dishwasher. In fact, I even ran across one manufacturer who marked their keyboard dishwasher safe.

Disclaimer: Put your own keyboard in the dishwasher at your own risk.

I remember an instance that happened years ago (about twenty years ago) when I was working for an architect who was so tight with a dollar that he’d snap someone’s head off at the mere suggestion of spending any money. I laughed when a coworker actually bought another keyboard with his own money after he spilled a can of soda onto it. This was twenty years ago, mind you, when keyboards were more sensitive and much more expensive. I think it set the guy back almost one hundred dollars. Perhaps he should have tried the dishwasher experiment first."

5: Cover it up

For dirty or dusty environments, it may be worth investing in keyboard covers, although these do tend to make typing a less pleasant experience.

As Keyboards have gotten cheaper people tend to just bin them and buy new.

Thanks for reading another blog by Pc Clean