Filed under: Hardware, Tips and tricks
How to clean your Apple Keyboard
OCD sufferers of the world unite! Do the little bits and bobs of dirt and fluffy things that grow in your keyboard annoy you? Are you tired of trying to q-tip between your keys without really getting the job done?
Fortunately for you, you're not alone. Website the mini Blog offers a great how-to today that guides you through the steps of getting your Apple keyboard shiny and clean and fluff-free.
Don't forget to take a picture of your keyboard before disassembling it. It will really help when you need to reattach all your keys.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Donald Burr said 5:13PM on 11-17-2006
Would this also work for the Apple Wireless (Bluetooth) keyboard? I'd assume so, since they appear physically identical (except for the lack of a cord on the bluetooth model, of course).
These keyboards are definitely crud magnets, so this is extremely useful. Gonna clean both of mine this weekend.
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Jason said 5:17PM on 11-17-2006
AHA! This is why I don't use the keyboard that comes with Macs these days. I managed to score myself an Apple Pro keyboard that came with the QS G4s, the blackish one!
It is my favorite! It has all the same features as the one that came with my Mac Pro (safe for maybe 3 Fbuttons?) but its NOT white, so it doesn't show dirt!
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BWJones said 5:24PM on 11-17-2006
I've found that simply unplugging the keyboard and running it under the tapwater, thoroughly washing it out does a nice job and you don't have to worry about disassembling it. I was forced to try this approach after spilling a Guinness into the keyboard.
Just make sure to dry the keyboard *completely* before plugging it back in.
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CS said 5:30PM on 11-17-2006
I did this, but couldn't figure out how to get the keys with the metal bar off-- this is great.
I actually put the keys in a mesh bag and threw it in the dishwasher-- just make sure you let them dry before you put them back on.
probably time for another go round... It worked beautifully.
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om. said 6:08PM on 11-17-2006
Why bother dissassembling the keyboard? Just throw the whole thing in the dishwasher and let it dry for a day or two - done.
A friend of mine used to take his graphics card in the shower to clean it - he did smoke too much so the thing got grimey... ;)
om.
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Mr. Krinkle said 6:21PM on 11-17-2006
Clean my Apple keyboard?
I just toss it out into the big ol' garbage bin out front and buy a new one every 6 months or so.
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Matthew E said 6:53PM on 11-17-2006
"Don't forget to take a picture of your keyboard before disassembling it."
C'mon. No self-respecting nerd (Mac or otherwise) should need a picture to reassemble his or her keyboard. You spend how many hours a day with the thing? ;)
On the other hand... an engineer friend of mine once swapped out his co-worker's N and M keys as a practical joke. Turned out the guy (in his 40s) was a hunt-and-peck typist. He then spent HOURS on the phone with IT trying to figure out why his login password wasn't working. Needless to say he didn't think it was very funny.
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Eay said 7:20PM on 11-17-2006
brushes are power!
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artist-illustrator said 7:26PM on 11-17-2006
mine is filthy, and I really don't care. had it for going on 4 years (apple pro)
I give it a good blowing (like I used to do back in the day with my Nintendo cartridge's) just to stop keys sticking every year or so
I tend to keep my desktop messy, not all Mac addicts are neat freaks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/racco/236358149/
(the pic is a month or two old, between my G4 iMac and scanner there now sits a lovely looking eMac (2005). that too has a dirty keyboard
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Katie said 7:40PM on 11-17-2006
I just did this the other day! Sooo much cleaner. :)
I just dropped my ALT key and couldn't find it for a long time! Oops!
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Daniel Choi said 8:01PM on 11-17-2006
I did this last week with my BlueTooth keyboard. I wasn't patient and I dried off the each key with a dryer.. oops.. I blow the air too close to it and bent my space bar :( It will go in, but everytime I hit the bar, it wouldn't pop back out. Oh well.. I always like my Happy hacking keyboard better.
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George Penston said 8:24PM on 11-17-2006
I can attest to the suggestion to just putting the whole keyboard in the dishwasher. I ended up trying this and the thing came out looking good as new. You do have to wait about 3 days and make sure you don't have any heat settings on.
I got the idea from this old boing boing post:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/05/30/clean_your_keyboard_.html
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derek said 12:30AM on 11-18-2006
on my iBook G4 keyboard... I took each of the keys off, cleaned under them (it was so dirty!), cleaned the key off, and put it back on. The ones with metal were a little harder, but still pretty easy. It looks so clean!
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Chris Tucker said 1:14AM on 11-18-2006
Once a year or so, I pull all the keys off my Apple Extended Keyboard (Best. Mac Keyboard. EVER!) and dunk them, as well as the top and bottom of the keyboard enclosure in a bucket of very warm water, along with a generous dollop of Spic and Span. And then I let it sit over night. Brownian Motion is your friend.
The PC board with the electronics and key switches (Switches. NOT rubber domes!) gets dry scrubbed with an old toothbrush.
The next day, I pull all the plastic bits out of the bucket, shake them off and let them dry for a few hours on a towel.
Once everything is dry, all the keys get stuck back into place, the keyboard is reassembled, and it’s good for another year or so.
Yeah, it’s 20 years old. It’s not wireless. But after using the Apple Extended Keyboard, every other keybord feels like I’m poking at a slab of Silly Putty.
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Sarah said 11:06AM on 11-18-2006
If you spilled something on your keyboard you can also disassemble the electronics board. it takes some time and there are many screws. then you must be extremely cautious not to loose any of the soft rubber domes that rest in the upper plastic board.
once disassembled you get a three layer clear plastic sheet with all the circuit lines printed on. i rinsed it with clear water and let it dry with kitchen paper between the sheets. this will take some time, dont rush it. the sheets are connected, so they will stay in the right orientation to each other. the circuits are very easily scratched too, but my bluetooth keyboard survived two cleaning cycles without a problem.
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Ian said 1:23PM on 11-18-2006
Is there any way to clean the ibook keyboard???
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John McIntosh said 1:32PM on 11-18-2006
If you don't feel comfortable throwing your keyboard in the dishwasher, you can at least save the energy taking pictures by using this one.
http://www.spymac.com/upload/news/2005/09/27/m3261_Apple%20keyboard.jpg
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sam said 2:13PM on 11-18-2006
Does someone know how do you clean a macbook pro keyboard? A friend of mine spilled some orange juice...
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luc said 7:05PM on 11-18-2006
@ "sarah" from comment #15: dont copy me!
"your" comment WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE BY ME, word by word, under my name, without my home page linked.
@ anyone: dont click the link to "sarah", as this is just some home furniture store not related to me.
it is truly sad that things like this are done. STOP THIS NONSENSE!
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luc said 7:05PM on 11-18-2006
... and by the way, it was paper towels i used for drying out between the plastic sheets.
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