Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me keep my keyboard clean and white

I just used mineral spirits on my keyboard and it worked very well! I damped a rag with a little and just rubbed it across the keys a couple times and it worked. Mechanically, it's harder to clean the sides of the keys, but this sure worked for the rest of it. I use mineral spirits to degrease bike chains and usually pour it into a plastic container (and I've used several different qualities of plastic from reusable tupperwear to disposable containers that some pasta sauce comes in) and it's never damaged the plastic-- I assumed that I'd be safe. Worked well.

DO NOT use isopropanol (rubbing alcohol)! I did, and within a year I had wiped off the letters on my most-used keys. The days of double-shot molded keycaps whose labels last forever are long gone. Today's Apple keyboards have labels printed with a very thin layer of ink. Any solvent (e.g., Goof Off) stronger than water and mild detergent, if used repeatedly, is likely to wear away those labels. That goes double for abrasives such as Mr Clean's Magic Sponge. You might get away with it once or twice, but make a habit of it and you'll wind up with totally blank keycaps. And you don't even want to know what replacement keycaps cost! It's cheaper to buy a new keyboard.

Wait, WHAT? Mineral spirits? To clean a computer keyboard? Are you freakin' crazy? You are actually suggesting applying a skin irritant to a surface that makes frequent contact with the skin?

Lighter fluid and a tissue/cloth, works like a dream.

I use the iKlear Apple polish that also works for cleaning touch screens. The microfiber cloth that comes with it really cleans well. going over each key at a time is very therapeutic. comparing the next dirty key with the new clean one is my delight--especially when I have bigger problems in life that defy wrangling. also it leaves the keys feeling silky smooth! its a little pricey but worth its weight in gold. and a little goes a long way! I usually get 8 months or more per bottle. My Macbook is my pride and joy. Keeping it looking great and taking it out in public where the lights are usually brighter and not seeing a grimy keyboard are simply a must!

all of those crazy chemical cleaners you guys are using---rubbing alcohol!!! can eventually turn your keys yellowish. Sounds like you and auntie never read your care manual under the cleaning topic!!!

good luck I hope this helps!

And there's also http://kck.st/rriS9q to really add some color.

1. Contrary to what Auntie says, Goo Gone is citrus based. It is NOT "mineral spirits." Mineral spirits or turpentine should not come any where near any equipment. Keep them for cleaning up oil based paint.

2. Goo Gone will not harm any plastics. But, as noted by others, it's over kill for ordinary, non-adhesive, grime.

2.A (hee) Goof Off is a heavy duty and toxic solvent for removing dried paint etc. It shouldn't come near equipment. I wouldn't even use it in the house. It has NOTHING to do with Goo Gone.

3. For ordinary dirt, the first line of attack is, as also noted, a damp microfiber cloth. Damp means that you dampen a corner of the cloth, not have it dripping with water. A damp microfiber cloth will work 90% of the time and is safe.

4. Windex is problematic. It contains ammonia and should not come anywhere near a coated screen, etc.

5. Does Auntie research her responses at all? It doesn't seem as if she does.

Be very careful with Mr Clean sponges. The tiny particles they leave behind are very abrasive and will wreak havoc on displays if they find their way to the wrong cleaning/dusting cloth.

Now, if we're expanding the discussion to washing the entire keyboard, innards and all, well hey—some people advocate running the entire thing through the dishwasher.

Somehow I doubt they were talking about Bluetooth keyboards, though.

The reader seemed to write specifically about white key tops that had become discolored, so it's not clear where the discussion of all the other factors (what's beneath the keys, cleaning the entire key, etc.) came from. To answer the reader's specific query, the usual advice applies: mild detergent such as dishwashing liquid, diluted and applied judiciously, should do the trick. Simple Green is an excellent example of an environmentally friendly mild detergent. Be careful not to apply so much as to allow any to drip below the keys—not even in the form of foam.

Goo Gone and Goof Off are totally different products, intended for totally different purposes, neither of which is the one alluded to here. Goo Gone is based on citrus oils and is good for dissolving and removing viscous matter such as bubble gum, mild glue, dried foodstuffs and the like. Goof Off is a petroleum-based product that, as noted, will dissolve and mar most hard plastics, and certainly any markings that have been silk-screened on, and is best left for cleaning metals and in extreme cases.

The best advice here is zzergy's: buy a keyboard cover. You can easily find a perfectly good one—with black keys, no less—for under $3. You might have to scissors-trim it for a better fit and poke a hole if you want to see your Caps Lock LED, but it'll be well worth it.