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Ooops! Auugh! Help!

What's the best way to clean tomato juice out of a keyboard?

         

buckworks

10:01 pm on Sep 28, 2007 (gmt 0)

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The subtitle says it all ...

That's what happens when you break your own rules about no beverages on the desk!

It looks like it's bleeding!

:(

LifeinAsia

10:06 pm on Sep 28, 2007 (gmt 0)

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In personal order of preference:
1) Don't put the tomato juice there in the first place.
2) Pour tomato juice on the mouse & computer so they match.
3) Spray paint the keyboard the original color.
4) Buy a new keyboard.

jimbeetle

10:10 pm on Sep 28, 2007 (gmt 0)

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He, he, he. If it's one of the newfangled ones I'm not sure if it'll survive. You can try taking it apart, rinse everything well, let it dry overnight. Take a hair dryer to the parts before putting it back together.

Best bet is to pick up an old IBM Model M Keyboard [en.wikipedia.org] with drain holes. Those clickety clacks are almost indestructable. You can find some good refurbished ones and even a few never used new ones around.

rocker

11:28 am on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)

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What's the best way to clean tomato juice out of a keyboard?

What a bummer.

However, one solution is pouring some vodka into the keyboard, skake it up, pour it into a glass, then drink it. No use wasting good tomato juice :)

Dabrowski

12:13 pm on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)

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It is possible to clean the parts and restore your keyboard.

I once put all my keys in the dishwasher to clean them, when it finished they'd scattered all over and the ink washed off.

Don't listen to me I'm an idiot.

londrum

4:08 pm on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)

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just burn it off, with a blow-torch

wyweb

4:52 pm on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)



Add vodka and a twist of lime.

ooops... I guess rocker already did that. Next time I'll read all the posts first. And I thought I was being sooo clever....

ytswy

7:05 pm on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)

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Don't forget the humble dishwasher.

I'm actually serious. As long as you dry it thoroughly before use your keyboard has a fairly good chance of survival.

DamonHD

7:19 pm on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)

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WARNING: do NOT attempt to operate this keyboard while it is in a dishwasher.

WARNING: do NOT attempt to put this keyboard in a dishwasher while it is connected to your computer.

WARNING: do NOT attempt to redecorate or rinse this keyboard in tomato juice, unless expressly marked as suitable for keyboard cleaning.

WARNING: do NOT eat

iThink

9:22 pm on Sep 29, 2007 (gmt 0)

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Put the keyboard in the washing machine and let it do the cleaning for you.

LifeinAsia

3:21 pm on Oct 1, 2007 (gmt 0)

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Or, if you have a pick-up truck, put the keyboard in the bed and go to a drvie-through car wash.

ytswy

4:26 pm on Oct 1, 2007 (gmt 0)

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I have a friend who swears blind that a colleague used to put expensive scanners through the dishwasher on a regular basis.

As long as you dry them thoroughly and quickly before use they are apparently fine.

No, I probably wouldn't do it myself.

Dabrowski

6:58 pm on Oct 1, 2007 (gmt 0)

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I have a friend who swears blind that a colleague used to put expensive scanners through the dishwasher on a regular basis

Second hand advice = urban myth.

Besides, the detergents would corrode the electrical stuff, and why on earth would you put a scanner in the dishwasher? Hadn't he heard of a lint free cloth?

londrum

9:12 pm on Oct 1, 2007 (gmt 0)

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yeah, that's stupid. if you're going to put it in something, then put it in the washing machine. everyone knows that.

lorax

2:07 am on Oct 2, 2007 (gmt 0)

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egad - get a new one. You wanted one any way... ;)

Tiger Direct has them as low as $13.

vincevincevince

2:14 am on Oct 2, 2007 (gmt 0)

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In most cases, submersion in a bowl of warm water with a tiny bit of soap should be fine. Then place in the sun for the sunny portion of two days.

edit_g

4:10 am on Oct 2, 2007 (gmt 0)

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Why would you need to put a scanner in a dishwasher anyway?

ytswy

6:58 am on Oct 2, 2007 (gmt 0)

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Why would you need to put a scanner in a dishwasher anyway?

You know, I was never really clear on that myself.

I just tried a search for - dishwasher keyboard - and it seems a fairly popular method :)

[edited by: lawman at 12:16 am (utc) on Oct. 3, 2007]
[edit reason] No Search Terms Please [/edit]

Dabrowski

5:06 pm on Oct 2, 2007 (gmt 0)

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One of those pages begins:

"I'm sure you have seen lots of keyboard how-tos"

Why? Why? Why would we have seen lots of keyboard how-tos?

You could try one of these, I have one!

<snip>

They take a bit of getting used to typing on, especially for coding. Or even one of these, the keyboard that isn't really there:

[thinkgeek.com...]

Cooooooool! ;)

[edited by: lawman at 12:17 am (utc) on Oct. 3, 2007]
[edit reason] Sorry D, Links To Commercial Sites Not Allowed [/edit]

Dabrowski

2:55 pm on Oct 3, 2007 (gmt 0)

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[edit reason] Sorry D, Links To Commercial Sites Not Allowed [/edit]

Sorry, did think that but couldn't find a non-commercial one!

FYI, it was one of those silicone flexible ones.

jatar_k

2:03 pm on Oct 4, 2007 (gmt 0)

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I would suggest this thread as a cautionary tale
[webmasterworld.com...]

Automan Empire

3:21 am on Oct 5, 2007 (gmt 0)

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I'm with the just-get-a-new-one crowd. Geeks has five kinds for $2.99. With three computers in a harsh environment, I make sure to have at least one spare on hand. My rule is, eat drink and be merry at the keyboard, so long as you ergonomically set them where they will thwart murphy's law by being knocked AWAY from sensitive things. A desk so cluttered that your drink can only be set on the very corner is one way to implement this.

With the spare on hand, you are free to try dishwashering etc. with nothing to lose. Blowing it out with compressed air helps a lot. Not expensive canned air, but see if a handyman neighbor has a compressor in his garage. The 175 psi system in my workshop works real great for this. :)

jatar_k

6:09 pm on Oct 5, 2007 (gmt 0)

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>> 175 psi

fast and easy key removal service ;)

I am not with the just get a new one crowd, I have this
[logitech.com...]
and it's not 2.99

you can get cans of air pretty cheap at costco. I think I got 3 for 18$ or you can find them most places for 12$ or 15$. I always have a couple on hand for cpu cleaning purposes and they're great for cleaning the filter on my vacuum.

King_Fisher

6:46 pm on Oct 5, 2007 (gmt 0)

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What about leaving said keyboard on an ant hill for a day.Next day it should be
licked/picked? clean,...Too primitive?..Sorry!...KF

Dabrowski

10:16 pm on Oct 7, 2007 (gmt 0)

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jatar_k, you are obviously a gamer. You bought a fancy keyboard, I have a GeForce 8800GTX. And I wouldn't put that in the dishwasher either! :D

Blowing it out with compressed air helps a lot

One of my clients has a large CAM workshop, everything he owns is covered in grey dust. Every time I have to open up one of his PC's I use his workshop compressor to blow it out, cleans the fans/heatsinks up nicely, and the PCB's look good as new afterwards. As the air contains metal particles this is actually necessary from time to time, and have even charged him for the privilege if one of the PC's has been left for a while.

Habtom

5:41 am on Oct 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

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What about leaving said keyboard on an ant hill for a day.

That is a good idea KF. But do you see the hassle involved looking for one?

buckworks, have you done anything to your keyboard yet, I hope you just didn't throw it away, while everybody is trying to give you solutions from all the directions possible :)

[edited by: Habtom at 6:04 am (utc) on Oct. 8, 2007]

algari

8:58 am on Oct 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



hold it upside down and show it vacuum cleaner with broad nozzle.

***

""I have a friend who swears blind that a colleague used to put expensive scanners through the dishwasher on a regular basis. ""

When I start mfg and mkting scanners/keyboard I would use this caption in my marketing campaign (substiting 'expensive' with <my brand>.)

wyweb

12:38 pm on Oct 8, 2007 (gmt 0)



Cans of air are fine but that's a recurring cost. I bought a small air compressor 5 or 6 years ago at Harbor Freight for 40 bucks with a decent regulator on it so I can dial down the pressure exerted. It works great for blowing out keyboards. I smoke and my biggest issue is with ashes dropping down under the keys. To date, I've never spilled a drink on a keyboard. There's not much lag time between me picking up a good drink and it reaching my mouth and my hand/eye coordination, at least with regard to my drinks, is fortunately flawless.

On the subject of expensive scanners being put through the diswasher on a regular basis... certainly not doubting this at all but wondering why this would even be necessary? A soft rag and a little commercial glass cleaner and my cheapo flatbed scanner is good to go for another 100K miles.

ytswy

7:34 pm on Oct 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

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On the subject of expensive scanners being put through the diswasher on a regular basis ... wondering why this would even be necessary?

Well it happened at an IT reseller, so my best guess is that it was returned units being given a bit of a spruce up before being sold as new ;)

"The NEW ScanMaster, 1200dpi with a hint of fresh lemon!"

vik_c

1:54 pm on Oct 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Sell the keyboard on eBay (excellent condition, free tomato juice comes with it) and buy a new one.
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