BS: Sticky keyboard....

Subject: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Blowzabella
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:16 PM

The other night I rather stupidly knocked over a glass while working on the computer. It contained a large gin and tonic. Now some of my keys are very sticky. Is there anything I can do to remedy the situation please or will I have to own up to my husband?

Blowz

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Once Famous
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:26 PM

dip the keyboard in the toilet three times.

Let air dry for for three days, four hours, thirteen minutes, and 47 seconds.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: saulgoldie
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:33 PM

New keyboards are so cheap. Why not treat yourself to one and forget about the whole ugly mess? Seriously, I don't know that keyboards are easily recoverable, once liquid has gotten into the switches that lie under the keys.

Wait, did you mean that the keys are only sticky on the *top*, but that they operate well enough? Dampen (but don't douse) some paper towel with window cleaner, and wipe the *inverted* keyboard (so that no fluid falls down into the mechanism) until the keys are no longer sticky. Tough break about the lost gin'n tonic. Hava nother one, and chill.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:42 PM

Aerosol foam cleanser is the best thing for keyboards.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Blowzabella
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:49 PM

The keys all work, but the j and the space bar, in particular, are sort of dull and, well, a bit non springy. I was hoping it might work itself out if I just continued to use it - oh, now I see the u is affected too...most of the others are ok. I tried cleaning with q-tips, dipped in water and sqeezed out....probably going to have to be a new one - will that mean going back to Dell or can I jjust get one from the high street? I know nothing about these things...

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: saulgoldie
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:55 PM

Actually, the key tops may pop off. They do on at least some keyboards. If you can do this, you may be able to gently clean the actual switch mechanisms of the "sticky."

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 18 May 05 - 12:56 PM

Try putting the end of a teaspoon handle under the sticky keys and prise them off, clean round the hole where the key pops in, and under the sticky keys. Clean warm water on a piece of lint free cloth, press keys back in correct place!
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Blowzabella
Date: 18 May 05 - 01:10 PM

Probably best to do this with the computer switched off, eh? I'll give it a go...let you know if I get anywhere...Thanks all

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 18 May 05 - 01:49 PM

Use distilled water if you can, as well!

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Bassic
Date: 18 May 05 - 02:08 PM

New Keyboards are about a fiver Blowz.......own up and give him the £5. While you are at it spend £20 ish and get a wireless keyboard and mouse. Much better. Maplins, PC world or any computer shop should have what you want though you will probably have to install some sort of driver disc if you go for a wireless one. (not a hard task but a little knowlege is required). The local computer fair will be even cheaper.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Blowzabella
Date: 18 May 05 - 02:29 PM

Presumably I can still kill a wireless keyboard by spilling G+T on it, though, Bassic? Haven't tackled either the task or the husband yet....

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 May 05 - 02:45 PM

Once at the office a bottle of Elmer's Glue (don't ask) flipped out of my fingers and dumped onto my keyboard. I called the computer tech for instruction and he said, Don't even bother. I'll be right up with a new board.

If you get a new keyboard, fene if it's not wireless, you can upgrade to a fancier, more ergonomic design you might enjoy a lot. All clouds have silver linings, etc, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: GUEST
Date: 18 May 05 - 02:45 PM

I had a similar mishap with some coffee a few years ago. Since some of the keys were unresponsive, I unscrewed and took apart the keyboard to discover the liquid had combined with a layer of dust to create an unpleasant mush. I cleaned it as carefully as I could and left it to dry out. Once I put the keyboard back together it worked much better than it had in a long time, minus the dust!

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: open mike
Date: 18 May 05 - 03:02 PM

arsk Jo9hn he has experience wirth st icky key boarsd

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Blowzabella
Date: 18 May 05 - 03:08 PM

Will any keyboard do though, or does it have to be 'compatible' with the rest of the stuff?

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: GUEST
Date: 18 May 05 - 03:11 PM

You do have to be compatible. As one who has helped a ton of people buy keyboards at the office store, here's what you do. Jerk the keyboard off the machine and bring it in. That way they can see what kind of connector thingy you need and what 'extra' keys you might need that you're used to. I promise this will save you a return trip or having to buy an adapter.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: GUEST
Date: 18 May 05 - 03:11 PM

During a period of unemployment I did some temporary work in user support for a local authority. At least one keyboard a week had coffee spilt over it. We would take it away and leave it in a cupboard to dry. The user would get the keyboard previously placed in the cupboard. Never any problems.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: mg
Date: 18 May 05 - 03:53 PM

I just cleaned mine with my steam buggy. Works great.. I had to dumpt a bunch of water out afterwards though. I was prepared to replace it if it didn't work but yikes junk just kept pouring out of it. turn over to dry. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 May 05 - 04:08 PM

On most recently made keyboards the switches themselves are "sort of" waterproofed, so you may be able to pop the keycaps off and do a reasonably good cleanup, but advice to just get a new board is probably the "sane" approach.

You might want to try the "Smithsonian method" by laying the keyboard on an anthill (choose small ants) and let the little buggers gnaw the sugar off. Smithsonian breeds special "carrion beetles" of several types for "delicate cleaning" jobs, but don't do mail order so far as I know.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: GUEST,AMos
Date: 18 May 05 - 05:03 PM

Hell you can soak the whole thing in distilled water if you (A) do it with the keyboard unplugged (B) Rinse it well so it washes out the gunk (C) blow dry or airdry it out afterwards and make sure it is ALL dry before plugging it back in.

Best to take the key caps off so they don't cup the drainwater and feed it back in.

If you leave water in it, or leave trails of sediment from mineralized water lying across the circuits, it will hose the board up in fine form, but if you don't make these errors the worst outcome will be no worse than you went in and the best will be the keyboard will be as good as new.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Gurney
Date: 23 May 05 - 05:54 AM

I bought a new keyboard and mouse, cheap ones, just in case I did just that. Of course, this is a prophylactic against it ever happening.

Red wine causes remotes to misfunction, in my case, continually running the batteries flat. Stripping (carefully) and cleaning (Electro-Clenz or CRC) will sometimes fix both items. It might even improve your shift key.

Why are flat batteries still round?

No-one threw them away.

Sorry.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: GUEST,MR Red who love technology but..........
Date: 23 May 05 - 06:28 AM

Don't get a wireless keyboard or USB or anything that isn't P/S2 (or the older connection) unless you have the old working keyboard somewhere to hand. And write on the back of the PC and the ckeyboard connector so that you are reminded where to plug it in.

You just try recovering from a crash with an OS that has to be well and truly operational to get the USB drivers working. Go on try it.

If you can't alter the BIOS settings with it - the keyboard is a BIG hassle waiting to bite you on the bum.

Isn't technology wonderful? Think smart, not clever.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 23 May 05 - 09:03 AM

My machine (hand-me-down) came with a USB keyboard and mouse. But Win98 would not recognise them - and you could only do the OS load by using the keyboard (once I swapped it) and still using the USB mouse - it would not recognise it (no matter WHAT the BIOS said!) - so you had to use keyboard to load it - I last did that win WIN3.1 from memory....

So guess which keyboard and mouse is on the shelf and which is plugged in, remembering that I have had to reload Windows several times?... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 23 May 05 - 09:05 AM

"Why are flat batteries still round?"

9V batteries are always flat.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Rapparee
Date: 23 May 05 - 09:40 AM

Here ya go!

You can drive an SUV over 'em.

We bought some for work, for the computer used by the littlest kids. You guessed it -- they managed to rip the cover and short out the keys.

Subject: RE: BS: Sticky keyboard....
From: Uncle Jaque
Date: 23 May 05 - 11:19 AM

Some computer geek on a tech forum I was hunting for tips on said that he just put 'em in the top rack of the dish washer and let 'er rip.

Sure; a few are toast, but they were anyway. No big hog.

But every now and then, he said, it will clean and restore a keyboard good as new.

I've tried it twice; once it failed (on a KB i'd found at the dump, which was probably there for a reason) and another time on an old Gateway one that came to us about two computers ago.

It worked a little better after the DW treatment, but a couple of keys were still a little sluggish - so I popped the caps and found little HAIR-BALLS underneath... probably accumulated from my beard sheddings over the years.

After blowing those out, the old KB is right as rain, and I plugged it into a PC (that I scrounged out of the same dump) that has a whole 21 gigs - this one only has two 8 gig HDs.

Oh; and the monitor came from the dump too! Has a hole busted out of the case on top, but it works.

A friend helped me wipe the "new" HD as it seemed to be pretty well infested with something nasty, re-loaded 98SE and wer'e back in business... and the price was certainly right!

So if you've got a dish washer, give it a go; what've you got to lose?