What's under YOUR keyboard?

[xrunner]

Maybe you don't want to know. 

I could have vacuumed a fair amount of the grunge out, but the keys are also grungy, so I'm dumping them all in the ultrasonic cleaner. I have a spare KB to use while I do the job.

[marshallh]

Mine was a bit worse. $10 MS basic wired 600. I bought a second one to use while cleaning the first. I ripped out the keys, put them in the dishwasher silverware tray, and the keyboar shell in the dish rack. No soap required really, you can spray a bit of cleaner if you want. Bake out moisture afterwards

[AndrejaKo]

Dishwasher is a good idea which I often use on contaminated keyboards. One problem with it is that it will often remove all key lubrication in the keyboard (assuming it was good enough to have any), so what I do after washing a keyboard is to spray a bit of silicone lubricant for plastic at the key holes. This makes keys a bit easier to press. On the other hand, overdoing silicon will result in increased dust attraction, so some care is needed.

[xrunner]

I vacuumed then swabbed the shell out with general purpose cleaner. The keys were washed and are now drying outside in the 100 deg. heat in the shade. I normally wouldn't go to this much trouble but I really like that Dell KB. This is the second cleaning like this I've done to it since I've had it.

[westfw]

I've got one of those monolithic slabs of Apple keyboard, so I'll never be able to tell.  :-)

(as an aside, the keyboard came with a system, and I had serious doubts about the whole "chicklet key" style.  But it has become one of my favorite keyboards...)

[Psi]

Cat hair is the biggest problem for my keyboard. Every so often i remove 1-2 cats worth of hair from under the keys 

[xrunner]

Cat hair is the biggest problem for my keyboard. Every so often i remove 1-2 cats worth of hair from under the keys 

Oh yea cat hair - you don't have to tell me about it. I have two cats and they are shedding like crazy due to the heat . Hurry up Fall.

[SeanB]

Cleaned mine a little by turning on to the one side and banging on the table, and only a little bit of dust. Some at work i cleaned by placing a new one, then taking the old one and placing in a black garbage bag then breaking in half over my knee, I did not want to touch them, they were so full of crumbs, spilled drinks and other assorted things like face plaster and short hairs.

http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2013-08-25/

Just about explains it........

[peter.mitchell]

not a whole lot, the design of this keyboard is pretty open so it is very easy to clean.

[GeoffS]

Cat hair is the biggest problem for my keyboard. Every so often i remove 1-2 cats worth of hair from under the keys 

A new unit of measure, the catsworth! 
All it needs is a wikipedia page to become official. 

[SeanB]

+1 for that!

[con-f-use]

I can recommend the Logitech K310. I have it because of my too cats and because I often eat in the middle of work. It is water proof and, with a brush, you can get between the keys easily. The brush is even included when shipped and there's a holder for it on the backside. So the K310 cleans really nicely and accumulates dirt very slowly.



However I degunked my mouse recently after 10 years of heavy use (yay MX510  ). I opened it because the mouse-wheel didn't respond anymore. Turns out the entire thing was full of hair and grease - even the small gap between board and plastic. Disgusting!

[kolbep]

[img]http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/keyboards_are_disgusting.png[img]

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/keyboards_are_disgusting.png

[steve30]

Mine tends not to get too dirty anymore because I vacuum regularly. But they still get dust and biscuit crumbs in them. I eat lots of biscuits.

My Model M has some coffee and orange juice in it. Unfortunately, it was the orange juice that killed it. The Dell QuietKey from 1999 which lasted me 8 years was also killed by orange juice.

Oh, and I do get things like component leads, short wires, bits of wire insulation etc.

[crisr]

I have read somewhere that used computer keyboards have more germs than bus / subway handlebars and maybe even money... think about that the next time you use a public terminal! 

[bitwelder]

What's under my keyboard?
A list with all my main passwords. Where else can I keep them safe from prying eyes?
And any dirt accumulation is obviously *functional* to hiding the precious secrets.

[Dave]

I would definitely use a few drops of dish soap when putting the keyboard into the dishwasher. Fingers are greasy and if you want to clean the residue they leave behind, you need something that dissolves grease.
You just need to put a bit of silicone grease on the metal clips under bigger keys (like space, etc.) afterwards.

The method I prefer is to use my ultrasonic cleaner to clean the keys (water with a drop of dish soap) and a large brush to scrub the shell.

[madworm]

My humble entry to the contest! At least a couple of years of dirt - and a looong time ago

Let me assure you that I cleaned it after taking this photo.

[steve30]

Not surprising when you consider what we do with our hands before using keyboard.

I don't use public computers though so not much of a concern. I do often get second hand keyboards, but I clean then thoroughly .

[xrunner]

My humble entry to the contest! At least a couple of years of dirt - and a looong time ago

Let me assure you that I cleaned it after taking this photo.

Oh you beat me hands down! 

[GeoffS]

The keyboard I'm using now is a Honeywell  unit, with real keys, manufactured in 1990.
It's been cleaned many times as is was designed to be repaired (remember those days?).

Having a close look, I think a clean is overdue.

[hughes_k]

Looking under a keyboard is just as frightening as looking under your couch cushions , but with less chance of finding money 

[xrunner]

Looking under a keyboard is just as frightening as looking under your couch cushions , but with less chance of finding money 

You must be here for the contest. 

[Hamster]

+1 for the DELL Keyboard in post #1, i love that keyboard, however, i currently use a Razor keyboard for my desk, and kinda grown found of it.

[xrunner]

+1 for the DELL Keyboard in post #1, i love that keyboard, however, i currently use a Razor keyboard for my desk, and kinda grown found of it.

Yea we had them at work, and I really liked them so I ordered one from Dell.

Hey, I just realized you can see my socks at the bottom of the picture. LOL.

[Sar]

(Yes, I'm here for the contest too... annnd to suck in everyone's knowledge *grabs a straw* I actually got sucked in via the Amp Hour and watch a bunch of videos and subscribed, then saw the contest post this evening.)

What's under my keyboard is a drawer and half of a giant mouspad, what's IN my keyboard is anybody's guess. Probably ash and little bits of wire insulation, solder and dust bunnies.

My desk is my everything space, it's pretty big and lots going on. Circuits get built, contests get entered, things get ripped apart and repair and of course keyboards get trashed. I liked my backlit Logitechs and all, but finally I just broke down and buy a $15 Dell keyboard every year(KB212-B), it's much easier. I use them all the time at work so it's pretty natural to sit down at and use.

[Greyersting]

I just took off a bunch of keys on my laptop to see.  Now I can't get them back on 

[G7PSK]

Apparently keyboards and mice have more germs on them than loo seats and very often they are of the same type of germ as found in fecal matter. 

I tend to just bin my keyboards and get a new one and I always keep a few new mice handy.

[fluxcapacitor]

spot the keyboard  !

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2221821/Filthy-home-offices-piled-high-cigarette-butts-beer-cans-make-commuting-living-room-nightmare.html

[84GKSIG]

I got to the point once where my desk was over run my old circuit boards paper id drawn pcb lay outs on, but nothing as bad as as using my keyboard as an ash tray 
I try clean mine and ill usually remember when one of the keys start to require a little more force than normal, ive got cats so they seem to collect the cat hair rather well. before that it was the dogs hair.

[Br0ski]

What's under my keyboard?

Ashes, Because in my off time I play video games and smoke like a chimney.

Yours Truely,

Smokey

P.S. I keep trying to quit wish me luck.

[logman]

whenever i feel its time, i pop the caps off of my keyboard, take it apart and run it under the sink. let it try completely and reassemble.

[SArepairman]

I looked and I wish that I had not.

It is going into the dish washer ASAP. Or perhaps a crematory before it comes alive and kills us all.