Putting a keyboard in the dishwasher?

[ThaGrandCow]

I've heard that you can actually do this. Is this fact or a rumor? I know I should have the dishwasher empty so no food particles from plates get in there. Should I use soap? How long should I let it dry before using it?

 

[Antisocial Virge]

I heard of this also but I don't know if I would try it. After having a keyboard fry do to water getting onto it, I would imagine you would want it fairly dry before plugging it back in

 

[PsychoAndy]

i use a garden hose on mine, i cant see why a dishwasher wouldnt work

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

ummmm... no. I have merely spilled water on a couple of keyboards which now, sadly, are no longer with us.

 

[sheselectric]

i instinctively feel that would be a bad idea.

 

[BornStar]

I'm expecting he won't be leaving his keyboard plugged in while it's in the dishwasher so, from what I've heard, you won't hurt your keyboard in the least. If there's electricity flowing through it, then there's something to be concerned about.

 

[CloroxCowboy]

While it would be cool this does not work. Water = bad.

You can remove the keys and clean them but i have found it is not normally worth the effort. I type all the time so I just figure new keyboard every year or so.

 

[thawolfman]

Yeah mine was dirty as hell so I took it apart thinking I could wash the top part by hand, but I fscked up the order of those sensor sheets on the inside so I had to try it like 6 times before I got it to work. After that I just broke out the Windex & Paper Towels...works wonders

 

[PsychoAndy]

well how does youre keyboard work? mine has 2 halves. one part is a key assembly where the keys i press collapse a foam/rubber dome that conducts a signal. the foam is on the lower half and the keys dont pop out, so i can take the whole upper half, spray and wash the entire thing, dry it and be ok

 

[Farfrael]

LOL

2 easy steps :

1) http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=768381 (*HOT DEAL* 75 computer keyboards for $5,000.00 )
2) have fun

though i am quite sure this is bogus and you'll just "kill" your keyboard

 

[Stratum9]

I read that you could do this in a tech article from a well known tech site and I decided to give it a try. The next day I was ordering a new keyboard.

A keyboard has a circuit board. If you think about it it's no different than putting your video card into the dishwasher. I doubt there are many people who'd put their Voodo, GForce, or Radeon in the dishwasher.

Perhaps if you took it apart and removed the circuit board and only washed the plastic parts then you might be okay.

 

[punkrawket]

actually it works

put it in the dishwasher... but MAKE SURE IT IS DRY before you plug it in

EDIT: oh and no soap

 

[ThaGrandCow]

<< well how does youre keyboard work? mine has 2 halves. one part is a key assembly where the keys i press collapse a foam/rubber dome that conducts a signal. the foam is on the lower half and the keys dont pop out, so i can take the whole upper half, spray and wash the entire thing, dry it and be ok >>

Ok that's a start. You use a hose on yours, but just on the top (no electronics) half. what do you do for the bottom? just shake it out and blow in some compressed air?

 

[docmanhattan]

The simpler keyboards you can probably wash off with a sprayer and just make sure it's dry or something, but the newer ones with all the added features might not work so well after getting wet.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

punkrawket: Have you done this before? can you confirm it?

 

[GoodRevrnd]

I imagine it'd be ok as long as you didn't use soap and it was completely dry when you plugged it back in. However, I think if your keyboard was dirty enough it might just cause the dirt to gunk up more in certain areas and then you'd be worse off. How about new keyboard?

 

[punkrawket]

<< punkrawket: Have you done this before? can you confirm it? >>

yes i have... no soap... just water... and my keyboard is an el cheapo $4 keyboard

just to make sure it was completely dry i hung it up in my room for 2 days (i had a few el cheapo keyboards)

i've heard of people doing the same to motherboards... but i can't say if that's true or not

 

[ThaGrandCow]

<<

<< punkrawket: Have you done this before? can you confirm it? >>

yes i have... no soap... just water... and my keyboard is an el cheapo $4 keyboard

just to make sure it was completely dry i hung it up in my room for 2 days (i had a few el cheapo keyboards)

i've heard of people doing the same to motherboards... but i can't say if that's true or not >>

Ok, lets assume that I'm going to try it then. Should I use the scrubber function or the option for delicate china? Econo mode or not? Hot air dry from the dishwasher or not?

 

[PsychoAndy]

<<

<< well how does youre keyboard work? mine has 2 halves. one part is a key assembly where the keys i press collapse a foam/rubber dome that conducts a signal. the foam is on the lower half and the keys dont pop out, so i can take the whole upper half, spray and wash the entire thing, dry it and be ok >>

Ok that's a start. You use a hose on yours, but just on the top (no electronics) half. what do you do for the bottom? just shake it out and blow in some compressed air? >>



the top half is sealed. theres only a thin sheet pf plastic that has the condictivity strips, and the outer bottom half. all my junk accumulates in the top half

 

[ThaGrandCow]

<< the top half is sealed. theres only a thin sheet pf plastic that has the condictivity strips, and the outer bottom half. all my junk accumulates in the top half >>

Ahhhh I see. I'll have to break out the screwdriver and see if mine's sealed or not.

 

[ElFenix]

used distilled water and just rinse... distilled doesn't conduct.

 

[BillGates]

DON'T DO IT!!!

I have ruined 3 keyboards in my life - and 2 of them were the $40 Microsoft Natural Elite split ones, the other a Gateway of my college roommate with volume control buttons, etc.

2 had soda spilled in them, and I immediately ran them under hot water in the tub to get rid of the sticky soda before it had the chance to dry. The third my cat spilled a glass of water on.

All were given a week in the sun by my window to dry, and none ever worked correctly. Some buttons would work, but in all cases something important did not....one it was the space bar, one it was the E key, and one was a whole bunch of keys.

I took it apart and it was a little clear plastic sheet folded onto itself with a circuit board inside of it on another plastic sheet....even washing and drying that thoroughly did nothing to solve the problem.

 

[db]

If you spill something sticky, ie contains sugar, etc, lots of people have had luck pouring distilled water on the keyboard and then just let it dry--don't use heat to dry it.

 

[nihil]

i gotta try the distilled water trick. i gotta bunch of black skanky keyboards. black kb's really do get nasty looking after a while.

 

[RONType1]

yes.. if you wet your keyboard, DO NOT USE HOT WATER, or a blow dryer! And if it's got LEDs on it, try not to get that wet! And let it air dry, good luck!