Comments on: How to Clean Up Keyboard Spills

on 9/23/2008 I have a Macbook. Any suggestions on cleaning a coffee sticky key problem?

on 6/23/2008 yeah, i've got a logitech di novo which is wireless and has a built in laptop so i dont know how to unplug it, sure it has a powerbutton but does it really go to sleep?

on 8/8/2006 I pried off the keys, which I wasn't sure about at first, and then I dipped Q-tips in rubbing alcohol and it cleaned the gunk right off! The keys worked great again, and they were germ free.

on 8/8/2006 After my laptop dried the keyboard printed i+,u5, ... when the i, u... keys were struck. Ctrl/alt/del did nothing.

I took the keyboard off, carefully disconnecting the ribbon connectors and then dismantled the keyboard by cutting the plastic welds that held down the printed circuit board. The circuit board on mine was 3 sheets of plastic, and when I held it up to the light I could see where the water had caused a few of the lines to blur into another of the closely associated lines. I carefully cleaned the lines where bleeding had occurred. I used my glue gun to re weld the circuit board back into position and reassembled. My keyboard works right again. Be careful when reassembling to completely secure the circuit board back into it's original position or your keys won't have any spring. This took me 3-4 hours. I don't have electronics training, but I am good with my hands and understanding how things work. If there's no other option but springing for a new keyboard, and you have the time, this might work.

on 12/8/2005 My kids spilled soda on the keyboard 2 days ago. I thought I did a decent clean up job, until I went to type an e-mail today and many keys were sticking. I came to the eHow site and took the suggestions of prying off the keys with a screwdriver and using a little warm water and some Q-tips. It worked like a charm. My ability to type this is proof it worked. Thanks!

on 11/29/2005 After I spiled coffee on my keyboard for the 2nd time I went out to by another one. at radio shack they had a keyboard that was all sealed. there were no spaces around the keys. I bought and I love it. Water, coffee or pop cannot get under the keys.

on 11/22/2005 I splashed coffee on my Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop keyboard and I could not properly type anything! At worst I'd have to replace it, so I thought it would not hurt to attempt to fix it. I removed the keyboard as described on the Dell webpage, soaked the keyboard in warm water for a half hour, rinsed it in clear cool tap water, gently shook out the water, gently blew out the excess water with an air compressor, and laid the keyboard on top of a lamp shade for two hours to dry. Everything is now A-OK! The compressor step could be optional I suppose. I used one because I had it. I think it accelerates the drying by removing as much water as possible.

on 11/22/2005 I picked up (what looked like) a very nice keyboard for a buck at an excess hardware sale at my workplace. Turns out, someone had dumped cola into it. Since I wasn't out much, I figured what the heck, so I filled my bathtub with warm water and immersed the keyboard. An amazing amount of crap came swimming out as I sloshed it back and forth. I drained it out as well as I could, then left it propped up by a furnace register for a few days to dry. (It was winter, so it got plenty of warm air gently blown through it.) I plugged it in and it worked fine for several years.

on 11/22/2005 I have three grandchildren and one foster child living with me and my computer. I have had at least three spills on the keyboard.

After the first spill, I just drained it and let it dry. It never worked properly so I just replaced it.

After the second spill, I immediately unplugged the keyboard, took it to the kitchen sink, flushed it liberally with water, then took it apart and placed it on our chest freezer on paper towels to dry. The next day, I put it all back together and it worked flawlessly.

After the third spill, I did the same as I did after the second, only to have one of the younger grandchildren pull things apart while they were drying on the freezer.

My advice is to do what I did after the second spill but put it up so no one can get to it while it is drying.