Dear Geek,
I got really excited about the new Spider-Man movie, that I spilled some pop all over my keyboard. By “some”, I mean a whole bottle of coke. I tried cleaning it out, but it’s been a few days since, and my keyboard is still so sticky that it’s almost unusable. I saw on a forum that a few people had put their keyboards through the dishwasher, can you actually do that?
Sincerely,
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man
Dear Peter Parker,
Yes, some people have put their keyboards through the dishwasher, but there are some risks with that. When you do this, there is a chance that you may completely ruin your keyboard, and no manufacturer actually recommends you use this method. If you have warranty on your keyboard, this will completely void it. Also, your keyboard will be out of commission for about a week. It should also be said that this method of cleaning does not work for laptop keyboards, just standard, desktop keyboards.
Here’s some information if this is the road you’d like to take:
– Make sure you’ve got a spare keyboard. You must wait at least 7 days before the keyboard can be used again after it’s been washed, so unless you do not plan on using your computer for a week you’ll need a spare.
– Do not use any dish soap.
If your dishwasher has multiple settings, make sure it’s a rinse only. Do not use a heavy wash, pots, and pan setting, or any heated drying settings. Any extensive heat will destroy the keyboard.
– Wash the keyboard on the top rack only.
– Do not put anything else in the dishwasher except the keyboard.
– Only try this if your computer keyboard is plastic.
If you want a more extensive clean under the keys remove each of the keys and wash just the keyboard.
After the keyboard has been washed, shake the keyboard to allow excessive amounts of water to drain out, lay the keyboard upside down so it is laying on the keys, and let the keyboard dry for seven days.
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