I'm Dirty

[neonlyte]

White MacBooks get unbelievable dirty. I can see my least used keys are Z, J and X. Anyone know of a keyboard safe cleaner?

 

[carsonshepherd]

Don't use Windex. Trust me on this.

 

[neonlyte]

Don't use Windex. Trust me on this.

Thanks... I take it bleach is also out

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Since it's probably mostly finger-oil (chemically known as fingeroilic acid), I'd dry a few drops of dish-washing liquid in water on a damp rag. (You might also carefully try some rubbing alcohol. Stuff's great for cutting body oils but will also dissolve some plastics)

--Dr. Zoot

 

[neonlyte]

Thanks zoot... I'll give it a try.

 

[3113]

iKlear

Here are instructions from Apple:

Use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth with mild non-abrasive soap or detergent. It is also safe to use isopropyl alcohol and iKlear. Remove any surface dirt gently with your bare hand before proceeding with cleaner and cloth. After washing, dry the plastic with a soft, lint-free cloth.

DO NOT do any of the following:

use window sprays or cleaning products containing ammonia, alcohol, or abrasive ingredients
use rough towels or cloths to dry the plastic
Spray cleaner directly onto your computer (Liquid could drip inside the case and cause an electrical shock and/or electrical malfunction.)

Apple tends to favor iKlear, and so do I. I keep iKlear wipes handy for cleaning everything from case to keyboard to screen. Unfortunately, they're not nearly so cheap as non-abrasive soap or detergent.

 

[xssve]

I buy cheap ass keyboards, and just throw the old ones out. Kids.

Old IBM's are the best, they have a very satisfying click and tactile feel. You can sometimes find piles of them for the asking but you need an adapter for them. I have one made of silicone, it's flexible, and rolls up, completely waterproof - great idea, solenoids suck though, so it's my backup, I'm out of IBM's.

Otherwise, rubbing alchohol in a small spray bottle, and one of those brushes they sell to detail your dashboard with a soft duster on one end and stiffish long bristled brush on the other, though any relatively fine bristled brush will do, and old toothbrush or a denture brush, wipe off with a soft cloth, wrap it around a letter opener or something to get between the keys.

Used to use freon, but I'm trying to stay off the stuff.

 

[Vermilion]

I cleaned a keyboard recently with a cotton bud dipped in nail varnish remover. did an excellent job, but it was a manky old keyboard and it didn;t matter if anything went wrong on it. You could try it on one (unimportant) key and see how it does?

x
V

 

[xssve]

Acetone, the active ingredient in nail polish remover, is a powerful solvent will melt certain plastics. It also evaporates too quickly to really do a good scrub.

 

[neonlyte]

Thanks Peeps.
I used a ph neutral liquid soap on a duster, that shifted the grime and the screen/surface cleaner I usually use, removed resides of the soap. It's clean, it shines. I'll be wearing for the rest of the day.

 

[Varian P]

White MacBooks get unbelievable dirty.

I have no useful advice to offer. I was just relieved to see this thread wasn't about your pants.

 

[neonlyte]

I have no useful advice to offer. I was just relieved to see this thread wasn't about your pants.

How very dare you!

 

[ms.read]

puss- puss cleaner also works well for my keyboard

 

[glynndah]

It's about cleaning keyboards? I'm so disappointed.

 

[neonlyte]

It's about cleaning keyboards? I'm so disappointed.

Look... it's the only way to get any attention around here

Now, if you want to talk about ms. read's puss puss on her keyboard Can't imagine how she gets it clean afterward.

 

[gauchecritic]

WD40 is surprisingly effective on almost everything even though it's basically a lubricant.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth with mild non-abrasive soap or detergent. It is also safe to use isopropyl alcohol and iKlear. Remove any surface dirt gently with your bare hand before proceeding with cleaner and cloth. After washing, dry the plastic with a soft, lint-free cloth.

DO NOT do any of the following:

use window sprays or cleaning products containing ammonia, alcohol, or abrasive ingredients
use rough towels or cloths to dry the plastic
Spray cleaner directly onto your computer (Liquid could drip inside the case and cause an electrical shock and/or electrical malfunction.)

I'm so confused!

 

[neonlyte]

I'm so confused!

It is confusing, dear... (ducks)
This should help: Isopropyl alcohol conforms to Markownikoff's rule which is an observation based on Zaitsev's rule. It was formulated by the Russian chemist Vladimir Vasilevich Markovnikov in 1870 [1] [2]. In chemical reactions found particularly in organic chemistry, the rule states that with the addition of H-X to an alkene, the acid hydrogen (H) becomes attached to the carbon with the greatest number of hydrogens, and the halide (X) group becomes attached to the carbon with the fewest number[3].

Markovnikov's rule is illustrated by the reaction of Propene with HBr.

The same is true when an alkene reacts with water in an addition reaction to form alcohol. The hydroxyl group (OH) bonds to the carbon that has the greater number of carbon-carbon bonds, while the hydrogen bonds to the carbon on the other end of the double bond, that has more carbon-hydrogen bonds.

(It's not really alcohol but a combination of water and polypropolene)

 

[dr_mabeuse]

WD40 is surprisingly effective on almost everything even though it's basically a lubricant.

WD-40 is the Blood of God

 

[Stella_Omega]

It is confusing, dear... (ducks)
This should help: Isopropyl alcohol conforms to Markownikoff's rule which is an observation based on Zaitsev's rule. It was formulated by the Russian chemist Vladimir Vasilevich Markovnikov in 1870 [1] [2]. In chemical reactions found particularly in organic chemistry, the rule states that with the addition of H-X to an alkene, the acid hydrogen (H) becomes attached to the carbon with the greatest number of hydrogens, and the halide (X) group becomes attached to the carbon with the fewest number[3].

Markovnikov's rule is illustrated by the reaction of Propene with HBr.

The same is true when an alkene reacts with water in an addition reaction to form alcohol. The hydroxyl group (OH) bonds to the carbon that has the greater number of carbon-carbon bonds, while the hydrogen bonds to the carbon on the other end of the double bond, that has more carbon-hydrogen bonds.

(It's not really alcohol but a combination of water and polypropolene)

You made that up!

 

[neonlyte]

You made that up!

Did Not

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markovnikov's_rule

But someone else might have