Thinkpads Forum

Hi All,

Spilled coffee on my keyboard.. I was lucky that it was not too much but the issue I am having now is that a few of my keys are sticky. They all work but I want to get them clean? Any suggestions on how to do so? Thanks

One of the items in forum FAQs:

Cleaning Tips

David Hill's (lenovo blogs) cleaning tips:

Keeping your thinkpad clean

Does not say anything about the keyboard.. Thanks though. Any other suggestions?

It does actually nothing about how to clean the under the keys..

shocker wrote:Does not say anything about the keyboard.. Thanks though. Any other suggestions?

From the above links:

Cleaning your computer keyboard

1. Apply some isopropyl rubbing alcohol to a soft, dust-free cloth.

2. Wipe each keytop surface with the cloth. Wipe the keys one by one; if you wipe several keys at a time, the cloth may hook onto an adjacent key and possibly damage it. Make sure that no liquid drips onto or between the keys.

3. Allow to dry.

4. To remove any crumbs or dust from beneath the keys, you can use a camera blower with a brush or cool air from a hair dryer.

Note: Avoid spraying cleaner directly onto the display or the keyboard.

I don't think wiping the top of the keys will help.. They keys are sticky so I need to get under them.

shocker wrote:I don't think wiping the top of the keys will help.. They keys are sticky so I need to get under them.

Your 1st question was about sticky key, you never mentioned about cleaning under the keys in your 1st post. If you want to clean under the key then you would have to take the keys apart.

Take the entire keyboard out of the Thinkpad.

Next, apply isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) to the keyboard, allowing it to spill into the areas affected. Do not use too much - use just enough. The anti-spill will likely render the alcohol non-damaging, and it will only clean the areas where the coffee was spilled.

Next step: keep coffee away from the Thinkpad

Good luck.

The cost for a new keyboard is neglectable taking your time and efforts including sourcing all the cleaning supplies for a cleaning into account. The success of your own cleaning is not guaranteed, it is more likely that the alcohol will wash remaining coffee and sugars and milk (if used) even deeper into the key contacts. It may work for a while, then long term effects kick in.

(IF you want to clean the keyboard, disassemble it from the computer. Otherwise, risk of using too much alcohol is to flood your machine on top. )

my 2 cents

Gerd

My method:
Remove the keyboard from the laptop.

Put on a kettle of water, and bring to a boil.

Place a cookie sheet in front of the kettle, under where the steam is coming out.

Hold the keyboard vertically, and place in the steam, but not too close. If your fingers are too hot, so is the keyboard. I slightly tip the keyboard so the keys are down... to prevent the water from entering the switches.

Allow the steam to condense, then the water will drip off into the cookie sheet. With the water will be the residue from the coffee. Working the keys will help too in drastic cases where the keys are literally stuck in place.

Dry key side down on a towel. Allow the keyboard to sit long enough for the remaining moisture to evaporate.

Wipe the surface of the keys with alcohol and a lint free wipe.

NOTE
There are no guarantees that this will resolve your issues. I have used this method with good results, but it really depends on the substance spilled and just how much got into the keys. Carbonated beverages seem to be the worst.

Add milk.
Make it a latte.

Folks please keep it to the topic, thank you.

My method did involve removing the keyboard.

I like the steam idea for its intricacy and originality, but the isopropanol is a better solvent for the dried coffee. It is more harsh than water, but it will evaporate at near room temperature by itself. The steam method might warp your keys (plastic + heat = bad news) and could burn your hands in the process. Not only that, but electrical components tend to not like excessive heat and moisture. I wouldn't use the heat method unless the alcohol method failed.

Go with what you think is best, and let us know how it worked out.

Worst case senario: you get Lenovo to send you a new keyboard.

GL

If it was me I would replace the keyboard, like gerdh mentioned. What machine model is it?

Thank you,
John

Come on!
You honestly expect an answer?
The last post dated from 2007...

The only reason why this thread bubbled up to the top is that it was hit twice by the same spammer.

I am sorry guys, I did not see the dates of the posts. I will be careful next time.

Thank you,
John