Thinkpads Forum

I washed it using warm water, and now the left Alt and F4 keys are stuck down (though not at the same time). Not good. Especially since I Alt-tab so much. Before that happened I popped all the keycaps off, cleaned out all the dog hair and god knows what else out from under them, and then washed it out with hot tap water, dried it off, then gave it a try. Though, I will admit I wasn't awfully patient, and about an hour and a half elapsed before putting it back into the system. It seemed dry at the time...

Anyway, is it screwed, or should I give it overnight to air out more and try it again? I've got the computer in a dock right now, so it's really not all that bad, it's still usable as the best desktop I've ever owned. I'd just really hate to have to get a new keyboard because of my impatience, considering I had it all nice and broken in and polished.

Thanks, guys, for any insight or suggestions. I think I've learned another lesson the hard way today.

EDIT: Changed a 'bad' word. Sorry...

Well... Let's hope you haven't damaged anything on the motherboard.

Remove the keyboard and leave it in a dry place for at least a week before attempting to use it again. Meanwhile, if you're sure no water got on to the motherboard, you can probably use the computer itself with an external keyboard.

i have GOT to say that you should have asked hereabouts BEFORE you did such a thing..
if your W500 survives it will be because the drain holes actually worked..

my suggestion is that you remove the keyboard as mentioned above and check the system board for any signs of moisture and clean it up with alcohol (denatured is probably best) and a Q-tip..

and if it still works i would suggest a new keyboard.. they are NOT expensive..

now i think i'll drag my flat panel TV outside and pressure wash the dust off..

Mayve he took the keyboard out BEFORE he washed it

Did you do that?

Best regards

Talk about overkill. I just use a long paint brush and a vacuum cleaner at the same time.

Well, I assume the OP did take the keyboard out before washing it because ...

patheticbliss wrote:... about an hour and a half elapsed before putting it back into the system. It seemed dry at the time...

So, take the keyboard out again and dry it properly this time.

Alrighty, first off, thanks everyone for the replies.

BillMorrow:
Yes, I took the keyboard out of my laptop before doing anything to it. I'm not THAT dumb. Not my first time screwing around in a ThinkPad. :p And actually, I got the whole idea from some other posts here on this forum, so I wasn't really worried about how it would turn out.

And guess what? It works again! Guess it just needed to dry out more. *Sigh of relief*
I hope this thread helps anyone else who comes along later with the same question.

If you used tap water, it may fail again later. Tap water has lots of minerals and chlorine, which are not good for electrical parts.

Hi richk,

Would distilled water be better? If not then would work? Now I am a fan of using a brush with a vacuum cleaner, but I am curious if a liquid would be better.

John

JohnD. wrote:Hi richk,

Would distilled water be better? If not then would work? Now I am a fan of using a brush with a vacuum cleaner, but I am curious if a liquid would be better.

John

Yes. Distilled water and rubbing alcohol are both safe for electronics as they leave nothing behind, assuming it is off and unplugged and/or removed from the system, depending on what you are cleaning. Always let the part completely dry too as distilled water is still a great conductor..

I suggest trying not to get them wet if you can avoid it. I have seen water get under the plastic film in a way it is almost impossible to get it off.