vacuum the hell outta my keyboard!

[Scorpiontico]

hey guys... so i vacuum the hell out of my keyboard and 3 keys got sucked in. now i have rescued those litle things ( ) but they are all scratched, have lost their brightness and looking just horrible compared to the other keys on my keyboard since my t43 is 1 month old and brand-new looking.

what should i do? any suggestions? should i use my warranty? should i take the loss? (which is unacceptable cause those 3 keys look ugly as heck / by keeping them i will sacrifise the professional business appearance of my t43).

thanks so much.

ps:i know i know guys, im dumb... i passed the vaccum stick thingy too hard and quick.

[andertrack]

Should have used compressed air....

[Toe]

Might want to see if you can buy a used keyboard, or the 3 keys seperate.....


-Toe

[The Weissman]

I got a couple of keyboards for sale in the User For Sale forum...

[FTC]

Well, this won't help you with these keys, but in the future.. I do the same regularly, but use a cotton handkerchief as a filter in the vaccum tube which I keep thight with my hand while holding it, so that if a key pops out it just does not enter the tube. works perfect and you save paying for a bunch of compressed air in a can . I hate paying for air ).

[JohnV]

You have a PM Scorpiontico

[Scorpiontico]

You have a PM Scorpiontico

thank you all guys for the opinions...especially you john!

[Toe]

Could have been worse, I've seen the after effects of soda...coffee....and something I think was OJ.....Could have been FAR worse!!!!


-Toe

[bhtooefr]

And, if you can't afford buying compressed air out the wazoo:

http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035-1044375.html#

It's a refillable compressed air system.

[Scorpiontico]

what would be the best phone number (to call) for customer service, i want to try requesting a replacement.

thanks.

[msafi]

hi scorpion,

i think you should order a new keyboard. if it's similar to the t40's keyboard then it's just gonna cost you ~$70.

take care.

[nirvana0001]

can he use the warranty so that he can replace the keyboard for free?

[benz]

can he use the warranty so that he can replace the keyboard for free?

That wouldn't exactly be the most honest thing to do, now would it? Don't abuse the warranty, it will only make it harder for the rest of us when we file our LEGIT claims.

As far as cleaning your keyboard, I have found that my leafblower works really well to do this (if I'm not at the lab where we have an unlimited amount of highly compressed air on tap)...or if you have one of the older, canister vacuum cleaners, they usually have a hose attachment where the exiting air comes out, so you could try that.

[Scorpiontico]

can he use the warranty so that he can replace the keyboard for free?

That wouldn't exactly be the most honest thing to do, now would it? Don't abuse the warranty, it will only make it harder for the rest of us when we file our LEGIT claims.

As far as cleaning your keyboard, I have found that my leafblower works really well to do this (if I'm not at the lab where we have an unlimited amount of highly compressed air on tap)...or if you have one of the older, canister vacuum cleaners, they usually have a hose attachment where the exiting air comes out, so you could try that.

i havent call ibm but when i do ill be honest with them and tell them what really happened...

.

[msafi]

That wouldn't exactly be the most honest thing to do, now would it? Don't abuse the warranty, it will only make it harder for the rest of us when we file our LEGIT claims.

As far as cleaning your keyboard, I have found that my leafblower works really well to do this (if I'm not at the lab where we have an unlimited amount of highly compressed air on tap)...or if you have one of the older, canister vacuum cleaners, they usually have a hose attachment where the exiting air comes out, so you could try that.

i havent call ibm but when i do ill be honest with them and tell them what really happened...

.

great idea

[GomJabbar]

I've got to tell you Scorpiontico, I get a laugh every time I read:

vacuum the hell outta my keyboard!

[Scorpiontico]

I've got to tell you Scorpiontico, I get a laugh every time I read:

vacuum the hell outta my keyboard!

such dumb experience is even funny for me... i feel somehow stupid too

[GomJabbar]

Well, using a vacuum to clean the keyboard seems like a reasonable thing to do. I would do it myself - that is until I read what happened to you!

You must have been using one of those vacuums I've seen that can pick up a bowling ball, or perhaps one of those big shop vacs. To vacuum the keyboard of your new ThinkPad and lift off 3 keys - That Sucks (pun intended).

[motodude]

I vacume my desktop keyboard all the time, thanks for the heads up OP.

[bhtooefr]

If I were vacuuming a KB, I'd remove the keys (and, if it were a Model M, the springs) first...

(although, is that possible on a ThinkPad, to remove the keys beforehand without breaking them?)

[Scorpiontico]

Well, using a vacuum to clean the keyboard seems like a reasonable thing to do. I would do it myself - that is until I read what happened to you!

You must have been using one of those vacuums I've seen that can pick up a bowling ball, or perhaps one of those big shop vacs. To vacuum the keyboard of your new ThinkPad and lift off 3 keys - That Sucks (pun intended).

actually, i was passing the vacuum hose around my desk and chair, so i thought "hey why not" = stupiest idea ever... i was a bit hurried too (going all furious with the thing due the darn dust).

[Temetka]

I have never in my life used a vacuum to clean electronic components. While I can understand the temptation while I am vacuuming my office, too many bad mental images keep popping in my brain.

For my beloved T23 I use canned air. I get for like $1 - $2 a can from a buddy of mine who wholesales the stuff. I just have have to buy a minimum of 25 cans. No problem though. Since I do a lot of freelance repair work for people I can burn through 25 cans in a month or two. My friend says I am one of his best clients.

Wanna have fun? Hold the can upside down and spray it at something. Now quickly light the ice patch. It'll burn for a few seconds, rather brightly too. Just don't try this on your T43, please.

[LtTPfan]

hey guys... so i vacuum the hell out of my keyboard and 3 keys got sucked in.

Man, that really sucks! Sorry, couldn't help myself. I have canned air and an air compressor available, as well as a keyboard vacuum one of my kids gave me, but I just pick up my Thinkpad or desktop keyboard, hold it vertically, maybe past vertical, then close my eyes, pucker my lips, and blow. It seems to clean the crud out of my keyboard and give me a nice natural buzz. Of couse, I maybe more full of hot air than others--I've been told so before.

[LtTPfan]

Wanna have fun? Hold the can upside down and spray it at something. Now quickly light the ice patch. It'll burn for a few seconds, rather brightly too. Just don't try this on your T43, please.

darn, I should have read the entire paragragh first!

[daeojkim]

Hmmm..
Should have blown it instead of sucking it... LOL....

[Temetka]

Wanna have fun? Hold the can upside down and spray it at something. Now quickly light the ice patch. It'll burn for a few seconds, rather brightly too. Just don't try this on your T43, please.

darn, I should have read the entire paragragh first!

Awww...but that's no fun!

[AlphaKilo470]

Well, I tried the fire and the spraycan solution on my laptop and that didn't help any of my problems; I now have peeling paint and a dead CMOS battery. To make things worse the smell attracts my cat to the darned thing.

[Delmarco]

air in the can next time.

PM me if you need a keyboard, I just bought a new keyboard for myT41 and I have the original keyboard

see here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1

let me know and its yours.
Del.

[wearetheborg]

Crap, I was thinking of vacuming the keyboard myself. With compressed air, I'm afraid it'll blow the junk into the computer innards.

[mgo]

hey guys... so i vacuum the hell out of my keyboard and 3 keys got sucked in.

Next time try taking the ThinkPad to the do it yourself car wash. Just don't use the "wax" mode, as that will make the keyboard all goopy. Don't detatch the keyboard either, or it might go down the drain.

Another method... put the keyboard in a vise in the garage and use your leaf blower. Really effective way to get all those cat hairs ouf of there.

If the weather's too cold for the car wash or the garage, put the keyboard in the dishwasher. Make sure that no other pots and pans or big plates hit against it during the "extra soiled" cycle.