[CCTALK] Re: [CCTECH] Keycap cleaning strategy

From: Tothwolf <tothwolf_at_concentric.net>
Date: Wed May 15 16:29:35 2002

On Wed, 15 May 2002, Pete Turnbull wrote:

> I wouldn't use a dishwasher. The water temperature isn't a problem,
> but the caps are just too small and light to stay where you put them,
> and if one falls beside the heating element, it will be destroyed.

If all the proper precautions were taken (such as putting the keycaps in a
screen container, and turning off the heat-dry cycle), a dishwasher might
do fine. For a small number of keyboards, however it is easier to clean
them by hand. I do wash my day to day keyboard mechs and housings every
few years in the dishwasher, but their keys are more captive than those in
some of the earlier keyboard designs.

> If I'm *really* lazy, I tie them up in a pillowcase and put them in
> the (clothes) washing machine, and follow up with the tumble drier.

That would likely be a bad idea, since the keys would scratch against each
other. Worst case, all of the lettering would be removed, and best case
would be a few scratches and dings.

> No.1 tip: make a note of the layout before you take the keycaps off.
> It all looks very logical until you actually try to put *every one* of
> the symbol keys back in the right place.

Or take a digital photo of the keyboard, or make sure you have an exact
duplicate keyboard. Grid/graph paper can be very helpful when writing down
a layout too.

-Toth
Received on Wed May 15 2002 - 16:29:35 BST