Help!! Coke in Keyboard

nightowlqueen

My teenage son has spilt, what I believe, to be coke (although I don't know yet, because he's gone off without telling me!:mad: ), on my beautiful new Logitech wireless keyboard and the keys are all sticky now. In all my computing years this has never happened and I am desperate! I don't want to and can't afford to buy a new one. Can anyone please help????????????

CHR15

Snort it back out with a rolled up £5 note!

Seriously, use face wipes or something for the keys. Cotton buds could help too.

I assume you mean the keys are sticky to your finger touch and not sticking down when pressed.

If the keys stick down when pressed you could remove the battery (leave for a few minutes afterwards) and give it a good wipe with a wet sponge. Leave it PLENTY of time to dry thoroughly though.

isofa

Firstly try and get all the sticky residue off the keys and betwee them using CHR15s advice, or some lightly dampened kitchen roll with some liquid soap or similar (small amounts).

Amazingly a lot of keyboards can actually be washed in water without causing damage, however as this is a cordless one, it's likely to have other electronics which might be affected.

If you are feeling brave, disconnected it, remove the batteries, and run it under a cold or warm tap.

Then make sure you thoroughly dry it, first with kitchen roll / towel, then leave in a warm place for a few days to completely dry out.

Washed several standard keyboards, and removed laptop keyboards and done the same, to no ill effect - but you do it at your own risk - so be careful!

ormus

if you are very brave, then dunk it in a bath of water. swish it around for some time. then leave to dry in a warm place for at least a week.
it has a really good chance of working ok again.

all the above is assuming its coke.
if its just water then forget the bath bit!

Moneymaker

Someone recently had this problem and bunged her keyboard in the washing machine. Then left it to dry for 3 days in the airing cupboard.

As mentioned, provided you remove the batteries, you can get away with a lot.

nightowlqueen

isofa wrote: »

Firstly try and get all the sticky residue off the keys and betwee them using CHR15s advice, or some lightly dampened kitchen roll with some liquid soap or similar (small amounts).

Amazingly a lot of keyboards can actually be washed in water without causing damage, however as this is a cordless one, it's likely to have other electronics which might be affected.

If you are feeling brave, disconnected it, remove the batteries, and run it under a cold or warm tap.

Then make sure you thoroughly dry it, first with kitchen roll / towel, then leave in a warm place for a few days to completely dry out.

Washed several standard keyboards, and removed laptop keyboards and done the same, to no ill effect - but you do it at your own risk - so be careful!

The keys themselves are not sticky to touch, but when pressed down. I can see blobs of gunge underneath them! I will try the wipes, but don't know if I hold out much hope. Don't think I'm brave enough to wash it, although if it's useless anyway I won't have anything to lose! At the moment there are several keys that will just not press easily.

I'm gutted, only had it a few months and absolutely loved it - best keyboard ever!

Thanks for everyone's advice and if anyone else has anything else to add, please do so!

juliejuly4

disconnect batteries etc, then carefully remove the keys, a few at a time, wipe them and the surrounding area with damp cloth or wipes, then put the keys back. Bit of a fiddle, but should all be good then

isofa

A detailed washing keyboard tutorial - http://yinako.wordpress.com/2006/06/11/washing-your-keyboard-tutorial/

Also some keyboards are dishwasher safe (well apparently!). More advice and ideas here: http://plasticbugs.com/?p=263

As long as you dry it very thoroughly for days, 9 times out of 10 it'll work ok after being soaked in water.

Little_John

The sugar in the coke will cause the stickyness, the only way to sort it is to clean the keyboard. now either take the thing apart and wash everything seperatly which could take a while or as it has been sugested give it a bath in clean water no soap or anything after removeing the batteries. you could take it apart a little and remove the parts where the batteries go in and cuircuit boards if you want but make surre you let it dry for a week at least

nightowlqueen

As an update, buddies and paper towels do not work as they do not get under the keys. Don't know how you remove the keys as 'juliejuly4' suggested, but think I'm going to have to have a go at the bath. It's going to have to be hot/warm water though, otherwise sugar will not dissolve?

Lousy timing as well with a 2000 word essay to do! Suppose I'm going to have to manage with my old keyboard - lucky I didn't throw it out!

Wish me luck, I'm scared! And still very angry with my son:mad: . If anyone else has any suggestions before I start, please post. Thanks to all.

juliejuly4

I removed one key at a time using old flat screwdriver and just gently prised it from the mountings. As long as you don't force it, should just snap out - had to do this in the office with keyboard that had something sticky on it, and keys were sticking when depressed. Once clean, snap the key back into position.