HP shows off its washable keyboard

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  1

  AtlantaTerry

  03/02/10 | Report as spam

  I use "Scrubbing Bubbles" to clean keyboards

  As an on-call computer tech I've had service calls to really icky environments such as automobile service stations. Talk about messed up keyboards! Metal particles, oil, grease, dirt and worse are encrusted on and in the keyboards.
  
  Often the workers complain that the keyboards are failing or not working well.
  
  I always bring along a loaner keyboard so the worker can still work while I try to bring theirs back to life.
  
  First I use the service station's air hose to GENTLY blow out whatever dry particles are inside. Too much air pressure and keys will pop off! (Eye protection is imporant at this stage.)
  
  Next I take the dirty keyboard to a sink and give it a good soaking with Scrubbing Bubbles. After a few minutes I rinse it with Distilled Water.
  
  Why not regular water out of the tap? Because there are fewer contaminants and ions in distilled water.
  
  Then I use the service station air hose to blow excess water out of the keyboard. Again, not too much air pressure.
  
  Finally I do it all again. (Just like instructions on the back of shampoo bottles - Rinse and Repeat.) But on the second go-round I use paper towels to work on the key tops.
  
  After the second distilled water rinse and air blast I pour some denatured alcohol into the keyboard. This displaces the water and speeds drying.
  
  Finally, set the keyboard out in the sun or other warm place to dry.
  
  This procedure takes only a couple minutes in total because it can be broken up into stages and other service work performed between those stages.
  
  By the time I'm ready to leave the keyboard is clean and dry so I put it back into service and test each key.
  
  BTW this works because most keyboards today do not use mechanical switches. If you were to look inside you would see a conductive rubber membrane. When a key is pressed the bottom of it presses on the membrane the mini-computer inside detects the pressure and "knows" what key was pressed then sends the signal to the computer. Because this design is quite robust my cleaning methold is well tolerated by keyboards. But I always tell the client up front that it may not save the keyboard.
  
  Most likely the same method will work on home and office computers as well.
  
  Terry Thomas
  PC Tech Support
  Atlanta, Georgia USA
  404-939-6838
  Skype: AtlantaTerry

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  2

  drmsarkar

  03/02/10 | Report as spam

  RE: HP shows off its washable keyboard

  Terry Thomas,
  I'm impressed how much work you put into recovering each kayboard.
  Aren't there transparent disposable keyboard protectors that could save you/clients time?

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  SparkyMaddy

  03/02/10 | Report as spam

  dishwasher safe?

  As an IT worker I usually just slide the keyboard into the recycle bin when an employee leaves the company. If a keyboard isn't working because it's dirty it just gets replaced. Does this new keyboard come dishwasher safe (obviously not for laptops)? I don't feel like washing someone elses dirty keyboard, so if I can tell them to use the company dishwasher it'll make us all happy.

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  4

  ronangel

  03/02/10 | Report as spam

  RE: HP shows off its washable keyboard

  Apart from laptop or notebook keyboards this is a waste of money (for the client) remember he is charging them labour costs while doing this a lot more than a new keyboard.....

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  5

  hoodedswan

  03/02/10 | Report as spam

  RE: HP shows off its washable keyboard

  This post is being typed with an Inland flexible, washable keyboard. It can be submerged in water with the possible exception of the end of the USB cable. I paid $15 for it which I assume is the MSRP. It is designed to be a lightweight, packable, full-size supplement to built-in keyboards but a smaller version could be a built-in keyboard.