Thread: Is your keyboard dirty ?

  1. #1
    Chinese pâté foxman's Avatar
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    Is your keyboard dirty ?

    There's been some studies who found that certain keyboard were 5 times filthier than a toilet seat. And what about your keyboard ?

    Here's one of those study: http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_c...557_137708.jsp

    Personally, my keyboard looks quite bad. I have never clean it. I might do so. I bet it was white at start... and I may discover soon.
    I hate real numbers.

  2. #2
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    This is the one I like most:

    "Most people don’t give much thought to the grime that builds up on their PC but if you don’t clean your computer you might as well eat your lunch off the toilet."

    For well over 20 years I should have had my lunch off the toilet and I didn't even know that. Going to start today! Good thing we have researchers for these things. I feel so warm and protected.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  3. #3
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    I wash my hands thoroughly all day long practically. Cleaning the keyboard isn't worth it; though if you let it dry for a couple months, they are apparently dishwasher safe. Just don't use dish soap.

  4. #4
    Supermassive black hole cboard_member's Avatar
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    I've never cleaned a single keyboard that I've owned. Anyway I just bought a new one and I'm still in the anal dusting-with-my-hand-every-10-minutes stage, so it still looks new. I'll stop doing it when the first major incident occurs (crumb between the keys, drink spillage).

    EDIT: I just read that... I have issues.
    Good class architecture is not like a Swiss Army Knife; it should be more like a well balanced throwing knife.

    - Mike McShaffry

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    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    I think you are far more at risk from pathogens carried by your fellow human beings, than anything which might be living on your own keyboard. If it's on your keyboard, it's already on your hands, and therefore in your mouth.

    Your hands are equivalent to a jungle, with hundreds of species competing for living space and nutrients. Routinely wiping out this population with strong antibacterials chemicals just leaves the terrain wide open for resistant bugs to take over. I'd rather my hands be covered in lots of innocuous species than dominated by a single drug-resistant strain.

    But of course, I'm a person who won't hesitate to eat food which has dropped in the dirt (although I would never do that in an urban environment).

  6. #6
    Ecologist
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    I'd rather just buy a new keyboard ever 3-6 months rather
    than deal with cleaning it. I can already see tonnes of crumbs
    below the keys right now. Keys that are currently shiny because
    there's a layer of pastrami-sandwich grease over all of them.
    Staying away from General.

  7. #7
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ethic View Post
    I'd rather just buy a new keyboard ever 3-6 months rather
    than deal with cleaning it. I can already see tonnes of crumbs
    below the keys right now. Keys that are currently shiny because
    there's a layer of pastrami-sandwich grease over all of them.
    One of the developers here had some keyboard issues years ago, so our does-everything tech guy took the keyboard and gave it a really good slam onto a desk. Imagine our surprise when a CHICKEN BONE fell out of it.

    EDIT: I've learned to not let the "tech guy" get his hands on a keyboard. I spilled coffee into mine one day, so he took it and rinsed it off in the sink. Then, in an attempt to dry it off, he took it at arms length and swung it around like somebody getting ready for a hammer throw in the Olympics -- of course the keyboard slipped out of his hands, flew across the room, and slammed into the window of the data center (which thankfully was made of bulletproof glass), shattering into a thousand pieces and sending keys, wiring, and chunks of circuit board all across the room.

  8. #8
    Ethernal Noob
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    I actually recently washed a microsoft natural keyboard 4000 recently that I no longer use. the only thing I'm wondering about cleaning are the keys with the metal braces because they have the petrolium lubrication on it, but it was pretty fun. Washed all the keys and the little membrane between the keys and the circuits and it's pretty nice. Just need to get those last keys.

    the desk rolls in so it's not as dirty so quickly.

  9. #9
    Chinese pâté foxman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by brewbuck View Post
    I've learned to not let the "tech guy" get his hands on a keyboard. I spilled coffee into mine one day, so he took it and rinsed it off in the sink. Then, in an attempt to dry it off, he took it at arms length and swung it around like somebody getting ready for a hammer throw in the Olympics -- of course the keyboard slipped out of his hands, flew across the room, and slammed into the window of the data center (which thankfully was made of bulletproof glass), shattering into a thousand pieces and sending keys, wiring, and chunks of circuit board all across the room.
    Hahaha. This is one funny anecdote.
    I hate real numbers.

  10. #10
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    I routinely replace my keyboard whenever the vermin living in it start to cause too many typos

  11. #11
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    By the way, every keyboard I've ever tried it with survived a run through the dishwasher, IF you allow it to dry completely before using it again.

    Back in those stupid days I also proved that a motherboard will still function even after being submerged in a tub of antifreeze, rinsed off in the sink, and blown dry with a hair dryer... That antifreeze actually leaves a really nice, brand-new look.

  12. #12
    Registered User NeonBlack's Avatar
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    I am the only person I have ever known to clean his keyboard. Every couple weeks I clean it with windex or something to remove dirt from hands etc... and every few months I take the whole thing apart to get rid of crumbs and spilled coke.
    I copied it from the last program in which I passed a parameter, which would have been pre-1989 I guess. - esbo

  13. #13
    Woof, woof! zacs7's Avatar
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    I cleaned my keyboard a few weeks ago, stripped off all the keys -- without taking a photo

    Then cleaned each key and washed the keyboard with warm soapy water. Works great.

    I'm more concerned about the mouse, or the keyboards & mice at uni. It's like rubbing a fat mans oily belly.

  14. #14
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    thanks for reminding this foxman!

    my keyboard is very dirty, buttons are very hard to press, i will wash it this sunday

  15. #15
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zacs7 View Post
    I'm more concerned about the mouse, or the keyboards & mice at uni. It's like rubbing a fat mans oily belly.
    I rub my belly all the time, whats wrong with that

    Optical meeces make life easier, although I still have to remove a hair from the sensor on occasion. (Fat AND Hairy )

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