HOW-TO: Cleaning the Apple Keyboard
Published November 16th, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy, Random Stuff, Technology
There comes a time, when your shiny white Apple keyboard gets so dirty that you can’t bear one second more. For me, that day was today. I love the Apple keyboard, it is nice, ergonomic and looks very sleek. However the only ‘disadvantage’ (if you could call it that) is that it is white. It gets dirty easily and you can see really clearly everything. A simple wipe of the keyboard with a damp cloth was not enough. There was still remains of tons of different things, and I wanted it off. You never really notice how dirty your keyboard is, unless you use a white keyboard, or something of a similar colour. But with the Apple keyboard, the outer shell is clear, so you can see everything there too.
This little how-to guide will show you how I cleaned my keyboard to perfection. Click on for the detailed guide (with lots of photos).
UPDATE: I’ve been dugg, TUAW’d and del.icio.us‘d.
UPDATE 2: I had to change the photos to get them from flickr as I am burning through my bandwidth really quickly. I am at 18GB, and my max is 21GB per month!
The very first thing you need to do, is grab a camera, anything in which you can later use to read the keys is enough. Take a picture of the keyboard, a few would be helpful, so that you can remember what keys go where. You musn’t miss this step, otherwise you will be spending hours trying to find out what key goes where. It is not a pleasant experience. If you can zoom in on your camera, and see the keys then you are fine. But if you can’t then transfer the photos onto your computer and put them on the screen, or print them out.
Note: Reader Mark kindly pointed out that a view of the keyboard can be seen in the Keyboard viewer, that can be found in the International section of the System Preferences. Thanks Mark, this will save many users some hassle. I completely forgot about this!
A few of the keys (right shift, enter/return (both), backspace, space and the zero (number-side key)) contain these ‘attachment clips’, as can be seen above, that are used to make sure it is evenly pressed down. Please make a note of which one is attached to which key, this will save you a lot of hassle. I forgot, and I can’t put it back into the remainding place, because the key doesn’t operate properly.
The next step is start removing each key one by one. The easiest way, is to tuck your finger under one of the buttons between the small gap that separates the directional keys from the rest of the keyboard. You need to be careful and don’t rush. If you pull too hard it could break the clip that holds it onto the keyboard. That would be really annoying, as well as frustrating.
What you need to do next is gather up all the keys and put it in a re-sealable bag. For this I used a standard zip-lock bag that you can find at any grocery store (used for freezing food). It is perfect and allows plenty of room for all the keys, and the water to come.
Next comes the water. Make sure you use warm water. Fill it up about 3/4 full so that all the keys are engulfed with plenty of room to spare (for the keys I mean).
Also, remember to plug the drain pipe with a plug so that no keys could fall down in the case that the bag happens to pop, or you accidentally spill it.
Once you feel that you have enough water in the bag, add some soap. For this I used a ‘foaming’ soap that comes out as foam out of the bottle. You can use a ‘gel’ type soap as well, however that is probably harder to lather. Give a good few squeezes of the bottle so that there is plenty to go around.
Next you need to seal the bag tightly, making sure that there are no gaps in the bag. After this, shake! Not too vigorously, as you don’t want the bag to pop and the buttons going anywhere. Shaking for about 3-4 minutes, with a short break in between (~ 1 min) will allow the soap to clean the buttons and fill all the nooks and crannies.
Now you need to open the top fully and wrap your fingers around the top portion. Then rotate the bag upside down letting the water trickle out. If you want you can rinse it through with cold water to remove any excess soap, though this is rendered useless by the next step.
Empty the keys into an empty bath or wash basin. I then used the high-power setting of the shower head to remove the remainding soap and dirt from the keys. It will most likely not be fully clean, because of the grease/oil used to lubricate the attatchment clips. Rinse for a minute or two.
Transfer the keys onto a clean towel. Grab the keys in a bunch and shake before you put them onto the towel. This will remove a lot of water, so the drying time is reduced. The way you do this next part is upto you. I mixed the keys in the middle, and with a firm but gently grasping action rubbed the keys against the towel. Do this for a minute or two, until the keys are mostly dry, but not totally. Leave this to dry for around 5-10 mins, during that time you can do the next few steps.
You don’t just want the keys clean, but the surface of the keyboard! Grab a paper towel/kitchen towel and damp it in water. Make sure you use sparing amounts, as not to get any onto the electronics; it can seep through the hole where the keys affix to. If you have a keyboard duster, then you can move onto the next step once most of the dirt is removed. However if you don’t then you will need to spend a while to remove all the dirt and grime, it is quite painstaking!
With the duster go over the key spaces and push quite hard to shift away the dirt. This is really important, as the grease from the attachment clips can cover the surface, causing it to attract dust, which is harder to separate. A good idea is to do this over a sink, or outside so that you don’t make a mess. After all we are removing the dirt, you don’t want to put it onto the floor, do you?
Alass, your keyboard surface is now clean! Go back to your keys now, and place them onto a table close to the keyboard, making sure that each one is free of water. If it isn’t then go back and use a kitchen towel (or something similar) to remove the rest.
We now start the long and arduous process of grabing a random key and placing it back onto the keyboard, using those photos that you took earlier on. Then you are finished.
The photo above is a macro shot of the new clean keys. Don’t they look beautiful. You can now go and type away on your clean and non-repulsive keyboard. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, feel free to ask any questions.
FAQ
Q: Why don’t you put it through the dishwasher / washing machine?
A: Yeah, I’ve heard that one too. But I use my Mac a lot, and it will take much longer to wait for everything to dry. Even then there is a risk that the keyboard won’t work. Dishwashers and washing machines have chemicals in their detergent, as well as salt, which could damage the electronics. The heat could fry it too. Yes, you could remove the detergent and the heat, but then there isn’t any soap. This was much simpler for me. If you want to, you can try it, but I can’t be held responsible for any errors you make.
Q: There seems to be some sort of oil under the keys. What is it, can I remove it?
A: This is from the grease that lubricates the ‘attachment’ clips so that they can move freely. As long as you don’t remove it from these clips, it is fine to clean it from the keys and the keyboard. If you find that it doesn’t work, you can always remove the clip (not really ‘essential’ for the smaller keys), buy some more lubrication grease at a DIY or electronics shop, and then use it sparingly on the clips and replace.
Q: Does this work for the Bluetooth keyboard, or on laptops?
A: From what I know, the cleaning process for the bluetooth version of Apple’s keyboard should be the same. However if you are going to try and clean underneath the white plastic, be careful as you could damage the electronics. Make sure to remove the battery first though!
For laptops, the keys a very different, as they contain two ’scissor’ clips which can be very hard to refit. They also come loose very easily so if you do clean it, then be very careful. Underneath the keys, the electronics is tightly packed, so you should only wipe with a dry cloth or a duster. I wouldn’t venture into this area, as I would hate to pay to replace the keyboard, they are very expensive. If you do though, anything you do is at your own risk!
Q: Why don’t you try [insert idea here]?
A: I probably never heard of it, or I was weary of trying it incase the keyboard failed. This worked absolutely perfect for me.
Q: What is the point in this? Can’t you just buy another keyboard?
A: I suppose I could but the nearest Apple store is around 50/60 miles away. I know I could go online, but why should I pay money for a new keyboard when this works perfectly. It’s not like I don’t have any time. It didn’t even take that long.
Q: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to do this, this is useless!
A: If that’s what you think, I’m cool with that 
Now onto the point: For those who are inexperienced, or are scared of doing it incase something goes wrong, or just don’t know how to do it, it is very useful and can be of great benefit. That’s what most people have said, anyway.
Q: So how long did it take?
A: Not as long as you might think. The whole process took around 50 mins. Around 25 was spent cleaning the keys, 15 for the whole keyboard and another ten for putting it all together and finding all the keys. I nearly lost one!
Q: What kind of a geek are you, can’t you remember the layout of the keys?
A: I know where 98% of the keys go. I can touch type pretty well, however with the ’symbol’ keys like the square brackets, tilde (~) and ‘§’, as well as the page up, down and those sorts of keys, I would probably get them confused. I took the picture so that it would save me time, and I did use it in the end. Also on the number pad keys, I wouldn’t know where the add, subtract, divide and multiply symbols would go. It saves time.
Cool! Thanks, I was just about to go at it on my own this weekend! Wasn’t sure if they just poped out or if I had to get access from under the keyboad. yay! Time to make it white again.
if you spilled something on your keyboard you can also disassemble the electronics board. it takes some time and there are many screws. then you must be extremely cautious not to loose any of the soft rubber domes that rest in the upper plastic board.
once disassembled you get a three layer clear plastic sheet with all the circuit lines printed on. i rinsed it with clear water and let it dry with kitchen paper between the sheets. this will take some time, dont rush it. the sheets are connected, so they will stay in the right orientation to each other. the circuits are very easily scratched too, but my bluetooth keyboard survived two cleaning cycles without a problem.
Hey– this is great, but I have one question.
How did you remove the keys with the metal clips attaching them? I did all this a few months ago, but was unable to get the space bar off, which was unfortunate as it was the hardest hit victim of the great orange juice spill of ‘06.
So… how’d you do it?
Simple, I picked off the keys until I got next to the space bar (from both sides) and then the keys to the top right (the comma, period and forwardslash). I then carefully lifted at the top right and left, and pushed along the top of the spacebar until it popped off. I tried it just now to make sure. It is kindof hard to explain, so if it doesn’t work, then tell me and I’ll make a video.
An easy way to pull the keys off is to use a short piece of string. Just manipulate the string till it’s underneath the key and then you can pull up on it.
A response to what Lukas says above if something spills on your keyboard. First, it’s imortant to make sure the keyboard is completely unplugged from the computer so there is no electric charge whatsoever. Second, it is very important NOT to use just any water, let alone tap water. If you hope to resusitate a keyboard after a spill, you want to use de-ionized water. And I’d suggest trying to clean any spill first by dabbing it with a cloth with de-ionized water on it rather than immersing it – electronics do not like water so it’s best to use as little as possible.
Wow! I was looking for this and i found this article from TUAW.com ! WOW! Thanks!
I try not to eat at my computer but I just can’t help it. When I got a shiny new iMac I said to myself no drinks/food/outsiders near the mac at all.
Most of my “rules” went out of the window and now I have toast in my keyboard…
Taking a picture before you start is for wimps. Figuring out/deducing where the keys go by memory is half the fun!
I actually transposed two letters when I put them back on but didn’t notice for a while since I don’t look when I’m typing anyway. I was also wrong on about half the math keys around the num pad (=/*- ). Still, I’d do it again.
Now I’d rather have them in the right place
I actually switched two keys around two! I mixed up the letter ‘i’ key and the forward slash button on the keypad. I didn’t notice until today when I realised it looked rather strange!
Wow, seems like a lot of work. Believe it or not, I just stuck mine in the dishwasher and let it dry for 3 days. Just be sure you have all the heat settings off and have a backup so you can give it the three days it needs to dry.
I got the crazy idea from this old boing boing post: http://www.boingboing.net/2005/05/30/clean_your_keyboard_.html
I decided to try it since I was selling my old eMac and had plenty of other keyboards around. It came out fully functional and looking like new. Give it the three days though to dry. I checked on it around 2 days and it still wasn’t completely working.
I would not try putting it in the dishwasher. I have no other keyboard and I couldn’t spend that much time away from my mac, while it was infront of me
I am too afraid it wouldn’t work, and then what would I do, being a student, and the nearest Apple store ~60 miles away I daren’t try. This works fine for me!
what about macbook’s keyboard? mine is so full of dusty & my short hairs. do i have to disamble the macbook? tutorial pls
thx
I don’t have much experience with the MacBook keyboard. Nor do I have one or used one long enough to try and clean it. This is especially hard because the MacBook has a quite ‘different’ keyboard structure than normal laptops. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I just did this and it worked amazingly! Thanks for helping me save $29.
I can’t wait to do the one at work next.
dude, just put the keys in a laundry bag and run it through a wash cycle! a lot less work. I’ve done this at least a dozen times to half a dozen keyboards.
Wow. How complicated!
Once a year or so, I pull all the keys off my Apple Extended Keyboard (Best. Mac Keyboard. EVER!) and dunk them, as well as the top and bottom of the keyboard enclosure in a bucket of very warm water, along with a generous dollop of Spic and Span. And then I let it sit over night. Brownian Motion is your friend.
The PC board with the electronics and key switches (Switches. NOT rubber domes!) gets dry scrubbed with an old toothbrush.
The next day, I pull all the plastic bits out of the bucket, shake them off and let them dry for a few hours on a towel.
Once everything is dry, all the keys get stuck back into place, the keyboard is reassembled, and it’s good for another year or so.
Yeah, it’s 20 years old. It’s not wireless. But after using the Apple Extended Keyboard, every other keybord feels like I’m poking at a slab of Silly Putty.
I’m want to know how to remove the dirt that gets inside the clear plastic housing, way down deep under the keyboard mechanism. You can see it when you flip the keyboard upside down. How the hell does dirt even get IN to that space? You’d have to completely disassemble the housing to get at it, but maybe you wouldn’t need to take off all the individual keys.
OTOH, taking off the keys and washing them in a bathtub, that’s ridiculous. A new Apple keyboard is only $29. Is your time so worthless that you can afford to waste a couple of hours disassembling and reassembling your keyboard? Just go buy a new one.
Wow. What a great in depth “tutorial.” I usually just wipe mine down and hope that when I die, people will keep my keyboard so they can recreate me from all my lost DNA underneath the keys.
last week, i clean out my keyboard myself (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=364732&st=0)
but i didnt use any soap or water to clean it. just tissue . your way better. good job =)
Nice how-to but for a very dirty keyboard (Charles) there is a more technical tutorial (in french but photos) on this web site http://www.sterpin.net/ClavierBlanc.htm
that frenchman has a mighty dirty keyboard…
Damn, that must have taken forever. I’d almost be tempted to just buy a new one…
Nice howto!
@Charles
Why in the world would you BUY a new keyboard if it’s DIRTY ?? If you’re so goddamned lazy that you have to buy a new keyboard instead of getting a cloth, popping the keys out and cleaning it, what happens when you get faulty RAM ?? Do you fucking buy a new PC ??
Can you tell me if it is the exact same procedure for an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard ?
Thanks.
Woo!
I’ve just did it using your method, my keyboard is like a brand new keyboard, I have difficulties because it seems so soft… I love the new way of keying in by simply touching the keys…
Goodbye old ugly keyboard, welcome new key-style
Thanks you very much
Hello there..Great tuto but i would like to ask you something..
Under the keys i can see something liquid like oil or something..Isn’t this an essential thing in order to work like a new keyboard?Isn’t this disappear after the cleaning thing?
good loward that french keyboard is filthy. any chance he lives on a pig farm?
@Savvas: This is from the grease that lubricates the ‘attachment’ clips so that they can move freely. As long as you don’t remove it from these clips, it is fine to clean it from the keys and the keyboard. If you find that it doesn’t work, you can always remove the clip (not really ‘essential’ for the smaller keys) buy some more lubrication grease at a DIY or electronics shop and then use it sparingly on the clips.
I did something very similar to this a few months ago. I never thought of the bag though. I just let them soak in a bowl. I found it left the keys very clean but somehow they felt different, like it had strip something from the plastic. I will admit though, I used a rather strong cleaner.
Thank you so much. I just did this, following your instructions. I’m now typing on a clean keyboard that doesn’t stick and looks good.
I, too, had thought about buying a new one, but you saved me the money that would cost. And your time estimate was right on target. It took me just under an hour to do it.
How dirty was my keyboard?
*blush*
Here’s what I found:
Cat hair
Tomato sauce
One piece sushi sticky rice
Fingernail clippings
Pop Tart crumbs
Dust
And other unidentifiable stuff.
Crap. I tried to improvise with my MBP, now it’s not powering up any more.
Thanks a lot.
Good tip. But this does not show how to clean the base station of the keyboard.
—————–
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Visit: http://www.mostofmymac.com
Would this be the same for my pb keyboard?
@Phil: I don’t think so. Laptop keyboards are very much different. All of the keys have clips, and it is far harder to fit them back in. The main keyboard structure is also very delicate. It is possible to clean those too, but anything you try, is at your own risk.
LOL at all the responses.
WOW some people are just plain nasty.
Some are even messier than I am!
And hasn’t anyone hear heard of an iSkin????
Lovely little bit of clear silicon that can be peeled off, washed, dried and popped back on. After nearly two years, my keyboard has a couple of smudges on it and one or two cat hairs (they creep EVERYWHERE). But all the other detritus has come and gone on my iSkin.
Try washing your dirty hands before using your computer. Man you a re a slob!!. Maybe you shouldn’t masturbate at your desk :P.
@Kenny: Hehe :P. I don’t actually eat or do *anything* apart from type. I guess throughout the day it all collects up. Though, mind you, I do other stuff near the keyboard, which I guess could ‘fall’ onto/into it.
Hi everyone.
As an old mac user, you have to do this one time in your life. My problem in all cases is that the softness of the keyboard has been gone after the cleaning session. I have notice that if you remove/clean the lubricant of the keys, typing goes harder. I have used that light oil for typing machines and works very nice. Now is clean like new, and soft-typing too. Do not hesitate cleaning your mac, not only the keyboard.
Because a clean MAC cost much more when you wish to resell it.
Actually you don’t need to take a photo of your keyboard. Just open ‘Keyboard Viewer’ found in the International System Preference Pane to see your keyboard layout. When you put the key back on it, the viewer will dim the key so you can confirm it’s in the right place.
Hi!
I’ve been cleaning my keyboards for some years, never had any problem.
Now I bought a MacBook, I’m not enough brave to disassemble the keyboard of this beauty.
Have you ever tried to clean your notebooks keyboard? Did it work? Should I try?
For normal laptops, the keys a very different, as they contain two ’scissor’ clips which can be very hard to refit. MacBooks are completely different to other laptops, so I wouldn’t try to clean it my way. The easiest thing to do would be to simply gently wipe it with a lint free cloth, or a keyboard duster. But don’t try to use a damp cloth. You wouldn’t want to fry the electronics. Even if it is one key, Apple charge you to replace the WHOLE keyboard! You’re stuffed then.
Thanks for the tip! I’ve now got a nice clean keyboard.
BTW, I found this to be very helpful for the English Keyboard:
http://www.spymac.com/upload/news/2005/09/27/m3261_Apple keyboard.jpg
@J Glover: Do you mean American English, or British English. My British English keyboard doesn’t look like that. The buttons on the enter side have a different layout. My enter button takes up two rows, and not one. Also my backspace key is shorter.
Thanks a lot. Very nice clean keyboard
keyboards and digusting… clean it monthly or better weekly…. ack!
Please send me apple proudcut upadates
Hey,
Thanks for the guide. Just to let you know those flickr images need to link back to their original flick page, otherwise they have the right to close your account. Just to let you know dude ;).
Jack.
Thanks jack! I’ll make sure to do that!
I can’t do this with my one becaus its an COMPAQ one… can’t remove the buttons…
Why don’t you was your hands more frequently?
Hi,
Very thanks for this detailed guide! Yesterday I decided to follow it because my keyboard needed it
Before I read this guide, I felt afraid to damage the keyboard.
I have the bluetooth model and in one hour, more or less, I completed the the whole process. I have to say it has been easier than I figure out.
Thanks!
Jonatan
notesmentals.blogspot.com
Y como le hago para limpiar el de la MacBook Pro, recuerdo que con mi iBook solo levantaba unas patitas y el teclado se desmontaba pero con este no encontre dichas patitas, intente desarmar mi MacBook pero mejor busco ayuda. Ya ven uno que es descuidado y que se me cae el yogurt en el teclado limpie, pero me gustaria estar segura que no le pase algo, me ayudan?….
¡Apesadumbrado no hablo español!
i can not get my delete key back on it is one of the ones with the bars can any one help me, i put it on but it just lays there and i can not press it
I wonder if you (or those reading this) have found a solution for the increasing problem of stiction. I tried lubricating my keyboard with light silicone oil, but that didn’t last and I hesitate to apply more liquid lubricant (or grease). Graphite is not helping much either.
Apple is not your friend; don’t get me started about cleaning the scroll ball on the Mighty Mouse which is glued shut!
I agree with you with the mighty mouse, after more than a year with it I got a new mouse. I have had enough of it. The scroll wheel stopped working!
I can’t actually see what your problem is. Are the keys remaining stuck on the keyboard, if so, which keys? If they have the clips on it then maybe you can remove it and see if it works. If not then try cleaning underneath the keys with a Q-tip or something. I haven’t had this problem!
Great, great, great ! ! ! ! !
I just start by tapping the key board at different angles to dislodge the crumbs and shake it to get those crumbs out; then turn the keyboard up side down, spray it with windex, use a tooth brush, rinse it off with the shower spray, use a towel to dry the big drops and set the keyboard in the corner for a week. The keyboar is clean and I have only used about 15 minutes. My time is worth $100 and hour and I will not spend this amount of time for a keyboard when $10 will buy a functional and serviceable keyboard… NRK
Stiction means “starting friction”. The keys resist being pushed down if they are pressed off axis (i.e. if they are pressed on the edge rather than right in the middle). This is one reason that the wider keys have their little wire anti-sway bars.
great tutorial, many thanks indeed, i’ve been wanting to clean my keyboard for some time now, but never got the guts to “rip” the keys of and see them break, now my keyboard is as clean as ever and it even types better!!! thanks!
Re: Stiction
I use silicon spray. Not spraying directly but spraying the liquid onto a cotton swab then swabbing the stem of the keycap and the inside of the tube.
Silicon spray has the advantage of being a “dry” lubricant (once the liquid evaporates) so there’s no greasy residue to attract more dust and mung.
I found you site awhile back via TUAW, and i finally used the post. Thanks! The only issue i had was putting the keys back (it took me forever to figure out the keyboard viewer) I found this image to help out anyone needing to know where the keys go.
http://static.flickr.com/157/334592936_a6c1251c10.jpg
Thanks for this! Took me a little over 30 minutes, and my keyboard feels even better than it did when I first bought it! Remember to shake out the keys before putting them back into their keyboard slots, because the little shafts inside each key hold water quite nicely.
Hey, great section, just one question: how did you get the screws off the back, did you need to buy a special allen key?
I didn’t need to remove the screws. I didn’t touch that part at all. I just popped off the keys from their places.
$29 for a new keyboard, that’s what I thought they would cost.
$29 is what Apple lists them for on their website.
$29 is not what CompUSA charges for this keyboard. They up the price to $34.99.
When asked why this Apple product is priced $5 higher than Apple sells them for, all I got was a “dunno” and shrugged shoulders. They don’t know and don’t care.
Maybe I am wrong, but Apple computers are the same price wherever I go, so why aren’t the keyboards?
Sorry for getting off the cleaning subject but so many comments mentioned buying a new keyboard for $29 that I couldn’t resist passing on my CompUSA experience.
ok. so i spilled a big giant glass of water smack in the middle of my keyboard & decided to dry it out & figured out it was gross when i popped off the keys. so i’ve cleaned it, dried it & put it back together and my SPACE BAR won’t work!!! luckily, i had another keyboard in the closet or this would all be one very long word. but i don’t really like this bluetooth keyboard & i want to use my old fashioned one. any suggestions? nearest apple store is a million miles away. i’ve taken it off & put it back on about 5 times! thanks
My son spilled a milk shake onto his keyboard. We removed the keys and washed them and wiped down the keyboard — all fairly carefully. When we went to plug it back in, it didn’t work. Nothing did. Is there something we are missing? We did have a universal USB keyboard in there for a half day, does something need to be reset to recognize the Apple keyboard. Help.
The keyboard should work without any ‘re-setting’. If it doesn’t work, then chances are that the actual circuitry could be short-circuiting. You could try disassembling the whole lower platform; however this will void your warranty for the keyboard. Use a Torx T6 screw to remove the three screws on the reverse of the Keyboard, all visible. The whole keyboard top should now come off (you can ’shake it’ if it doesn’t come off immediately). Be careful as you donm’t want the wires to break.
Then have a look at the PCB (the green ciruit board) and see if there is anything on it. Use a moist cloth to try and clean it. If it still doesn’t work, you can alternatively use some isopropyl (rubbing) to try and remove anything else that could have settled there. I really can’t think of anything, just make sure everything is connected. If it still doesn’t work, you could take it into an Apple Store to try and get it replaced or repaired (assuming you haven’t taken it apart, as this voids the warranty)
hi 2 all.
hello world! It is nice site. Keep working!
best regards
i found you here http://google.com ^^
Ref: Mighty Mouse cleaning Balazs 12 Dec 06
Go to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302417 as soon as it stops responding in any direction.
This guide is mentioned at the Repair4Keyboard Apple keyboard repairing and cleaning guides section.
Even though it “does not require a rocket scientist to do this” I personally found this tut encouraging since I was having doubts whither should I do it. Honestly, I was afraid that I’ll screw something up and have to spend ~60€ on new Wireless keyboard.
Reading this I realised that there’s nothing to be screwed up, and now I’m typing on a keyboard as clean as new.
Thanks, mate!
The suggestions (for Mighty Mouse cleaning) in this Apple document provide nothing more than temporary relief, and a non-committal admission of guilt from a company which chose a more expensive manufacturing process (glued instead of snap fit) to ensure product failure and more sales, apparently. Eventually, the mechanism will become terminally begrimed.
A brief account of my experience: the Mighty Mouse that broke the camel’s back.
Thanks, I was wondering about how I was going to do this.
Personally I think the keyboard SUCKS!
I touch-type and my hands are not huge for a male, actually good for typing.
I use my right little finger to press return, on this keyboard you need to stretch to reach return if you still want to keep your hands in position. Carpal tunnel here I come.
Also, what the heck is up with moving the Tilde character next to shift?????
Most people who touch-type never use Caps Lock. You will regularly type a whole uppercase word by holding in the SHIFT. Although you don’t need to stretch on this one, you do miss the spot regularly…
it helps alot to use a flat headed screw driver to pop the keys
the screw driver also makes it easyer to remove the space key
you’re tub is really clean.
Most are typical and usual feedbacks to a reasonable and fair solution to a common problem. But Kenny and ‘for Charles’ and a few others need an attitude adjustment. Rude SWINE! If you don’t want the help, then what the fuck are you looking here for?
I am interested in the topics discussed but have been feeling a little intimidated by the thought of the work
I am ready to take on the task…
I am not sure if we have the same keyboard.
My keyboard has a transparent housing. It WAS beautiful when it was new…
I have dirt and yicky stuff showing in the BACK and EDGES of my keyboard…
Are those areas accessible ?
Is it worth applying any more lubricant to the keys? My keyboard has been getting increasingly sticky, and it would be good to have it be smooth again.
hey thats cool, thanks for the tip. I actually bought a new keyboard a few weeks ago but it is dirty again as a result of re-applying make up at my desk and in turn applying it to the keyboard(by accident). I am going to try this at the weekend. I hate having a dirty looking keyboard. Thanks.
Good instruction, step by step. I did the same to clean my Black keyboard and messed up with keys for a while. I didn’t make a good note or Digital Photo (never though of it) and struggled to refix it. But after seeing apple key setup online I could do. If I would have seen your advise….
Anyway your instruction is surely useful for anyone who wants to do the same.
Thanks a lot, I just did it. Had to write something to meet the deadline and, of course, found that the keyboard desperately needs cleaning. Upper side: Now it shines, as bright as new! Downside: I still have to do the writing. Anyway, instructions are very good and I followed them to a tee.
For the people complaining about the Mighty Mouse’s affinity for grime, try this:
http://www.brendanfenn.com/cleanmouse.html
This little procedure saved my scroll ball, and only took about five minutes.
Thanks…I wasn’t sure if the keys just popped out. I really like this kb alot. The new ones are way too flat for my comfort zone. Thanks again!
But how do you get the cat hair & other stuff out from in between the clear plastic and the white bottom of the keyboard?
Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! I can’t thank you enough!
My keyboard is so dirty that the dirt shows up in the pic I took of it!
I’m off to scrub…
Cheers, that was an excellent guide. It made for a thoroughly enjoyable autumnal Saturday evening!
i use rubbing alcohol and qtips to clean the keyboard surface, but your technique for cleaning the keys is much smarter than mine. thanks!
Thank you so much for this guide! Now my keyboard is clean and shiny again.
Why take a pic? Google image it to find one like this: http://www.empirisoft.com/images/directin_apple.jpg
FWIW, you don’t need to worry about using de-ionized water to clean the PCB. Just make sure you don’t use SALT water
HP uses regular old tap water to clean PCBs after they are assembled. I use tap water (in Los Angeles, CA, US) whenever I need to clean a keyboard. No problems so far! (15 years.)
Also, there are a couple of resellers that sell replacement Mac and MacBook keys. But fixing a MacBook is a completely different experience
John
Did it, it works, nice advice. Thank you!
Still one problem. Keyboard is clean now but it is not smooth anymore. Should i oil the thing? Is there a lubricant for this?
Thanks!
Only from a student… This was priceless. Such thorough cleaning and the wondrous instructions could only come from someone highly skilled at displacement activity. All respect to you. And for those who think it’s just a matter of washing your hands, these white keyboards fill up over time with bits of skin, cat fur, dead ladybirds, dust, biscuit crumbs, eyelashes and sundry other bits of DNA. When I’ve bought a new keyboard, I might give the dishwasher a go on the old one, just to see… xx
Thanks for the tips…. and what exactly IS that gunk we find in our keyboards; and how did it get there? Yeeech.
I did a much quicker fix for dirt under the keys:
I tipped the keyboard on the bottom edge and banged it against the desk a few times so that any dirt was at the bottom of the keyboard.
I then removed just the bottom row of keys.
Next, I took a vacuum cleaner with a drapery attachment and vacuumed up the stuff in the keyboard and ran the vacuum over the whole keyboard a few times.
I then replaced the bottom keys.
Finally, I wiped off the tops off all the keys with a damp paper towel and then a dry one.
Done. 5 minutes.
Thanks!! Worked just fine for me.
Amazing!
This is a great blog site! I just completed the cleaning of my wireless keyboard, it was easy, and simple. I even took the time to oil the brackets!
THANK YOU!
Mmm, yeah - great blog. I’m going to try it at my daughter’s place. she got a replacement keyboard but it’s not so good as the Apple one.
I like the tip about using sticky tape to clean the Mighty Mouse scroll ball. Try that too.
Ain’t life a wonderful thing!
Thanks for this step-by-step… My dirty keyboard has been annoying me for some time!
ho, asi era, que facil que boludo como no lo hice antes, gracias
Just cleaned my Apple Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard. I found that a paint can opener, (loop and stem style) had just the right curvature to gently remove the keys without marring the plastic. Much easier on the fingers, while applying less torque to the keys. Removing the “attachment clip” keys was easier than described. A gentle pry up in the center, under the front edge removes even the spacebar without twisting and potentially damaging the clip or the key.
In Mark Landers comment, the Keyboard Viewer is a shortcut to a reference photo of your keyboard. For laptops users with a wireless or extra USB keyboard, this doesn’t work, as the Viewer only shows the layout of the onboard laptop keyboard.
Be careful to mark which clip goes with each key. I don’t remember which one now, there are two similar keys with different size clips. The smaller clip was on the larger key. Mixing them up could affect proper function.
Thanks for your howto
It definitely looks better 
The keys feel very strong, the keyboard quality justifies the price i think
Now I’m another proud user of a freshly cleaned apple keyboard
Now let’s eat some pizza will coding to make all that really dirt again
I have been using, cleaning and reselling used components in the IT field since about 1982. The basic principle of a keyboard has not changed regarding the majority of what is out there, qwerty and push, contact devices. Keycaps are pretty much all the same (with some exceptions noted by notebook owners, of which I’m one). Pop off keys with flathead screwdriver, or in my case a trusty leatherman flathead/standard driver. Soak in bowl of lightly soapy (suds don’t matter) warm yet not scalding water for 3-5 mins. Take base of keyboard, hold upside down and brush off with dish brush even natural haired paintbrush. Spray lightly with windex or other ’solvent’ w