[I_Like_Plants]

http://www.sightline.org/daily_score/ar ... y-keyboard

Wow. I have some of this stuff on hand as I write.

There's not a lot that a nice bristle, or even artist's brush can't get out of there, it just takes a bit more work, and the brush will get grubby so you have to wash it fairly if you do a lot of cleaning with it.

When I was a tronics tech, I used a bristle brush, just was not into canned air because sometimes it was not available so I did not want to become dependent on it.

The other techs lived on the stuff. They'd hold a sort of revolt if they didn't get it, then clutching their new cans of "air" they'd use it to blow down their workbenches at the end of the day! Aargh! That stuff is expensive, that was my big objection, and I was all for installing some sort of air system with a compressor, so the techs could blow off their stupid benches if they wanted to so bad, without the company having to pay $5 or more a bottle for canned "air".

They sell this stuff by the 3 pack and by the case, by the ton, at Fry's which is the local big computer/tronics store. And at every computer store, stereo shop, supermarket at times, auto parts place, you name it.

Ecological, non-evil alternative: Bristle brush, artist's brush, and if you want a blast of air, it should be possible to use a bicycle pump to pump up an air tank, pump 'er up and there you go.

Just another example of well, the inherent evilness of tech.

[Keith_McClary]

Just put it in the dishwasher. Allow it to dry for a reasonable time - 6 months to be on the safe side.

You can buy a keyboard at a garage sale for $1 that someone else has cleaned.

[I_Like_Plants]

This is a story I found on energybulletin, I don't clean my keyboard with that stuff! I use a bristle brush, and have a nice feather I picked up at the beach for getting into the cracks.

[PeakOiler]

I clean the keyboard in a more tedious fashion: carefully pull all the buttons off, wash gently in a mild soap solution and rinse. (Don't rub the print off!) I use moistened cotton swabs for the keyboard itself while all the keys are air drying.

Tip of the day:
Do not eat Cheetos and type. It'll turn the keys orange. /joke

[I_Like_Plants]

It's not a joke, that nuclear orange will turn anything orange.

I just can't believe a product this damaging is being sold by the case and carload and pushed on people, I don't think you'll find in any computer manual or camera manual etc., the idea of not using this stuff. It's pushed like crazy, it's not even thought about, I'm just another mindless user of it as evidenced by the couple of cans of it I have here. I hardly use it, but I have used it and once that stuff is in the can, it's going to seep out into the atmosphere whether it's fast, though use, or slow, seeping out in a landfill.

[lawnchair]

Thanks for pointing this out. I've never really gotten into using it, so I hadn't thought about what was in it. Compressed air/CO2 would require much thicker steel for less puff. It makes sense that it has the same requirements as A/C working fluid (huge gas from a small liquid at reasonable pressure).

If you don't want to bother with bicycle pumps, for less than $70, you should be able to Harbor Freight and get a small air compressor/tank, 100 feet of air hose, and a blowgun. If having a usable air compressor around encourages you to top off your car's tire pressure regularly, it gets carbon-positive that much faster.

[strider3700]

I decided to take a look at what we use here.

one called power duster by compucessory the other called dust off.

Both use Difluoroethane (HFC-152a) which is considerably better then HFC-134a for greenhouse gases but seems to be more of an issue with inhalant abuse.

I prefer a brush as well but a blast of compressed air really does clean out those power supplies.

[eastbay]

A few months ago, one of my kids accidentally spilled a glass of water on the new Apple wireless keyboard. I shook it out, dried it out, and all the keys functioned except the space bar, making the keyboard essentially useless. I took it to Apple and they said fixing the space bar was possible but would cost more than a new keyboard. So I got a new keyboard. I still have the old one.

[Geko45]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', 'A') few months ago, one of my kids accidentally spilled a glass of water on the new Apple wireless keyboard. I shook it out, dried it out, and all the keys functioned except the space bar, making the keyboard essentially useless. I took it to Apple and they said fixing the space bar was possible but would cost more than a new keyboard. So I got a new keyboard. I still have the old one.

[eastbay]

lol... cute.

The evidence has dried up. The remains of the old keyboard is sitting on the floor under my computer desk. I'm not accusing my keyboard of mass-murder, but if I was I'd be sure to post a picture of the 'shift' key lighting a match.