CLEAN KEYBOARD

Keyboards

Keyboards are one of the most abused parts of the average system. They get pounded
on, covered with dirt, loaded with dust and food particles, and even the occasional cup
of decaf. :^) The extent to which keyboard care is important depends on how much
you care about your keyboard, and what it costs. Cheap keyboards go for as little as
$10 these days; if you don't care about what kind of keyboard you use, you can
practically treat them as a disposable item, just getting a new one when they get
damaged or gummed up from excessive gunk. (A rather wasteful attitude, I think, but
one that does make sense in some circumstances.) Other people (such as myself) rely
upon unique keyboards with special features, some of which are hard to replace if
they become damaged, and so care and maintenance become much more important.

Fortunately, most decent keyboards are fairly resistant to abuse, but over time, if they
are never maintained, they can eventually fail. Common failure modes are keys that
stick or repeat, or have to be pressed multiple times to get a character to show up.
Assuming that you do want your keyboard to last, I recommend the following routine
care steps be taken:

 Keep Food and Drink Away: The number one enemy of keyboards is not
dust, but in fact food and drink. If you can "simply" make a policy of never
eating or drinking while using your PC, you will have taken one of the best
preventive measures that you can to keeping your keyboard working reliably. I
put the word "simply" in quotes because this is sure as heck not something
that I've ever been able to do! :^) If you're like me you can still minimize
problems by trying to keep the food and drink away from the keyboard itself.
Keeping your coffee mug more than "spill's distance" from the PC is a wise
move.
 Clean the Keyboard: Over time dirt and natural oils from your fingers will
accumulate on the keycaps, and dust and debris will fall into the keyboard
between the keys. These should be cleaned at least annually, by wiping with a
damp cloth. Cleaning a keyboard isn't always that simple; opening it up can in
fact ruin it, and some attempts at cleaning a keyboard can in fact make things
worse.
 Check the Cable and Connector: Make sure that the keyboard cable is not
caught on anything or pinched between your desk drawers, etc., to prevent
damage. There should be slack in the cable as well; if the keyboard cable is too
tight this can damage the cable, connector, or worst of all, the plug on the
motherboard where they keyboard connects to it. (This can result in your
needing to replace your motherboard!)
In the unfortunate event that you spill coffee or other liquids into the keyboard, it is
still possible in some cases to save the device, but often you will need to replace it.