Soap and water isn't cutting the grime...

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I have cleaned my keyboard keys with denture tables with decent results but I'm at a loss to clean the coil cords. I've got a second hand one here that looks like the cord has been ran through a dog's ass. I've tried soap and water but it just keeps drying tacky, discolored and sticky. Any thoughts? What are people using to clean up cords?

[kishy]

With straight cords I get a paper towel wet with diluted rubbing alcohol. Rub it lightly down the cable, leave it for a couple minutes, then take paper towel again, pinch against the cable at one end, and pull the cable through the paper towel. Friction + alcohol cleans off the crap.

Coiled cables I don't bother cleaning...the labour just isn't worth it to me.

[skcheng]

I have cleaned my keyboard keys with denture tables with decent results but I'm at a loss to clean the coil cords. I've got a second hand one here that looks like the cord has been ran through a dog's ass. I've tried soap and water but it just keeps drying tacky, discolored and sticky. Any thoughts? What are people using to clean up cords?

Throw that crap away.   Dog assy cords belong in the trash.   Either get a new coiled SDL cable or call up Unicomp for a cool straight SDL to PS/2 cable in either a flat cable white/beige or a round cable black.   Only $10.  I cleaned one coiled rubberized SDL cable and I won't bother doing it again.   If you insist on cleaning your cable,  I used orange solvent, lots of elbow grease and patience, and then I wiped it with Armor All.   Waste of an hour.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Looks like the alcohol did the trick. Less than 5 minutes of wiping. Boy it REALLY cuts through the grime! I used something like 90%, the cord is much more flexible too oddly enough.

[EverythingIBM]

Looks like the alcohol did the trick. Less than 5 minutes of wiping. Boy it REALLY cuts through the grime! I used something like 90%, the cord is much more flexible too oddly enough.

Not odd, that's what alcohol can to do plastics, if anything, it's a bad thing.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

It shows no signs of being pitted or eaten away. I think the grime just made it kind of stiff to be honest.

[Rajagra]

Something I used on some keys was laundry detergent. The tabs that dissolve, specifically. Leaving the keys to soak in that works wonders, it should work well on cables too. Keep the plug parts out of the water, obviously.

[itlnstln]

Way to obey the leash law, *******.

It looks like a good way to meet chicks, though.

[itlnstln]

BTW, that's a beautiful park in you pic, ripster.  It looks like a great place for a disc golf course.

What's that green stuff on the ground?  I haven't seen that before.

[microsoft windows]

When it comes to those springy keyboard cables, I just don't bother cleaning them or the keyboard itself. That's the easy way to deal with them.

[Shawn Stanford]

Definitely the dishwasher. Just put plastic wrap around the connectors with tape or rubber bands and run the daggone thing through...