cleaning ibm keycaps

[qnaal]

I've got an XT F and also a model M- I'm about to go up to the store and grab some denture tabs to clean the keycaps, but I was wondering about the material used in the keys- are they all BPT, meaning I don't have to worry too much about heat for drying them?
I was leaning toward the pillowcase-in-the-drier method, but if I gotta be extra careful with the spacebars or something...

[Pacifist]

just pull of keys, put in dishwasher, then denture tablet, and they are clean

[qnaal]

just pull of keys, put in dishwasher, then denture tablet, and they are clean

I don't have a dishwasher... should I let them sit in some detergent before using the tabs?

They aren't very dirty, I just want to freshen them up a bit

[Pacifist]

just pull of keys, put in dishwasher, then denture tablet, and they are clean

I don't have a dishwasher... should I let them sit in some detergent before using the tabs?

They aren't very dirty, I just want to freshen them up a bit

freshen up just use denture

[strafe]

I've cleaned a couple of Model M's in the last few weeks, 2 litres of warm water and 2 denture tabs works well for one set of keycaps.

[qnaal]

And I'm getting the idea that these spacebars just don't come off?

I'm fine with that, though I might try to lighten the one on the XT in the future...

[fohat.digs]

And I'm getting the idea that these spacebars just don't come off?

Sure, XT spacebars come off. They just don't go back on without a lot of heartache.

[rowdy]

I used 3 denture tabs in warm water for my two sets of Model M keycaps.

And I spread them out on newspaper and just let them dry naturally over a few days.

[qnaal]

I threw the keytops to my model M (which were already pretty clean but why not) and the XT keycaps in a big bowl with 4 tabs (perhaps overkill?), and filled it with hot water from the tap.
Some of the XT keys had the yellow/brown layer on them, and they cleaned right up.

I rinsed them, and tossed them in a pillowcase, and tossed the pillowcase in the drier on delicate for a while- I worried that the smacking around at high temperatures might damage the stems, so I wrapped the pillowcase in a towel for buffering.

MINTY FRESH

I got a box of 40 tabs for $4 at the convenience store up the street, so I'll have to try it again the next time I want to gently clean a ****ton of tiny pieces of something :\

[rowdy]

That's one thing about denture tabs - they are cheap.

So you can buy a box and use 2 or 3 or even 4 to clean, try again if you like, and if they are still dirty, try something else.

Also you can use an old toothbrush to scrub any stubborn dirt off.

[berserkfan]

I've got an XT F and also a model M- I'm about to go up to the store and grab some denture tabs to clean the keycaps, but I was wondering about the material used in the keys- are they all BPT, meaning I don't have to worry too much about heat for drying them?
I was leaning toward the pillowcase-in-the-drier method, but if I gotta be extra careful with the spacebars or something...

DO NOT even think of pulling off the XT's spacebar. Unless you are a damn expert modder. I wasted like meters of dental floss trying to put back my spacebars. Those modders make it sound easy, and it's NOT.

[jacobolus]

To clean keycaps, I put them in a bowl of water with a bit of dish soap, and swirl them around a bit. Then I swap out the water and add a few denture tabs, and leave it 4+ hours. Then I swap out the water again and add a tiny bit of dish soap again, which takes the denture tab residue off better than straight water. Then I rinse in water a couple of times. If there are any remaining dirty spots, a quick swipe with a sponge or scrubber should fix it. Then I just leave them to try on a towel for a day or two.

Overall, it only takes about 3 minutes of active effort, plus a bunch of waiting in between.

So far this has worked perfectly for a few sets of *extremely* greasy dirty gross keycaps.

[fohat.digs]

The entire process is easily accomplished in 20-30 minutes of active work.

Use a spoonful of powdered laundry detergent and a quarter spoonful of "Oxi-Clean" in a liter of hot water for 5-10 minutes.

Rinse thoroughly at least 3 times by filling the bowl with hot water and dumping them through a colander.

Lay a T-shirt out on the bed and sling the water out of each cap by hand, toss it aside. When I finish, I turn them face up on 2nd dry T-shirt and they dry in 10 minutes.