To keep your keyboards clean...

[reaper]

Do you guys usually wash hands before using it or not really?  I've always wondering about this since some of the keyboards I've seen here costing $200 - $300 or more (not to mention some of them have white key caps).

I mean before my first mech keyboard (I used to have G15, G19, etc), I didn't really care much but now I find myself wash hands more often.  Especially before start using the keyboard, gaming on the PC and so on.

[manfaux]

I usually try my best to keep my hands clean when I use my computer, not because I have expensive keyboards, but for ,you know, personal hygiene!

[reaper]

^ lol Ok, well, that too.

But what I meant was do you find yourself subconsciously wash hands more often since this is our hobby, our collection, etc. and you wouldn't want the keys to become dirty or shiny after just a few weeks or months.

[Chobopants]

I'm so OCD about keeping my hands clean in the first place that this really isn't a factor.

[rustybarnacle]

No, I do not specifically wash my hands to keep my keyboard clean.  I have been known to wash them immediately before trying out someone else's nice keyboard, however.

[bytemeavaj]

I eat in front of my computer all the time. I don't worry about it too much. A keyboard is meant to be used. The good thing about keyboards is that you can disassemble them and clean it to the point that they are brand new again.

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it. However, if you just got done changing your car oil and stuff, of course you make sure to be clean before you use your keyboard.

edit - and just like chobo i keep my hands clean usually as well. But if you're asking do I clean it before I use the keyboard its a definite no.

[Tony]

I don't care to wash my hands before typing. But I wash my hands whenever I go to the WC, so I find that is quite enough.

[Hak Foo]

I tend to swap and muck-out the boards frequently enough that dirt isn't a major issue.

[bettablue]

My keyboards hate me.  I eat, smoke and drink in front of computer, but before eating I always wash my hands.  I have never dropped an ash on my keyboard though, food, yes; drinks, sometime, in small ammounts; smoking materials, nope.  I guess I keep my worst habit far enough out of the way that it can't get over my board.

[nigritude]

i always wash my hands with soap before i use the computer now

[kill will]

i use clorox bleach wipes every few days. and a datavac every few weeks.

[kill will]

betta thats one thing i love about model m's...i get a TON of ashes in it and no problemo.

[Tony]

In addition to washing your hands, you should pray to the Keyboard Gods before typing. Keep your hands in to the below position and hold it above your keyboard.

[tgthan]

Yeah i am ocd about washing my hands before using peripherals. I won't even let my 5 year old nephew handle an xbox or wii controller until I visually verify that he has scrubbed his hands to my satisfaction.

[What is X?]

I'm OCD about keeping my mouse oil-free, but i don't really care about my keyboard since it's a $5 piece of crap. That will probably change when i get a blackwidow though

[002]

That will probably change when i get a blackwidow though

Then you've got an 80 dollar piece of crap instead right?

[vun]

I like to wash my hands regularly anyways, so greasy keys etc. isn't much of an issue.
Other than that I use a can of pressurized air to blow dust, hair, crumbs etc. out of my keyboard regularly.

[Surly73]

I'm not OCD about washing before using a keyboard.  I also eat and drink at both home and (particularly) office PCs.  I am a reasonably clean guy, I guess, since I've never had one of my keyboards develop any visible "grubbiness" no matter how long I've used it.  I see some other people's keyboards getting that brown sludge buildup on the keys after only a couple of months - what's up with that?  I get crumbs, dust and hair in there but I've never spilled a drink on my boards.  Yet, anyways.

I did have an MS Natural 4000 taken out by my 3 year old's juice though.  I can fix anything but I couldn't get this 4000 to register space bar no matter how much cleaning I did between the membranes.  That was the beginning of the path toward geekhack.

[db_Iodine]

I like to keep things clean anyway, so I already wash my hands and wipe the dust off my table very often. Moving into the world of mechanical keyboards didn't bring this upon me. I've been doing this as long as I can remember.

[dracaXL]

I'm so OCD about this I use a hand sanitiser before typing, every time. Which means about 10 - 20 times a day.

[vun]

Moving into the world of mechanical keyboards didn't bring this upon me. I've been doing this as long as I can remember.

Same here, though after getting into mechanical boards has made me more aware of this, so I probably make fewer exceptions now.

[canon.tk]

I'm generally a clean person, but I eat at my computer desk a lot.  When I do I put the plastic covers that came with my Filcos back on.  I also keep them covered when I'm not using them... which is probably when I'm sleeping or at work.

I also wipe them down and blow them out regularly.

[Chobopants]

I'm not OCD about washing before using a keyboard.  I also eat and drink at both home and (particularly) office PCs.  I am a reasonably clean guy, I guess, since I've never had one of my keyboards develop any visible "grubbiness" no matter how long I've used it.  I see some other people's keyboards getting that brown sludge buildup on the keys after only a couple of months - what's up with that?  I get crumbs, dust and hair in there but I've never spilled a drink on my boards.  Yet, anyways.

I did have an MS Natural 4000 taken out by my 3 year old's juice though.  I can fix anything but I couldn't get this 4000 to register space bar no matter how much cleaning I did between the membranes.  That was the beginning of the path toward geekhack.

Yeah...I have some dirty coworkers too. I just think its people being gross, nothing more.

Same thing happened to my old MS Natural! Spilled a cup of coffee on it, no matter what I did a couple of the keys were shot. As soon as liquid gets on that crappy plastic membrane is separates and you're kind of in hose mode.

[Surly73]

Yeah...I have some dirty coworkers too. I just think its people being gross, nothing more.

Same thing happened to my old MS Natural! Spilled a cup of coffee on it, no matter what I did a couple of the keys were shot. As soon as liquid gets on that crappy plastic membrane is separates and you're kind of in hose mode.

The weird thing is that I completely disassembled it.  I separated the membrane films, used water, alcohol and zero residue cleaners, dried everything, cleaned some contacts just in case and nothing could bring the spacebar back . The board was only a year old or so and I was pretty annoyed.  It was really surprising to me that I couldn't make that work again with that amount of disassembly.

[nigritude]

Then you've got an 80 dollar piece of crap instead right?

hehehe

[Rairden]

I never really cared until I got my first mech keyboards.  Now I notice I clean my hands so they aren't so grungy.  I don't want a bunch of muck buildup over the months on the caps.

[Fuel]

I also wash my hands before I use my keyboard.

[manfaux]

In addition to washing your hands, you should pray to the Keyboard Gods before typing. Keep your hands in to the below position and hold it above your keyboard.

Show Image

if you have a keyboard like that, the keyboard god does not hear you.

[Magna224]

I wash my hands regularly especially before I use my PC and try not to have anything near my PC that could get it or its peripherals dirty. Somewhat OCD when it comes to keeping things clean.

[Tony]

if you have a keyboard like that, the keyboard god does not hear you.

Keyboard God loves everyone regardless of type of keyboard you have. Or how many keyboards you have in your possessions

[bettablue]

Yeah...I have some dirty coworkers too. I just think its people being gross, nothing more.

Same thing happened to my old MS Natural! Spilled a cup of coffee on it, no matter what I did a couple of the keys were shot. As soon as liquid gets on that crappy plastic membrane is separates and you're kind of in hose mode.

I work as a technical support supervisor in a call center that employs over 600 people.   Some desks, keyboards, mice, and monitors are kept amazingly clean, but others are, well…  Let’s just say they’re not.   Keyboards are the dirtiest things I see.  The mouse is another thing I see a lot of crud buildup on though.  

I hate it when we sometimes have to exchange desks, which happens periodically as skill sets are changed, new employees are added, and attrition leaves desks empty.  Movement is expected.  We move people to align them with other employees with the same set of skills and training.  Typically though, as a supervisor, whenever I have a need to move, which is rarely, I take my computer, mouse, monitor, chair and anything else I have with me to my new location.  However, when moving agents, it always becomes a mad dash for cleaning supplies.  Some employees have to clean the desk, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and everything else in the cubicle.  The person who left that desk was either dirty, didn’t care that dust bunnies were multiplying like rabbits, or for some odd reason just plain filthy.  In either case, the desks looks like something from a heath department horror story!  One of my biggest peeves is when I go to someone’s cubicle and see fingerprints all over the monitor.  Yet these are the very same employees who will complain that there is a glare on their screens.  (All of the monitors in the office are anti-glare)  

Some people are unclean and nasty.  I have never in my life had a grubby keyboard, or mouse, not at work, and especially, not at home.  It really is disgusting to me to have to scrub every inch of a cubicle just to feel like you aren't going to be infected by some kind of fungus or disease from somebody else’s' filthy lifestyle.  These people are adults for God’s sake!  Honestly, with as much grime, dirt and who know what else either building up in their zone or floating around in the air around them; it’s no wonder people get sick.  It makes me question too, if they even bathe themselves on a regular basis.  

When I go home after the day of a major move, the very first thing I do is shower!  I have to.  It’s really the only way I can feel like I not catching something.

[xira]

i keep rubbing alcohol at my desk. works wonders if i've just eaten anything. also when eating i cover my kb with a napkin... and when i'm sleeping i put the sleeve over it that it came with

[Surly73]

One of my biggest peeves is when I go to someone’s cubicle and see fingerprints all over the monitor.  Yet these are the very same employees who will complain that there is a glare on their screens.  (All of the monitors in the office are anti-glare)  

AUGH!  Why do so many people touch their monitor?  What purpose does it serve?  And why do the fingerprints not drive them insane?  Even my wife and kids touch our monitor at home.  I try to flip out the right amount so that they don't think I'm whacko but eventually will learn not to do it.

Just wait until everything is touchscreen - we won't be able to fight it.  Although hopefully by then they have good coatings that are both glare and print resistant.

[Dr.Pepper]

I keep everything very clean. About once every 2 days I have a mad cleaning frenzy. Screen, Computer's fans, Screen ( All 4 of them ), Mouse ( Usually every time I fire up a game ). And the keyboard, a I remove all of the keycaps, and put 'em in a strainer, wash them and let them dry overnight, about once a week. ( hate the dust and hair as I have 2 dogs and a cat. For some reason the cat likes to sleep in front of the computer )

[kamikazekyle]

I work as a technical support supervisor in a call center that employs over 600 people.   Some desks, keyboards, mice, and monitors are kept amazingly clean, but others are, well…  Let’s just say they’re not.   Keyboards are the dirtiest things I see.  The mouse is another thing I see a lot of crud buildup on though.  



Some people are unclean and nasty.  I have never in my life had a grubby keyboard, or mouse, not at work, and especially, not at home.  It really is disgusting to me to have to scrub every inch of a cubicle just to feel like you aren't going to be infected by some kind of fungus or disease from somebody else’s' filthy lifestyle.  These people are adults for God’s sake!  Honestly, with as much grime, dirt and who know what else either building up in their zone or floating around in the air around them; it’s no wonder people get sick.  It makes me question too, if they even bathe themselves on a regular basis.  

When I go home after the day of a major move, the very first thing I do is shower!  I have to.  It’s really the only way I can feel like I not catching something.

I used to do laptop support for some users that would often take work home.  This one woman would have a laptop not even a week and somehow manage to get more gunk, grease, and food in a laptop's keyboard than I'd eat in a meal at KFC.  I'd crack open the sanitizer wipes and wipe down her entire laptop before I"d even touch it.  Her keyboard and work area at her desk was the same way too.

At my new job (same building, different area) I have to share workstations with others since it's shift work.  On top of using some *really* bad Logitech keyboards, most of these keyboards haven't seen a cleaning wipe, vacuum, or duster in..um..ever.  I've actually gotten to the point where I'm taking in my Realforce when I'm on shift and taking it with me back home after the shift. I also use sanatizing wipes on the mouse.  I can always tell when someone had used the mouse/keyboard prior because it's greasy when I get into work (as in fried chicken greasy).  Thankfully I use the workstation that's most rarely used, so it minimizes the cleaning I have to do.


At my last job I had a nice Filco brown dedicated just to my use.  I'm not at OCD levels in regards to washing my hands, but I do like to keep them from feeling greasy or nasty.  Though I'm like this with most preprhials -- game controllers, remotes, etc.  I dislike it when they're gunky or greasy.

[canon.tk]

I've been in IT for years and I can tell you, other people are the worst thing in the world.  They don't care when it comes to things at work.  It's "not their house" so they won't clean even if it means their life is in danger.

They'll go look for another mouse/keyboard from an empty desk and risk getting written up for moving hardware around than just simply clean their mouse or keyboard.

As a tech I've had to clean hundreds of mice and keyboards to get them back to being functional.

People eat at their desk, use hand lotions, touch their face when having a lot of makeup on, or use oily hair care products.

One time I received a call about a lady whose mouse wasn't working.  They claimed to have cleaned it.  When I got to the desk I took the mouse apart and it wasn't that dirty just a little oily (ball mouse).  I cleaned it out and tested it, still wasn't tracking correctly.  I noticed the mouse pad was so full of oil from her hair that the ball was just sliding around.

Then you have the people that never washed their hands and/or eat at their desk.  Whenever you go to use their mouse you have to break it from from the bound it has with the desk or mat.

[keyb_gr]

I don't eat or drink much at my desk, save for the occasional apple or cup of tea, so my input devices don't tend to accumulate too much gunk. Cleaning the mouse once in a while and the board maybe once or twice a year (which I did yesterday after reading this thread) tends to be quite sufficient. The inside of my boards mainly accumulates dust, hair and skin litter.

I've cleaned my share of boards though, so I definitely know what a really filthy one looks like...

[rustybarnacle]

 I try to flip out the right amount so that they don't think I'm whacko but eventually will learn not to do it.

A fine line to be sure.  But this is a life skill.

[RiGS]

rofl

[RiGS]

You should make a nice lego pic on that subject!

[Superfluous Parentheses]

I only wash my hands before using a computer when they're noticeably dirty - like oil or grease stained.

Everything else can be taken care of by cleaning the key caps and dusting out the interior once every 6 months or so.

And I smoke, eat and drink while at my computer. Keyboards and computers are tools - they're not meant to be handled with gloves.

[What is X?]

Then you've got an 80 dollar piece of crap instead right?

$99 as you know, and what's crap about it? If it's just because it's a "mainstream" brand, facepalm.

[002]

If it's just because it's a "mainstream" brand, facepalm.

Nope that's not it. If I followed that logic, I wouldn't be using a Dell U2410 as my monitor.

[What is X?]

Nope that's not it. If I followed that logic, I wouldn't be using a Dell U2410 as my monitor.

don't you think you should say what it is then?

[db_Iodine]

I only wash my hands before using a computer when they're noticeably dirty - like oil or grease stained.

Everything else can be taken care of by cleaning the key caps and dusting out the interior once every 6 months or so.

And I smoke, eat and drink while at my computer. Keyboards and computers are tools - they're not meant to be handled with gloves.

I'd never let you borrow any of my keyboards. You dirty dirty man..

[002]

don't you think you should say what it is then?

Call me a purist but for all the extra things you get on a Razer (pretty colours, macro keys, an aftermarket pod filter, neons), how can it remain so cheap?

My guess is build quality. It's nothing personal, I just prefer well made keyboards and I'm sure there are a lot of people here who agree with me.

On a side note, one of my friends recently gave me his recently purchased (less than 6 months old) XArmor mechanical switch keyboard to repair because when he tried to disconnect it from his computer, all of the pins came out of the PS/2 connector's plastic housing. I know this isn't a Razer board, but it *is* another one of those products marketed to gamers.

[BucklingSpring]

I sell my Lego Porn.  How do you think I can afford to buy so much Geek stuff?

Can you share your bookmarks of Fetish Lego?

Soooooooo many options

[BucklingSpring]

Back to the thread... I eat and drink at my desk but I usually keep the drinks on the floor.

I also use a Data Vac and wipes once in a while.

With the exception of my coffee mug -> Thermos spill safe travel mug

[keyboardlover]

DizAMN! Lego baby got BACK!

[What is X?]

Call me a purist but for all the extra things you get on a Razer (pretty colours, macro keys, an aftermarket pod filter, neons), how can it remain so cheap?

My guess is build quality. It's nothing personal, I just prefer well made keyboards and I'm sure there are a lot of people here who agree with me.

On a side note, one of my friends recently gave me his recently purchased (less than 6 months old) XArmor mechanical switch keyboard to repair because when he tried to disconnect it from his computer, all of the pins came out of the PS/2 connector's plastic housing. I know this isn't a Razer board, but it *is* another one of those products marketed to gamers.

I don't abuse keyboards. I don't care if the plastic housing is strong enough to stand on. and the blackwidow Elite doesn't really have anything fancy. The only "luxury" is macro keys, which i probably won't even use.