after reading https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Keyboard and other sources I used a 75% isopropyl alcohol solution to clean my black and grey plastic notebook’s keys and surface.
I applied the alcohol to cotton pads. Each cotton pad I used came back black, completely black. This is the first time I use isopropyl alcohol to clean this notebook I bought it 8 years ago.
To clean the surface I sometimes pressed the pad with my nails, because I first thought the black residue on the cotton pads was simply dirt and oils accumulated during 8 years. Now, on second thoughts, it could be the isopropyl alcohol solved the upper layer of plastic and now the clearer lines I see where I pressed with my nails are how the notebook looked 8 years ago. Lines look like an anarchic groove, but don’t feel different to the finger.
On other parts I can also see the circular motions I applied to clean those parts. Do I have to apply more alcohol or have I already damaged the plastic?
OTOH I cannot believe wikihow and other sources like https://www.howtogeek.com/65073/how-to-thoroughly-clean-your-keyboard-without-breaking-anything/ would include information that hurts the computer.
Am I doing this right?
Some plastics get gummy and start to disintegrate as thet age. You might be rubbing off the aged/oxidized plastic.
I just use glass spray
I think it could very well be dissolving at least a coating. I would use more dilute IPA. 👍
Directions unclear: laptop now covered in a feisty hop-bomb from a local craft brewery.
Isopropyl alcohol can damage plastics. I prefer distilled water for surface cleaning.
Yep, it can make keycaps start to disintegrate. Mechanical keycaps, the stem starts to split in half and fall off the switch.
I use baby wipes. Works great.
ain’t that too much water for an electronic device?
I mean, baby wipes for the keys as well? doesn’t it fall to they board beneath?
I don’t think they’re that wet. Not the ones I use anyway. I just turn off the laptop and wipe it down, keys and all. If you wanted you could leave it to air out for a while. But if you’ve seen under a keyboard, it’s all a lot of plastic and then the switches. You could even spill a drink on a laptop and it’ll be fine if you let it dry.
