Question

Spilled Drink on Laptop Keyboard

Asked by: LeftofCool

Last night I wasn't paying attention and spilled a relatively small amount of "sugar-free" lemonade onto my laptop's keyboard.  I dabbed the board with a towel and drained the fluid out, but now some of the keys are sticking.  I'm looking for a way to clean it, right now I'm using q-tips and rubbing alcohol. Can anyone help me with this?

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2005-07-20 at 11:36:52ID21498603
Tags

drink

,

laptop

,

spilled

,

keyboard

Topic

General Laptop

Participating Experts
3
Points
150
Comments
6

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. Left side of keyboard not working at all
    Hi, I've used my laptop successfully for months and months now however it has started acting quite strangely. The other day the key "1" would only work when holding down shift then releasing it. After that it wouldn't work at all. Then the whole group of keys on t...
  2. need access to dell inspiron keyboard circuit
    I have a Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop onto which, alas, I spilled some coffee. Some of the keys now double up... typing "1234567890" gives "q1w2e3r4tyu7i8o9p0" ("t" and "y" are unaffected), hitting the "[" key usually would give ...
  3. Water spilled on keyboard.
    I accidentily spilled some water on my laptop. After I mopped it up as best I could, I left it open to dry. Now, it's working normally expept for one small issue -- certain keys are reassigned or simply do not function (eg: when I hit 'h' I it prints 'hu' and 'e' is dead). ...
  4. Keyboard not working after spilling a drink on it! lol
    Hello. Out of all of the stupid things I could do .. take a random guess what I did!... That's right! I spilt a whole glass of Chocolate milkshake all over my Keyboard! I instantly shut down my PC, unplugged the keyboard, took it apart (and layed it down so that the drink w...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: karthikjayPosted on 2005-07-20 at 11:41:05ID: 14487863

Hi LeftofCool,
Ur owners manual will provide a way to pop the keys from the keyboard. Use it to remove the keys and wipe them off with somw mild soap solution. Use a hair dryer to dry the surfaces back before pushing the keys back in.

Cheers!

 

by: PCBONEZPosted on 2005-07-20 at 11:47:27ID: 14487947

The only way to really do it right is to remove the keyboard and flush it (drench it) with Isopropyl Alcohol.
Ideally get some that's 91% (less water) and put it in a spray bottle so you can blast the areas under the keys with a good strong stream.
While doing this hold the keyboard vertically so the it will run off. (Do it outside or over a sink with plenty of ventilation.)
After you have all the sticky out hang the keyboard vertically with something, put it somewhere warm, some airflow (a fan) would be good, and let I'd let dry about 2 days before trying it.

There is a chance you will ruin the keyboard doing this but right now it's not working anyway, so, ???
At your own risk.

I have used this to recover electronic equipment that had been completely immersed in sea water and it usually works.

.


 

by: PCBONEZPosted on 2005-07-20 at 11:49:37ID: 14487978

Yes, on some the keys come off, on others they don't.
If they do come off go that route but use the alcohol and not soap.
The alcohol will evaporate completely and take any residual water with it.

 

by: oldgreyguyPosted on 2005-07-20 at 12:35:04ID: 14488488

it has been my experience that once a key comes off (whether falling or taken off)... it will never in 10 bazillion years go back on.. don't remove the keys!!                  .. I agree with PCBONEZ... remove the key board and flush it..... but I would probably use luke warm water.....        you might remove any grease that is supposed to be there if you use any alcohol... shake it out (if you have a leaf blower even better to remove excess water under the keys)... then leave it in a nice bright warm spot for a couple of days (flipping it every once and a while to cause whatever moisture is left to migrate/move

 

by: LeftofCoolPosted on 2005-07-20 at 16:05:52ID: 14490259

I've been removing the keys, and have had some success with it, however, I broke off my down arrow key, it was stubborn and I think it was broken already. Anyway, I haven't been under the hood of this laptop yet, so I'm a little uneasy about getting the entire keyboard out. Is it as simple as removing the screws and lifting out?  I've been using alcohol, and it seems to be the best cleanser, but the potential for removing grease is too much to flush the entire keyboard out with it, I think. Perhaps, I could just dilute the alcohol a little more with some warm water. Assuming I get the keyboard out without issue, am I at any risk of damaging electrical components in the keyboard while I am flushing it out?

 

by: oldgreyguyPosted on 2005-07-20 at 16:13:36ID: 14490298

there aren't any electrical components to speak of on the keyboard.....       I should clarify.... when I flush them... I remove the keyboard assembly hold it at a 45 degree angle... keys down... and use a windex.. or whatever bottle filled with water to spray the keys.... I don't dump it in a bucket of water

you will see that there are the keys... the pad they attach to... usually a rubber/or something membrane.. and below it the contact place.. so on.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...