elfs | Yes, you can dishwash (some) keyboards

Filthy Keyboard

So, I have a Microsoft Internet Pro keyboard, not "natural touch" (split keyboards and Dvorak^[?] do not mix; in fact, they bend your wrists out the wrong way) and it was getting pretty filthy. So filthy, in fact, that I decided to try something desperate: dishwashing it. The MSIP (ick!) is a well-designed and reliable keyboard with a collection of "internet feature" buttons along the top row. Those can easily been programmed to work with Linux and X-Windows with the Linux Easy Access keyboard service enabled.

For the record, I'm pretty sure those stains are just wine and chocolate.

Its physical design makes it ideal for dishwashing: the entire top half, consisting of the keys secured to the shell, comes loose with the removal of six screws from the underside. All of the electronics are in the bottom half, so you can toss the entire top half of the keyboard into the dishwasher, safe in the knowledge that you're not risking much.

Clean keyboard.

I reassembled it and the results are very promising. The keyboard is clean once more, only a few scuff marks but no dirt or grime left at all. And it works quite nicely. It has a curious "dry" feeling to it, but that may be what it really felt like when I bought it two years ago.

What's especially nice is that these keyboards turn up regularly in second-hand stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, and cost only about five dollars apiece. I own two. Even if the electronics on a second-hand are flaky, if the topshell is in good shape you can always marry it to your existing keyboard and just keep rotating your topshell every couple of months, throwing one into the dishwasher. You need never have downtime.