Macbook keyboard vs. Coke

[Amorphous]

Yes, I'm an idiot and had the classic computer-use accident yesterday by knocking a glass of Coke over the keyboard of my Mac. It's still functional (I'm typing with it right now) but now that the Coke has dried a few of the keys stick or are very stiff, particularly the space bar.

My question, in brief: does anyone else have any experience of this problem and have any tips for alleviating it? I've tried getting a (very slightly) damp tissue and cleaning around the keys which make things better for a short while, but the keys get worse again when the water dries off.

The Mac is only a few months old and should be well within warranty, but I've heard bad things about Mac repairs (namely the length of time taken, or them being in really odd places on the outskirts of Edinburgh/Glasgow where public transport fears to tread) and also have a sneaking suspicion that Apple will argue spillages don't count.

Any suggestions?

[hr]

If Jack Bauer was put in a room with Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Nina Myers and handed a gun with two bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.

[Katerina]

I would take a barely damp cloth that has some soap in it and gently clean the keys, then I'd run a clean damp cloth over them wipe off the soap residue.

If you feel confident about your mechanical skills, you can open up your laptop, taking care not to loose any of the screws etc, and clean under the keyboard, too.

[Haunted]

Anytime any liquid is poured over any electrical device, immediately switch device off and submerge into isopropylalcohol (IPA) (hardware store should have some), leave for a minute or so then remove and allow to dry.

In this case I'd just remove the keys and give it a good scrub with an IPA soaked wipe. Or if your careful you might be able to do it with water.

[hr]

Now with 100% more corn

[Hennessy]

I spilled tea over my laptop a while ago, luckily it didnt cause any permanent damage but all the keys below QWERTY eventually became so sticky that they wouldnt move.

Turned the laptop off, disconnected it from the mains, took a damp cloth and ran it around the edges of the affected keys, got a screwdriver, popped off the really bad ones and cleaned under, damp cloth, dry cloth, warm water only, popped the keys back in and everything worked fine first time.

Wouldnt advise using the screwdriver if you're unsure about warranty, if you don't know whether the keys will work again (mine was a laptop, keys are meant to pop in and out sometimes), or if you think you'll break the thing or injure yourself.

[hr]

"What happened to Spoon?"
"There is no Spoon"
Dog Soldiers

[Huckabee]

Keys on a mac can be popped off, then it's much easier to clean under. The bottom row pop off by lifting them from the back, the rest pop off by lifting them at the side, the big ones have multiple clips. Do it carefully though because the little plastic clips break easily.
I found the best way to clean them was with a cotton bud and some alcohol, I used vodka.

It is also worth getting someone to clean out your computer to stop the coke corroding the internal mechanisms. Even if your computer is still working now, it might die soon. So it is best to get it checked out.

[The Jaspar]

I wouldn't recommend putting the whole laptop in, but it's supposed to work with standalone keyboards.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=11029793