cleaning keyboards in the dishwasher

Chuck Guzis wrote: I would recommend washing "by hand" as well. The less time equipment is exposed to water, the less moisture infiltration of supposedly "sealed" components will occur. There are detergents specifically designed for washing circuit bords, e.g., Alconox Detergent 8, that avoid corrosive alkalais and residues. http://www.alconox.com/static/section_top/gen_catalog.asp#Anchor-56867 Alconox, Inc. - Product Catalog Putting a keyboard in the dishwasher doesn't strike me as a particularly good idea. Unless you disassemble the keyboard anyway, there will be water trapped inside that will dry out very slowly. I clean a keyboard by pulling all the keycaps and washing them separately in dish detergent, and clean the area formerly under the keys with isopropanol, cotton swabs, and a detailing brush. This is good for the usual sorts of gunk that accumulates on a keyboard, but perhaps not for spilled coffee, etc. I have an excellent tool for pulling keycaps that came with a Northgate Omnikey keyboard. There are two wire loops attached to a handle. You slip the loops over the key and they hook underneath, allowing you to pull the keycap straight up and off. Very quick and tidy. --Bill