Introduction: Cleaning Apple Aluminum Keyboard....or Any Other Soft-touch Keyboard

About: I am an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I intend to study Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I am a tinkerer by nature: above all, I love to learn by building, wiri…

As clean as you or I might try to keep our aluminum apple keyboards, they become filthy after a year or so. This instructable is to help you clean it out. Be careful, because i am not responsible if your keyboard breaks while doing this....SUCKS FOR YOUUU lmfaoo...but seriously it's not that easy to break

Step 1: Unplug

this may sound obvious...but it needs to be stated. If you do not unplug your keyboard, you may cause serious damage to it electronically....so be safe, not sorry. Also, try to get away from your computer, so you don't scratch your monitor (etc.); im only saying that because i'm clumsy and that sounds like something i would do. =]

Step 2: Remove Keys

when snapping off the keys, it is crucial to be extremely careful. the attachments are in different directions, so pay attention. lift the key in the upper left corner until it snaps, then see which direction it is in. snap the other part off and make sure no pieces broke off. it cannot be explained...so start with the keys you use the least, so you can practice. after the second key, you'll be a pro. some bigger keys like the enter key or the spacebar have more than one connection and may have metal pins, so keep that in mind. just always remember to be careful

Step 3: Clean Keys

with a medicine dropper, pour a liberal serving of rubbing alcohol onto a folded paper towel. rub the keys vigorously against it and the filthy grime will just pour off. the paper towel will get dirty and start to crumble, so change places occasionally

Step 4: Replace Keys

replace most of the keys by firmly pushing them straight down. the keys with metal brackets have to have the metal brackets correctly inserted before you can push down. i had a little trouble with the f-keys, in which some of them were permanently depressed. for these keys, i just removed them and deliberately hooked the pins in first then pushed the snaps down.

Step 5: Sparkly Clean

Done!! overall, i'm ecstatic about the results...my keyboard is crisp white once again. it took me about an hour and a half, but i did it while relaxed and could be done much faster