---json
{
  "title": "PSA: Cleaning keyboards",
  "date": "2024-06-16T07:21:31.178Z",
  "tags": [],
  "excerpt": "Sometimes I think I can be quite clever. This is not one of those times."
}
---

Sometimes I think I can be quite clever. This is not one of those times. After putting it off for too long I decided to give my Keychron keyboard a clean. After removing the keycaps, I found the expected assortment of crumbs and dust so got to work cleaning.

Unfortunately, it looks like the lube I'd used for my switches had caused lots of the dust and such to stick to the keyboard chassis. Instead of being sensible and just removing the easily-removable case to clean it, I just sprayed some of my eco-friendly screen cleaner on it and got to work. It's just purified water, right? Should be fine.

It was not fine. Long story short, there's at least one short somewhere and now half of my keys are dead. RIP Keychron K8, you were a great keyboard. Anyway, don't do what I did, because it's quite an expensive mistake. I've got a spare keyboard, but it's one of the Apple Magic keyboards that I'm not fond of. Hopefully soon I can get together a new one.