TIL from an old timer that I've been cleaning my keycaps wrong for years

Met a guy named Frank at the local electronics recycle shop last Saturday. He saw me scrubbing a set of IBM Model M keycaps with soap and water and just shook his head. Frank told me the hot water actually makes the plastic brittle over time and I should just use isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush instead. Been doing it his way for two weeks now and the keys feel way better, has anyone else been using the wrong cleaning method for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilychen26d ago

Frank told you hot water makes the plastic brittle? That actually kind of scares me because I've been soaking my keycaps in hot water for like five years now. I just scrubbed my old Logitech set last month with soap and really hot water and now I'm worried I messed them up for good. They still feel okay but maybe I should switch to isopropyl alcohol too. I didn't realize heat could do that to plastic, I always thought hotter water just cleaned better.

paige51426d ago

Buddy of mine wrecked a set doing exactly that. Stick to iso.