Bruno in Washington, DC asks:
Help! I spilled a cup of coffee on my computer keyboard. What’s the best way to clean this up?
Oh yikes. For future reference, electronics and beverages need to keep their distance from each other. IT equipment does not like to get wet and bad things can happen if it does. Sugary drinks; coffee with cream and sugar, soda and juice, can be especially destructive to a keyboard. It’s the ultimate Sticky Situation!
Here’s the best course of action:
1. Turn off the power to the computer and unplug it; if it’s a laptop computer, you should also remove the battery
2. Get the spill under control and turn your keyboard upside-down so the liquid can drain out
3. Clean up what you can with paper towels
4. Using a small screwdriver, unscrew all the screws on the bottom of the keyboard so you can access the inside of your keyboard to remove any residual liquid
5. It’s a good idea to wear gloves as you clean off any liquid from the parts you have exposed. Use a dry, clean, disposable cloth. Cotton swabs work well for the crevices
6. Blow the residue away with compressed air
7. Allow the parts to dry for several hours.
8. Reassemble the computer and turn it on. If it does not turn on or some of the keys still stick, take it to a repair shop to see if there is anything more that can be done.
Teltek is here to answer your questions and clean up the messes! We offer computer repair for MACs and PCs, so call today for an estimate for whatever the problem is.
If you have particularly klutzy employees or children, contact us and ask us to quote you for a spill proof keyboard! Logitech’s K310 Keyboard is fully submersible and was one of the products featured at our Margarita Party back in October.
Teltek is proud to offer IT services as the fourth component to our multi-systems approach as your single source technology services company. This Managed Service Provider (MSP) offering completes our longstanding goal to provide our clients with a one-call resource for all of their business technology needs. IT outsourcing, remote back up and disaster recovery, helpdesk support, computer network relocations, security products and server/desktop virtualization are just a few of the services now available.
