how to clean dirty computer parts?

One place I worked, the IT guy used to clean keyboards with distilled water
(after beverage spills).
Now I think keyboards have simpler innards than a graphics card or wireless
LAN adapter for example. I have some PCs that have been used in a fish and
chip shop or some other fast-food outlet. There seems to be a coating of dust
on everything stuck with oil. Actually, most of them work, but I wonder how
long. I was pondering how to clean them. Blowing air is not going to work,
unless its a Formula 1 wind tunnel. In the 1980s, I had some stuff called Freon
TF that was magic: you could drop anything into a bath of it, and it cleansed
all crap off. Intermittent faults vanished! Unfortunately such CFCs are now
banned. So what have you used? Windex? Methylated spirits?

On 9/11/2010 7:41 AM, Orson Cart wrote:
One place I worked, the IT guy used to clean keyboards with distilled water
(after beverage spills).
Now I think keyboards have simpler innards than a graphics card or wireless
LAN adapter for example. I have some PCs that have been used in a fish and
chip shop or some other fast-food outlet. There seems to be a coating of dust
on everything stuck with oil. Actually, most of them work, but I wonder how
long. I was pondering how to clean them. Blowing air is not going to work,
unless its a Formula 1 wind tunnel. In the 1980s, I had some stuff called Freon
TF that was magic: you could drop anything into a bath of it, and it cleansed
all crap off. Intermittent faults vanished! Unfortunately such CFCs are now
banned. So what have you used? Windex? Methylated spirits?

I would disassemble the machine, paying special care to make sure there
are no enclosed voids. Then, pop it in a dishwasher. Place components
in an area with good ventilation so they will air dry more quickly.
Leave them there until you are sure they are completely dry.

In article , "Orson Cart" wrote:

One place I worked, the IT guy used to clean keyboards with distilled water
(after beverage spills).
Now I think keyboards have simpler innards than a graphics card or wireless
LAN adapter for example. I have some PCs that have been used in a fish and
chip shop or some other fast-food outlet. There seems to be a coating of dust
on everything stuck with oil. Actually, most of them work, but I wonder how
long. I was pondering how to clean them. Blowing air is not going to work,
unless its a Formula 1 wind tunnel. In the 1980s, I had some stuff called Freon
TF that was magic: you could drop anything into a bath of it, and it cleansed
all crap off. Intermittent faults vanished! Unfortunately such CFCs are now
banned. So what have you used? Windex? Methylated spirits?

I have ran some keyboards thru my dishwasher.

http://boingboing.net/2005/05/30/cle...keyboard-.html

http://www.cultofmac.com/its-officia...rks-great/1625

http://www.ehow.com/how_2183738_clea...ishwasher.html

GMAN wrote:
In article , "Orson Cart"
wrote:

One place I worked, the IT guy used to clean keyboards with
distilled water (after beverage spills).
Now I think keyboards have simpler innards than a graphics
card or
wireless LAN adapter for example. I have some PCs that have
been
used in a fish and chip shop or some other fast-food outlet.
There
seems to be a coating of dust on everything stuck with oil.
Actually, most of them work, but I wonder how long. I was
pondering
how to clean them. Blowing air is not going to work, unless
its a
Formula 1 wind tunnel. In the 1980s, I had some stuff called
Freon
TF that was magic: you could drop anything into a bath of it,
and it
cleansed all crap off. Intermittent faults vanished!
Unfortunately
such CFCs are now banned. So what have you used? Windex?
Methylated
spirits?

I have ran some keyboards thru my dishwasher.

http://boingboing.net/2005/05/30/cle...keyboard-.html

http://www.cultofmac.com/its-officia...rks-great/1625

http://www.ehow.com/how_2183738_clea...ishwasher.html

I have a close friend who has a friend who _boiled_ a flaky
motherboard in water. He says it's working fine now.