What do you do when you get a used keyboard or mouse from someone? Happily go home and start using it? I advise against it. Clean it up first. Keyboard and mouse are the most touched items of a computer. They are really dirty. Why? Just reflect on our own habits. Many of us like to eat while using the PC. Sometimes, we have that itchy feeling and start to scratch ourselves, dig noses, ears, here, there and there (you get the idea) before resuming to type or move/click the mouse. Well, it is not that bad if you are the only user around. What if you need to share the PC with someone whose favourite past time is nose-digging? Speaking about this, I had an ex-colleague who had the habit of NOT washing his hands after going to the toilet! Everytime I used his PC, I had to go disinfect my hands. Anyway, keyboards are cheap nowadays. You can get a new one or spend a bit of effort to clean it up. In this article, I take the poor man's approach to clean a used keyboard & make it look brand new again!
I recently got a used Compaq keyboard from a mate. It looked decent and worked really well. Just that there were deep scratches here and there (not obvious in the picture though). They keys definitely felt better than the first version of Microsoft Natural Keyboard that I had been using. So, off I went to clean it up and gave it a facelift i.e. a new coat of paint. I maintained the original colour combination (silver and black) to match my newly restored PC case.
The first step is to pry the keys off. This is an easy job and there shouldn't be any accidents. Just get a flat head screwdriver or ruler and start prying.
You can start from any key. I started on the number pad area. Once you have removed some keys, you will be able to see the dirt trapped underneath. In my case, I found dust, bits of cookies, some dead ants, hair, and stuff that looked like dandruff and "gold" from nose-mining. Work your way through the rest of the keys.
Keep the keys in a container and soak them in water plus detergent or disinfectant overnight. Give them a brush and rinse with water before drying.
I detached the silver-coloured plastic piece for painting. It was straightforward - just turn over the keyboard and remove all screws. There are 2 screws hidden underneath the rubber stoppers located on the bottom corners. Remove them and you shall see the screws.
I gave it some light sanding so that the new paint would stick better. Just make sure the surface feels smooth to the touch and you'll be fine.
I gave it a new coat of silver paint using the normal acrylic spray paint available at hardware stores. Those are good enough to be used on plastics. Don't bother painting areas under the keys. Those areas are not visible. After you are done with painting, it is best that you leave it to settle for a few more days before reassembling the keyboard. I left it alone for a week. Now I have a keyboard that not only looks and feels as good as new, it is also as clean as new. See for yourself...
I recently got a used Compaq keyboard from a mate. It looked decent and worked really well. Just that there were deep scratches here and there (not obvious in the picture though). They keys definitely felt better than the first version of Microsoft Natural Keyboard that I had been using. So, off I went to clean it up and gave it a facelift i.e. a new coat of paint. I maintained the original colour combination (silver and black) to match my newly restored PC case. 
The first step is to pry the keys off. This is an easy job and there shouldn't be any accidents. Just get a flat head screwdriver or ruler and start prying.
You can start from any key. I started on the number pad area. Once you have removed some keys, you will be able to see the dirt trapped underneath. In my case, I found dust, bits of cookies, some dead ants, hair, and stuff that looked like dandruff and "gold" from nose-mining. Work your way through the rest of the keys.
Keep the keys in a container and soak them in water plus detergent or disinfectant overnight. Give them a brush and rinse with water before drying.I detached the silver-coloured plastic piece for painting. It was straightforward - just turn over the keyboard and remove all screws. There are 2 screws hidden underneath the rubber stoppers located on the bottom corners. Remove them and you shall see the screws.
I gave it some light sanding so that the new paint would stick better. Just make sure the surface feels smooth to the touch and you'll be fine.
I gave it a new coat of silver paint using the normal acrylic spray paint available at hardware stores. Those are good enough to be used on plastics. Don't bother painting areas under the keys. Those areas are not visible. After you are done with painting, it is best that you leave it to settle for a few more days before reassembling the keyboard. I left it alone for a week. Now I have a keyboard that not only looks and feels as good as new, it is also as clean as new. See for yourself...
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