Yups! Barely a month after i got this excellent keyboard, i managd to have tea spilled on it and ruin it.
What a douche i am! So, how did it happen? How did i ruin one of my favorite piece of productivity tech?
Once upon a time…
It was a beautiful evening. 5 pm or something. Sun had set. The temperature had gone down. And it was a Sunday. A warm cup of tea was just what the doctor had ordered and what my mum had made. And did I mention the mini pizzas she made to go with the tea? It was perfect. Until it happened. With one sudden nudge of my elbow as I was getting up, the cup toppled, right on the K480. 200ml of theine goodness gone!
I panicked. I panicked like hell!! I didn’t know what to do. i have never been this careless in my life, how was i to know. Plus, there were other things to consider: –
- The tea was all over the keyboard, table, and floor. It was a messed-up mess.
- A few centimeters north of the keyboard was my laptop and tab as well.
- My parents were home too they would have killed me if they saw that scene. heck i would have killed me if i could see as third person! It was a bloodbath! – or teabath?
- I was shit scared. More for the laptop just nearby than the keyboard.
Mind you all above thoughts were going on simultaneously within seconds of the incident. Even recounting the day’s events is horrifying. 😪Somehow i gathered myself and began damage control.
Rescue OP
Now let this part be an important crash course on what to do when you do something stupid like this.
First thing i turned the keyboard upside down and put it on the floor in the corner of my room away from the door so in case anyone walks in it won’t be sighted easily. It was a lot of liquid, so it had to stay that way for a few hours to allow most of it to drip out.
Next i put away all other electronics from the table. Luckily, those remained untouched.
Then i got some floor cleaner and mop and tried to clean up the mess as quietly as possible so others don’t notice. It’s winter season and with all the fans switched off the house is a quiet place. even the slightest source of sound can be heard loud and clear. You can estimate how much time must have passed by now and i was yet to do the single most important thing in such a scenario.
I was yet to cut off the power source.
See, whenever you spill any liquid on any of your electronics, the first thing you should do is disconnect the power supply. pull away the plug, turn it off, do whatever is required- just unplug it. In my case, since it was a Bluetooth device, it meant removing the batteries. And i did not do it. At least not as soon as i should have.
You see i had just finished cleaning up the mess, and then i went to Mr. Google looking up the usual things.
“How to clean coffee spill on keyboard”
“k480 keyboard coffee spill”
“Spilled coffee keyboard”
Don’t ask me why i put coffee in the search when i was drinking tea because i don’t really know and does it matter? they both have milk and sugar some form of stimulant so who cares!! Regardless, that was when i learned of this. It was late. But i did it anyway.
The Revelation
I left it that way overnight and then next morning i tried to clean up any remaining liquid with tissue paper. It didn’t help. The keys were sticky. Once pressed, they remained depressed. Time to consult Mr. Google again.
“Sticky keyboard keys”
“Coffee keyboard sticky keys”
I went through several articles and videos like this, and this and then that one. That’s when i learnt that if it’s a wired keyboard, your chances of fixing it are good. but if it’s a Bluetooth keyboard, you are screwed. Your keyboard is gone for all intents and purposes. Whatever you do now, you can’t make it worse. With this thought, i tried something suggested in one of the videos on YouTube. The guy said to wash the whole Bluetooth keyboard in distilled water and to leave it to dry for one full day at least. And to keep it in a place where there is proper wind circulation. I did all that. Tried again. Put it in the batteries. Turned it on. Didn’t Work. 😑
I tried with my phone, with my tablet, with my laptop. No use. This keyboard was now officially nothing but a large paperweight.
I had now given up on trying to save my keyboard. So, I went to Logitech’s online support hoping they could guide me. They said they don’t have any service centers in my city, so instead they wanted to offer a discount coupon but said since i am talking to international Logitech support, they will first have to check in with the support from my country if they have any such options. I haven’t received any follow up emails so i guess the answer is no.
Back to my keyboard. Where was I?
Ah yes, nothing useful came up with the support so it was official now- the keyboard was dead. Nothing could bring it back.
Moral of the story
Your beverage and your computer must maintain a Covid style social distancing all the time. I have learned my lesson and now i am not even in the same room as my laptop when i am drinking or eating. Which is not a terrible thing considering doctors often recommend a break from screen time. Going away from your laptop or desktop or iPad or whatever for 10 minutes to enjoy your cup of tea is healthy. Perhaps me spilling tea on my keyboard was a sign – that i need to step away from work occasionally and enjoy the simple things in life, such as enjoying a cup of tea with family.
I am not buying another keyboard anytime soon, but if and i when i do, i hope to continue with this habit as well.
See Ya!
Peace!
✌🏻