The sticky keyboard trick that saved a lunch order

I had a client's laptop last week that was spitting out random characters every time they typed. Thought it was a driver issue or maybe water damage. Tried all the usual fixes until I noticed a faint coffee smell near the 'R' key. Popped the keycap off and found a dried up gummy bear wedged under the mechanism. Cleaned it out with a toothpick and compressed air and the keyboard worked perfectly again. Has anyone else found weird food in a keyboard that wasn't their own?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.rose15d ago

Found a stale french fry in a coworker's mouse once.

jamie94015d ago

That gummy bear must have been there for months. I found a dried piece of bacon fat under a spacebar once, still had the little salt crystals on it. Customer said they had no idea how it got there. I charged them extra for the biohazard cleanup.

spencer98111d ago

...and the thing is, those gummy bears could be a real problem if they're sticky enough. Had a guy bring in his work laptop once, complaining the keyboard was tacky and keys didn't bounce back. Popped the keycaps off and found what looked like a melted Jolly Rancher fused into the membrane. Took me an hour with isopropyl alcohol and a dental pick to get it all out. Customer swore up and down he never ate candy at his desk. Must have been a ghost with a sweet tooth.