We all know water is the biggest enemy of electronics, but I seem to have heard similar things about sugar. Up until this point I never cared about touching/typing on my MacBook with dirty sticky hands, now I’m kind of rethinking it. No, I don’t bring liquids near my MacBook but I do eat sweet food like a bar of chocolate with my bare hands; yesterday for example I was typing in an important email and I was eating a cone of ice cream at the same time, the ice cream melted all over my hands, I quickly wiped my hands with a tissue (the hands remained sticky anyway) and I continued typing without thinking much of it. Is this going to damage my Mac on long term?
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Do you guys touch your MacBook with dirty hands?
- Thread starter jordysak
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Never use your Mac with wet or dirty hands. Common sense approach against accidents and potential problems later on.
Btw I’m asking this because only now I found out that sugar can potentially cause internal damage.. so you do agree that this could cause damage?
I can tell you that red wine poured into an IBM Thinkpad will cause purple "shorting" marks on the chips on the circuit boards.
Yep. And while some keyboards are notoriously worse than others, all keyboards can suffer from things getting stuck in their mechanism. Ice cream is a viscous liquid. Why would you want to risk that on your keyboard? And yes, sugar is a reducing agent. Fun fact, sugar is used in 'rocket candy,' which literally is used to fuel model rockets. Boom.
This was probably in reference to sugary drinks, as in they can cause more damage than a small water spill, because:
"It's got electrolytes!"
It is not the water itself but whatever is dissolved in it that will short the circuitry. The remnants of sugar on your fingers are much smaller in quantity, and would just stick to the top of the keys. Only dissolved in water can sugar properly enter the device.
It ultimately depends on how often and how sticky we are talking about here. Still, gross.
I don’t touch my keyboard after eating anything. That’s just seems gross. I’ve seen too many grimy keyboards. I always wash my hands first because it’s just visually off putting. Never thought about it causing damage.
I don't touch my MBA with dirty hands I just feel really gross when I type so I usually wash them
treat your mac like you treat your woman...with care and love it from your bottom of your heart
Make it a habit not to eat in front or near your laptop. I know it's hard when you have a lot of work to do and would rather eat while working. But food debris can get stuck in between your keys like sugar. It could get sticky once it oxidize which could then damage electronics inside your laptop.
Wow, I was cringing so hard reading that OP! Now, I'm not saying my hands are 100% sanitized at all times while using my MBA, but if my hands are wet or sticky or have anything else on them, I would dry/wash my hands first. Even if it didn't hurt anything, I can't stand for any nice things I own to have gunk on them.
Couldn’t agree more. Good hygiene is important. Learned that in kindergarten.
Okay thank you all for the replies. Now I’m about to clean off all the sugar particles and dirt/grease on my MacBook .. I’m about to use these wipes, are these alright to remove the mess? Apple suggests 70% isopropyl alcohol but I’m struggling to find it in stores
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Is this question for real? ? Using anything with clean hands seems like a common sense to me. I was actually amazed when Covid started and people learned that they have to wash their hands.
Well you see, I agree with you on keeping a good hygiene but there are occasional scenarios where you can’t stop whatever you’re doing on the Mac and perhaps have some biscuits or a snack during it , stuff happens ..I simply didn’t think it could be something to worry about
If you go back and review the OP’s other threads it seems he’s obsessed with keeping his new and shiny Mac Book shiny and new. Best way to do that is to never take it out of the box when you get it home from wherever you bought it.
I use these on my laptops, and haven't had a problem.
https://kbcovers.com/
For my desktop, well, it's a Razer Chroma keyboard, the kind with the raised keys, which has the special quality of backlit keys against a black background making all the cruft that gathers between the keys glow like something out of a Marvel movie until I get too disgusted and give it a big clean.
https://kbcovers.com/
For my desktop, well, it's a Razer Chroma keyboard, the kind with the raised keys, which has the special quality of backlit keys against a black background making all the cruft that gathers between the keys glow like something out of a Marvel movie until I get too disgusted and give it a big clean.
I just dampen a paper towel with 70% isopropyl alcohol. That’s dampen not soak. Wring it out before using. It’s the same cleaning substance. Been using it for over a decade.
You may also want to use a vacuum with one of those soft brush attachments. To pull out crumbs from under the keys.
No need to make excuses. If you want to eat or drink while using the computer. Then go ahead. It’s been pointed out that it isn’t a great idea. How you proceed with that info is up to you. It’ll just require more cleaning maintenance.
‘Course if you really want to destroy a laptop motherboard, accidentally spill a cola drink on the keyboard. The tannic acid in a cola drink will corrode the traces on any electronics it touches. 
I usually rinse my hands before I touch a keyboard, but I’m not too picky.
I usually rinse my hands before I touch a keyboard, but I’m not too picky.
I highly suggest you get a keyboard cover. That will keep debris from getting into your keyboard and it will also keep your keyboard keys from getting the shiny look or faded over time. And unless you have a real need to close the lid, keep it open so it stays clean and smudge and keyboard impression free.
But sugar crystals could jam up a keyboard mechanism. Sugar cubes aren't known for being very conductive, and sugar water isn't conductive either, unless there is something else in the water.
Pure water is not conductive, tap water is mildly conductive, salt water is very conductive. If it's just sugar in pure water, it's not likely that it will conduct electricity. Surprising. But it will make a heck of a sticky mess.
Define 'dirty'...
Kidding...
I've had to use my backup MBP to find torque specs, and assembly info on bike parts, and cleaning Phil Wood grease off the key tops, and track pad isn't easy. Especially when it gets into the gap around the trackpad.
(I've tasted Phil Wood's on my sandwich a few times as I eat lunch. (It's not too bad, actually. Kinda 'rustic' flavor. Like once when I had sauteed tomatoes in a Tuscan inspired dinner))
Kidding...
I've had to use my backup MBP to find torque specs, and assembly info on bike parts, and cleaning Phil Wood grease off the key tops, and track pad isn't easy. Especially when it gets into the gap around the trackpad.
(I've tasted Phil Wood's on my sandwich a few times as I eat lunch. (It's not too bad, actually. Kinda 'rustic' flavor. Like once when I had sauteed tomatoes in a Tuscan inspired dinner))
I guess. I don't want wash my hands every time before using my MBP and I don't wash them after eating. It still looks as good as it did when I bought it on April 2020.