cleaning keyboards and getting a job

cooljammer00

Since I dont want to clog up H & A with two threads, I'll ask both questions here.

1) My keyboard is filthy. There's stuff underneath the keys, on the keys, on my mouse, in the little crevices of the mouse, etc. How can I clean my mouse without you know....removing each key individually and then manually cleaning the insides? Besides the old "turn it upside down and give it 3 whacks on the back"? Does canned air work well? Wouldnt that just push the crap to one side? And with the mouse....the pieces dont come off like a keyboard. How do I clean the gunk between the buttons and whatnot?

2) Also, I need a job. I'm 17 years old, living in Brooklyn NY, and it hit me recently that shit gets expensive. I really detest having to ask my parents for things, or money for things, since everything that is remotely interesting to me is "useless" in their eyes. Now, I love my parents, I really do, but I dont want them meddling anymore, and I like to think that handling my own money is a quicker and more viable way of having funds for my own interests. Besides, they are always telling me to get a job, so I can kill two birds with one stone here.

Now, my main problem here is that I have no idea where to work. I've got no skills that I can think of. I was thinking about working at a Gamestop or something to that effect (yes yes, I know. let me finish) but I've been scared off by these forums. I wont go into detail, but it just doesnt seem worth it. Along with some advice on what jobs i could do, or how to find jobs, do any of you want to share some of your "first job" stories with me? they might make me feel less shitty about not having one.

Also, am I being an asshole? You know, for not wanting to work at a place like Gamestop? I really shouldnt be picky about these things, but all the tales I hear always end in heartbreak. Heartbreak for the kid who just wanted to talk to people about games and do something he loved, and he ends up getting his hopes shattered. I should be lucky if I got a job at all, right? I dont want to be a cocky asshole.

DekuStick

You're basically not born with retail skills or food cooking skills. They're going to train you in the job no matter what.

If you're really hurting for a job go EVERYWHERE. Scoop up those applications and fill them in. It's about as easy as that. Be nice, polite and keep eye contact because you never know who you're talking to when asking for an application and you want a good first impression. SPEAK CLEARLY!

Don't be scared off by horror stories from Gamestop and all that. A job is a job and you'll get shit on basically everywhere.

Fristle

When I was 17 I worked at the grocery store. Not at the registers, that would have sucked. Stocking shelves. As minimum wage jobs go, it kicked ass. No real supervision, good hours, hardly any interaction with customers, kind of relaxing in a repetitive way, no sweating over a grill, no getting your hands dirty.

Another cool job I had was delivering campus mail at college. Just out walking around, bringing letters to people. All of the same benefits as the grocery job, but now fresh air too.

So yea, fuck skills, this is your first job right? Think more about the qualities you want in a workday. That ought to narrow it down.

Avoid: anything where you must interact with the public at large; anything food service related.

Bama

Fristle wrote: »

Avoid: anything where you must interact with the public at large; anything food service related.

This is going to vary by person. I've worked at a couple of Gamestops under a few different managers and overall I enjoyed it the most out of all the "crap" jobs I've had. I've also worked in positions that only had me interacting with a few co-workers, and where I've been on my own the entire time. I enjoyed interacting with customers, particularly because it provided a variable element to the repetitive nature those types of jobs seem to have. I've never done food service, and I don't think I could, but my best friend and his wife have both been serving/bar-tending for a few years now and they're quite capable of finding work elsewhere.

As for the Gamestop thing, store-level management are the ones that seem to universally get shit on. I think being a part-timer there is a pretty sweet job for a gamer living at home and I wish there had been one in my town when I was in high school. The soul-crushing corporate attitude really only affects you as much as you let it. All a part-timer has to do is show up on time and try to sell subscriptions/reservations. Asking a customer about a sub or reserve doesn't make you a shill or a jerk, and no halfway competent manager is going to force you to be aggressive like the obnoxious register monkeys you hear about in horror stories.

mark

cooljammer00 wrote: »

Since I dont want to clog up H & A with two threads, I'll ask both questions here.

1) My keyboard is filthy. There's stuff underneath the keys, on the keys, on my mouse, in the little crevices of the mouse, etc. How can I clean my mouse without you know....removing each key individually and then manually cleaning the insides? Besides the old "turn it upside down and give it 3 whacks on the back"? Does canned air work well? Wouldnt that just push the crap to one side? And with the mouse....the pieces dont come off like a keyboard. How do I clean the gunk between the buttons and whatnot?

I need a solution too...

2) Also, I need a job. I'm 17 years old, living in Brooklyn NY, and it hit me recently that shit gets expensive. I really detest having to ask my parents for things, or money for things, since everything that is remotely interesting to me is "useless" in their eyes. Now, I love my parents, I really do, but I dont want them meddling anymore, and I like to think that handling my own money is a quicker and more viable way of having funds for my own interests. Besides, they are always telling me to get a job, so I can kill two birds with one stone here.

Don't worry about skills; as DekuStick said, we all began working without them.

Aurin

cooljammer00 wrote: »

Since I dont want to clog up H & A with two threads, I'll ask both questions here.

1) My keyboard is filthy. There's stuff underneath the keys, on the keys, on my mouse, in the little crevices of the mouse, etc. How can I clean my mouse without you know....removing each key individually and then manually cleaning the insides? Besides the old "turn it upside down and give it 3 whacks on the back"? Does canned air work well? Wouldnt that just push the crap to one side? And with the mouse....the pieces dont come off like a keyboard. How do I clean the gunk between the buttons and whatnot?

I've found that turning the keyboard upside down, and using compressed air, tended to get out anything that made it filthy. On the keys, I'd say a slightly damp cloth/vacuum should take care of that.

Mouse, try using a toothpick or a needle to push the gunk out, and same thing, slightly damp cloth to wipe it dry.

Just don't soak any of this stuff or you'll be buying new things. :P

Edit: To add, I've also found that 409 takes anything you might have gotten on the mousepad off easily as well.

TxdoHawk

As someone who works at an EB, let me lay this down straight: 99% of what makes a particular GameStop/EB pleasant or unpleasant to work at are your co-workers and managers. If you don't go into the store often, drop in and pay specific attention to how the workers act. Are they desperately trying to keep busy when there are no customers at the register? This might be a sign of a cracked-out performance-obsessed manager. Are they just standing around and bullshitting? They probably have a manager that tends to be lax on performance.

Keep in mind though, that none of this is 100%. The dude doing nothing could be on the verge of getting fired. The guys working their ass off could just be workaholics. Even beyond that, managers get shuffled around. Our old District Manager just quit and now we have some new tool that doesn't know what he's doing. The only way you'll truly get an impression of what the job is like is by working there. All I can tell you in that regard, is that you shouldn't be afraid to (nicely) put in your two weeks notice and look for something else. Don't let a paycheck suck you into a crappy job.

supabeast

Working at Gamestop/EB sucks, but so does all retail. It does, however, beat the shit out of flipping burgers, washing cars, and gardening, which are all common occupations for young men like yourself.

Zek

Canned air should loosen up what's in there, and then shaking it upside down should get most of it out. If it's such a filthy mess that you can't get it to look respectable with just that, then either take off all the keys and wipe it off or buy a new one.

meeker

My advice:

Go to work at Gamestop. Everyones first work experience sucks. I was washing dishes in a nasty restaraunt.

Take the money made from said job and buy new mouse and keyboard.

Stop eating at your computer.

DaySleeper

Rubbing alcohol works well for cleaning the keys/mouse. Upside down and canned air are fine to get the dust out.

MuddBudd

One of my favorite jobs was working at a bookstore. I just stocked shelves and occasionally ran the register. I also helped people find books but I liked that. I considered it a challenge to find their request. The people working there were all awesome. This was the midwest however, I dunno what bookstores in Brooklyn are like.

Do they have Jamba Juice out there yet? I really liked working there too.

Thanatos

Most first jobs suck. If you have it in mind that you're going to get a job that's going to be a lot of fun, you should disabuse yourself of your baseless optimism right now.

There are jobs out there for you that don't suck, but they're few and far between, and very hard to get, because everyone wants them. In general, you don't get paid to do things you enjoy.

fforde

DaySleeper wrote: »

Rubbing alcohol works well for cleaning the keys/mouse. Upside down and canned air are fine to get the dust out.

Leaf blowers work even better than canned air. If you have a leaf blower for your yard try using that.

crake

After the way you described your keyboard, I'd just go out and buy a new one and then make sure to keep it covered and clean it regularly. (I just vacume my computer once a week)

Disenchanter

this will sound really stupid, but take your keyboard, put it in the dishwasher, let it run through a full cycle, take it out, unscrew the bottom of your keyboard, leave it to dry for atleast 12, but preferably 24 hours, insure that everything is dry, put the keyboard back together.

This is the method of cleaning keyboards most used at my last job, we had to clean hundreds at a timen once a month, and this lets you do 12+ at a time, depending on the size of your dishwasher.

Aurin

Disenchanter wrote: »

this will sound really stupid, but take your keyboard, put it in the dishwasher, let it run through a full cycle, take it out, unscrew the bottom of your keyboard, leave it to dry for atleast 12, but preferably 24 hours, insure that everything is dry, put the keyboard back together.

This is the method of cleaning keyboards most used at my last job, we had to clean hundreds at a timen once a month, and this lets you do 12+ at a time, depending on the size of your dishwasher.

Soap or no soap?

I might just try this when my keyboard gets old. I want to see it survive. O_o

Rankenphile

Aurin wrote: »

Disenchanter wrote: »

this will sound really stupid, but take your keyboard, put it in the dishwasher, let it run through a full cycle, take it out, unscrew the bottom of your keyboard, leave it to dry for atleast 12, but preferably 24 hours, insure that everything is dry, put the keyboard back together.

This is the method of cleaning keyboards most used at my last job, we had to clean hundreds at a timen once a month, and this lets you do 12+ at a time, depending on the size of your dishwasher.

Soap or no soap?

I might just try this when my keyboard gets old. I want to see it survive. O_o

make sure you turn off the drying cycle (gets real hot, can melt shit) and use a tiny bit of soap, but yeah, this works really, really well.

I recommend letting it dry for at least 48 hours, though.

Disenchanter

Rankenphile wrote: »

Aurin wrote: »

Disenchanter wrote: »

this will sound really stupid, but take your keyboard, put it in the dishwasher, let it run through a full cycle, take it out, unscrew the bottom of your keyboard, leave it to dry for atleast 12, but preferably 24 hours, insure that everything is dry, put the keyboard back together.

This is the method of cleaning keyboards most used at my last job, we had to clean hundreds at a timen once a month, and this lets you do 12+ at a time, depending on the size of your dishwasher.

Soap or no soap?

I might just try this when my keyboard gets old. I want to see it survive. O_o

make sure you turn off the drying cycle (gets real hot, can melt shit) and use a tiny bit of soap, but yeah, this works really, really well.

I recommend letting it dry for at least 48 hours, though.

we were told, 12 - 24, but since we did it Friday nights, after the building cleared out, we usually just left them until Monday morning.

GOJIRA!

My first two jobs were both in food service. One at a locally owned sub-shop, the other at a locally owned Pizza/family restaurant type joint.

The subshop was incredibly stressful when you actually had a rush of people (lunch, sunday mornings as it was 2 miles from both the IL Air and Army Nat'l Guard + 3 churches, and dinner 6-7pm).. otherwise.. smoked pot in the freezer, made frisbees out of paper plates, footballs out of plastic cups and tossed vegetables over the roof. That being said.. the owner of the little chain was/is a complete dickwad. You'll find the higher ups are invariably megalomanical. The people they put in charge to run their little empires are almost always Joe/Jane Schmoe working for 35k/yr + benefits. My manager was about the coolest lady to work for. Ex-RN, mother of 4, probably a meth addict.. but hey, nobody is perfect. I didn't come in late, didn't give her sass and didn't steal. She loved me. Recently, I got a real job working as a Lab Tech at a Bio-Ag firm.. she gave me a recommendation so good it was mentioned twice in my interview.

Regardless of how shitty the job is, remember that the people you work for can get you a BETTER job years down the road if you treat them right.

noobert

Make a resume. Hand it out to pretty much everywhere. Take the first job you are offered and start working. Personally i grabed a job doing temp work in factories. 10 - 12 hour shifts, $17 aud base rate, shift allowance and over time. The work was hard, but fuck i made some serious money.

Here is the key IMO: Keep looking for a better job, untill you find somewhere you are totally happy. Who cares how many shit kicker jobs you go though, you owe them NOTHING.

Pheezer

To Clean A Keyboard

Disconnect the keyboard. Flip it over. Remove all of the screws. Look carefully, you'll find some hidden beneath labels, possibly under rubber grommets, and under the stands at the back.

Pull the outer shell apart slowly. It may take a little bit of force, but should not require excessive force. If you find it won't pull apart at all in one region, look for screws you may have missed. I guarantee you'll find one.

Once the shell is apart you'll find a few pieces to it. There will be a rubber membrane, a plastic sheet with circuit tracing on it, the PCB that has the wiring to the plastic sheet, processor and connection to the cord, and the hard plastic pieces of shell.

Store the circuit sheet and all of that carefully, and note very carefully exactly how the insides of your keyboard came apart. If you can avoid detaching this part from the bottom piece of shell, good. If not, well, it'll be trickier to put bag together but it's not that hard. I figured it out with a hangover once.

Now fill your kitchen sink with hot water and dish soap. Dunk the rubber membrane and outer shell in that biatch. You might want to throw on a pair of rubber gloves for this part:

Take a really big flat head screw driver, with a really broad head, and pry the keys off of the shell. If you slide it in under the front bottom of the keys and pry up from the shell, they should pop off easily. Pop them all off. Scrub the shell, and rinse it, and put it to the side to dry. Scrub all of the keys, put them off to the side. Rinse off the rubber membrane, put it off to the side.

It'll be a couple of hours probably before you can re-assemble. Basically put it all back together, you should know how by now.

Pro-tip for dishwasher owners:
Once you've split the outer shell, if you take out the circuit sheet and all that and set it aside, you can just toss the rubber membrane and both outer shell pieces into the dishwasher and skip the long, tedious steps of removing the keys, cleaning them, and re-assembling the keyboard.

I've done this successfully with a few different models and brands of keyboards with no problems.

FyreWulff

a damp toothbrush with no soap works as a fast way to clean keyboards too. It won't get the gunk out from under them, but it will make them not-sticky anymore. Does not require disassembling.