Keys on 2020 M1 Macbook Air peeling after cleaning with isopropyl alcohol after small spill

[orangecats435]

Hi there everyone,
I have a 2020 Macbook Air that I've had since June 2022. I bought the 3 year AppleCare+ warranty on it and everything has been great. I have had the screen replaced once already after I went to use it one day and it was broken (still not sure to this day what happened). Last night, I decided to eat ice cream in my bed and while getting into bed with my laptop open, I spilled a small drop on my keyboard and it started seeping into the spacebar, b, n, and m keys. I quickly turned it off and flipped it upside down while I ran to grab some isopropyl alcohol and cotton pads. I put some on a cotton pad and started rubbing the affected keys. I have used rubbing alcohol to clean my electronics and my prior laptop forever and have never had any problems. I rubbed the keys for about two minutes and then let it dry and didn't use my computer for the rest of the night. Today, I opened my laptop and noticed that those keys along with the v key were a little bit sticky. I put a small amount of alcohol on a q-tip and went to run it along the sides of the keys, when I realized that they are completely peeling around the edges. The h and j keys are also bubbling around the edges and beginning to peel. It is hard to type with these keys now as well, as they are not registering every single time I press them. I am going to be contacting AppleCare, but I would like to ask for opinions about what to tell them or ask for. Would they just be replacing these specific keys or would they need to replace the entire keyboard? I am very perplexed and quite annoyed as to how a little rubbing alcohol being rubbed on the keys caused this much damage. I'll most likely have to pay the fee of $299 to fix this this regardless, right? I've never seen anything like this before and never did I ever consider that the keys could just start peeling, especially after just some rubbing alcohol. I don't believe I used too much but maybe I did? The cotton pad definitely was not soaked. Suggestions on how to go about this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Apple does state you can clean the keyboard with 70% isopropyl alcohol but yours looks destroyed almost. Remember isopropyl alcohol does react to heat, which it should be kept away from, and the MBA lets heat out through the keyboard and backside of the cassis near the screen. You could be using too strong of a mixture, cleaning too much, cleaning it when the keyboard is warm causing a reaction, or various other things.

However, Apple also states you can clean various device displays with isopropyl alcohol as well but it’s been proven that the oleophobic coating on iPhones/iPads which be reduced drastically. There’s always a device between “can” and “should”.

How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support

Get recommendations and guidelines for cleaning your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro, display, or peripheral device.

support.apple.com

 

[giffut]

Apples keycaps of recent years - I think it started around 2016 - are of atrocious quality compared to much much cheaper laptops. Basically they are just color coated transparent plastic, not colored plastic. Even the oily remnants and sweat of your fingers, dependant on its intensity, will wear of this coating pretty fast.

There is not much you can do about it other than clean it regulary with a damp cloth or similar.

If you still have Apple Care, give them hell on premature wear. Keys should and will outlaast the livetime of a laptop easily - millions of laptops proove this each and every day.

 

[StoneJack]

they are always peeling or shining.
Thats why I use keyboard cover.

 

[raythompsontn]

I am going to be contacting AppleCare, but I would like to ask for opinions about what to tell them or ask for. Would they just be replacing these specific keys or would they need to replace the entire keyboard?

Apple will replace the entire keyboard. As to what you tell Apple, tell them nothing, and you may get lucky. If there is a moisture indicator that got tripped because of the ice cream, then Apple will charge you the full replacement cost. But let Apple find it and not from you telling Apple. You have nothing to lose by letting Apple decide.