Changing of the "keyboard" guard...

Well, the venerable Ducky Shine II, just started having it's first ever trouble after only 10 years.
Typing on the space bar doesn't always register. Probably just needs a good cleaning.

But... in the interim, I felt it necessary to break out the Ducky Shine III, that I purchased for just this day, long ago.

"Taps" plays softly in the distance...










As you can see, I have the better space bar on my Shine III.

Mine has white LEDs and CherryMX Black switches.
My Shine II had blue LEDs and CherryMX Black switches.

I think I like the blue LEDS better.

Now ofc, since I look at the keys to type, and they slightly adjusted the upper and lower case markings on the keys... I have to learn how to type all over again. LOL

Some time next week I'll do an uber clean of the Shine II and get it back in action.
Then, the Shine III will go back in the box until needed.

I bought them both in early 2013.



This is probably the closest Ducky Shine they have today...

The keys on your old keyboard are removable. So take a photo of the layout and then you can remove them and clean one-by-one or even wash them and let them dry. I would avoid removing the large keys such as SPACE, ENTER, BACKSPACE etc since they are more difficult to put back again. With the keyboard almost empty, you can use an air spray or blower to clean the dust as good as you can. If you want to clean it, avoid spilling any fluid directly. Use a dampened cloth and clean carefully the plastics, avoid any contact with the circuits. Allow it to dry well just in case there is any liquid at the circuits. See the photo you took and carefully put all the keys back. That's it. If only I had the time and will to do it on my own... I would rather replace it... too bad you cannot find any white keyboards, let alone PS/2 keyboards anymore.

I have one of those washable keyboards that you can submerge in a tub > add detergent > scrub a little > rinse > dry. Never had the occasion though whether that actually works or not. Mine is from Logitech but there are presumably others.

I have seen rubber foldable keyboards. They claim to be waterproof and sand-proof, so you can take them in the beach to use with your laptop. They are not very comfortable typing and they require a flat surface. But for any standard desktop keyboard you can remove the plastic keys and wash them, as long as you can put them back then. No special type needed. There are also special sponges with "teeth" that claim they can clean between the keys, never used them though.

I'm sorry for the loss of your keyboard.
I have a Microsoft Trackball explorer that I have used for work that I bought approximately 22 years ago. It's been on every computer I have ever used for work and been in use daily that whole time. I do have a few of them lying around in the house and I can switch over to them if needed.

It looks like this.

I have a cheap toothbrush I bought for cleaning things like that.