When I use cheap silicone keyboard covers, I get a slick, oily residue on the keys beneath the cover.

• This has happened multiple times on two different computers with two different covers
• It happens even when I never remove the cover
• The keys and cover were clean to start with
• It's not that they keys look oily. There is a tangible substance that I can wipe up with a tissue
• It does not happen when I use a non-silicone TPU cover

Questions:

1. What is this stuff?
2. Can it damage the keyboard, or is it safe to just wipe it off occasionally?

1 Answer

It's polydimethylsiloxane and dimethylsilanediol. Essentially, it's silicone and silicone breakdown products. Exposure to UV light, acids, bacteria, and even oxygen will slowly breakdown the silicone chains.

2

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