Logitech G Keycaps Damaged by Isopropyl Alcohol

Introduction

Back in February, I ramped up how often I disinfect frequently-touched surfaces around the house. One object that I really made an effort to clean nightly was my desktop computer keyboard. Specifically, I use a Logitech G513, and I chose to keep it clean by spraying 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) over the keys every night and letting it air dry.

As it turns out, the keycaps on the G513 (and possibly other Logitech G-series keyboards) are susceptible to cosmetic damage from IPA after repeated exposure, so I am writing this post as a warning in case someone is researching the safety of IPA on their keyboard.

The Damage

The tops of the keycaps, which were my primary target for the IPA, were not damaged. Instead, just the lower portions of the sides of the caps were affected. This makes sense, I think, as I saw that surface tension held the IPA between adjacent keys long after the stuff on top had evaporated.

Three keys with visible discoloration.

A closeup of the discoloration on the numpad-6 key.