By Lisa Floading
 
Spring will soon be sprung, and it’s a great time to spruce up your typers. Think of this like a recipe for happy typing!
 
You Will Need:

• Simple Green (or gentle dishwashing detergent)
• Canned air
• Soft paint brushes
• Soft cloth (old t-shirt) or microfiber towel
• Dental pick
• Rubber Renue and paper towel
• Cotton buds/swabs

 
Areas to Focus On
Type Slugs – the “e” and “a” often need some cleaning. Use the dental pick to gently lift out the debris. Don’t have a dental pick? An open safety pin will work, but consider getting yourself a pick (under $8 on Amazon). You’ll really appreciate the clear type! Type a few pangrams – sentences that use every letter of the alphabet – to see if any other letters need cleaning.
 
Foxes and dogs are great, but here are a few more pangrams: 
The job requires extra pluck and zeal from every young wage earner.
A quart jar of oil mixed with zinc oxide makes a very bright paint.
The public was amazed to view the quickness and dexterity of the juggler.
 
Platen – while some may be blessed with new platens (courtesy of JJ Short or their own ingenuity) most of us have granite-hard platens. Rubber Renue can be used to clean the rubber, and while it will not take off decades, it will give it just a little more “tooth” to grip the paper. It’s not cheap, but it does last forever. Be sure to use it in a well-ventilated area with a mask. Apply the Rubber Renue to a paper towel and turn the platen knob to wipe down the entire surface.
 
Knobs – because of the texture on many carriage knobs (especially lighter colored ones) they can get grimy. Use cotton buds/swabs and a little simple green (or gentle dishwashing liquid mixed 1 part to 4 parts water) to clean them up.
 
Dusty Areas – a can of compressed air here is usually all you need, with a few soft paint brushes, to clean off any areas that have gotten a little dusty. If you do leave your typewriter out, a hand towel makes a great dust cover when not in use.
 
Keytops – lastly, don’t forget to clean off your key tops. Pieces of an old t-shirt work well (as do microfiber towels) combined with some Simple Green or your dishwashing detergent from before. 

This article originally appeared in QWERTY Quarterly #4. Lisa will be leading a "Typewriter 101" workshop at QWERTYFEST MKE on June 22. See a full schedule and ticket links here: QWERTYFEST 2024 SCHEDULE - QWERTYFEST

 

1. Royal
2. Olivetti
3. Smith Corona
4. Remington
5. Olympia
6. Brother
7. Adler
8. IBM
   Bonus word: Imperial