“Clean it after every project”, insisted the seller when she handed over my new combo-queen. However, regular vacuum cleaners cannot reach the innards of the machine. “As a techie you surely have a keyboard vacuum cleaner, that works too”, she said. I don’t.

She then told me a hack: Stick a straw into a feeding bottle teat (German: “Sauger”), attach it to your regular vacuum cleaner, and you’re ready to go. I love when my disparate interests inspire each other, especially my sewing and tech hobbies.

As probably more techies than sewists read this blog, let me share how my keyboards stay clean now. Brands are mentioned not as ads, but because I initially bought the wrong teat size that did not fit my vacuum cleaner:

• “Sauger für Babyflaschen” for 6+ month olds, MAM Austria, found in Migros
• Reusable drinking straws (reusable ones are sturdier), found in Coop
• Fits vaccum cleaner from Bosch (3cm in diameter)

And here are the most beautiful images you have ever seen:

A haberdashery shop vendor showed me her other solution, which was a tinier straw taped to a vacuum cleaner attachment. However, it did not look as airtight as the solution with the feeding bottle teat.

Article image source: Nightcafé/Juggernaut XI

Last modified on 2025-01-05