The highly-anticipated Surface laptop is keeping a dirty little secret about its fabric cover that adorns its keyboard. The Alcantara fabric actually looks very luxurious on its surface keyboard, and it feels so nice as well. However, unfortunately for Microsoft, the fabric tends to look not so pleasant after a few months of using it.
The mid-range notebook with Windows 10 S operating system is designed with simplicity in mind. Students are the main targets of the product although it carries a not-quite-budget price of $999. With this price-range and customer target, you would think that the company has made it sure that you can use the laptop without worrying about creating stains on its fabric cover.
According to PC World, Microsoft Surface Laptop keyboard is covered with Alcantara fabric laser-cut to fit snugly. The user shouldn't see any light leakage around the fabric, which also features keys with a generous 1.5mm of travel. Alcantara fabric is an extremely durable material which doesn’t wear through or fray very easily, making it a good choice for the keyboard which sees lots of contacts.
However, since the fabric is repeatedly touched by human hands, it’s prone to dirt build up. According to BGR, while smooth plastic or metal surface of a traditional laptop or phone keyboard builds up dirt and grime over time, it's worse when it comes to fabric. Just exactly how much worse, a photo posted on Reddit months ago gave a clear picture of the stain buildup, while the owner of the device begged for advice on how to clean it.
Similar threads can be found on Microsoft forums about the Surface laptop's fabric cover. Fellow owners claim that they’ve resorted to everything from alcohol-soaked rags and vacuums, to “unscented baby wipes”, to microfiber clothes, to no success.The fabric on the latest Surface laptop might feel nice on your wrists and gives you a pleasantly warm feel instead of the "cold feel" of many laptops, but in exchange, you have to tote around a filthy gadget that has a much more complicated cleaning process.
