Accidents do happen, but liquids and laptops shouldn’t mix. If you’re reading this after a spill, the first thing you should do is turn off your machine. Then, as soon as you can, remove the power cable and battery.
Your important work documents and precious family photos could be permanently lost if your laptop breaks.
There are, however, ways to lessen the effects of a spilled beverage and keep your laptop intact.
After a spill, it’s critical to resume work as soon as possible, but with a few easy fixes, your laptop will resume normal operation.
Warning: Electrical current and water do not mix. It’s possible that you’ll seriously hurt yourself or further harm your computer. Make sure your hands and the surface (or button) you’re touching are both completely dry before touching the laptop.
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How Spilled Drinks Harm Your Laptop
Any liquid that conducts electricity has the potential to short-circuit your laptop. Your motherboard, which if harmed will render your laptop useless until it is replaced, is the worst victim of this. The majority of motherboards are found on the bottom of laptops, where they rest on tables.
The residue left behind after the spill has dried raises another issue. Additionally, this can conduct electricity and lead to shorts or simply clog the laptop’s moving parts and stop them from operating properly. Over time, some residue will also start to smell.
The easiest spills to clean up are on black coffee or tea, which don’t contain milk or sugar. Due to their high sugar and dairy content, some frequent spills like lattes, soda, green tea with honey, and hot chocolate will leave a lot of residues. These can be much messier and require additional cleaning.
How to Clean Your Laptop
Start cleaning your laptop right away after the initial panic and after you’ve dried off. Working more quickly will make it simpler and less likely that your laptop will get damaged. Cleaning will still be necessary but less urgent if you have a rugged laptop because it will be more resistant to spills.
1. Unplug Your Laptop
Remove all power sources as soon as possible. Remove the laptop’s charging cable, and if it’s possible, pop out the battery. You shouldn’t connect the cable or the battery until your laptop is completely clean if you want to prevent any electrical damage.
If your laptop’s battery is integrated and cannot be removed, leave it turned upside down. Gravity will then be used to drain any liquid away from the laptop’s motherboard and other bottom-mounted electronics.
2. Mop Up Puddles
Any obvious liquid puddles should be dabbed at first to start cleaning. For this, a freshly washed washcloth works best because of its soft fibers’ suitability for use with electronics. To quickly prevent the liquid from getting to any electronics, paper towels or Kleenex will do.
To stop the liquid from spreading, dab it. Make sure that as you clean, there is no towel or cloth residue left behind.
3. Clean The Laptop Bottom
Use a microfiber or lint-free cloth to clean the bottom of the laptop if there is any residue there. Wipe off the spill by lightly dampening the cloth.
If the laptop bottom can be removed, unscrew it to make sure the spill is completely cleaned up. Avoid touching any electronics (it wouldn’t hurt to wear an anti-static wrist strap), and search for any areas that may have liquid or residue. Replace the laptop bottom after dabbing any spills with the same technique you used in Step 2.
Instead of squishing around, you could even shake out extra liquid. Shake the laptop gently while holding it up and angling it so one of the air vents is facing down. A little extra liquid might leak out.
4. Leave To Dry
So that the bottom of the laptop is off the ground, lean it against support—a wall will do just fine. Give it a day or two to dry naturally. Avoid hitting the laptop with dust as it dries because the interior will still be slightly sticky from the cleaning.
The best course of action is to simply wait longer before using the laptop again if you discover that there are still damp spots.
You ought to be finished if the cleanup process went without a hitch and you spilled a plain beverage. Take your laptop to a computer repair shop if your beverage contained milk or sugar or if you had trouble cleaning every nook and cranny. They can perform a thorough cleaning without endangering your electronics.
After cleaning, connect the charging cable to your laptop battery and plug it in. Check to see if it turns on by giving it a test boot. You will require expert assistance at a computer repair shop if your laptop is having issues operating.
How to Clean Your Keyboard After a Spill
Keyboards are particularly susceptible to spills because the residue can make it difficult to press the keys. Most laptop keyboards cannot be removed for simple cleaning because they are built into the device.
To avoid leaving behind any mineral residue, use distilled water when cleaning. When cleaning after a spill, you may need to use ethanol or isopropyl alcohol to break up any remaining particles.
Scrub each keyboard key’s base with a wet cloth or a soft toothbrush. Work with small amounts of water to prevent the laptop from being soaked by more.
It’s easy to replace a thorough keyboard clean with one of the many inexpensive Bluetooth and USB keyboards that are readily available.
You can tell if you have a hardware issue or if the electronics of your laptop were harmed by the spill by using an external keyboard to diagnose any keyboard problems.
Don’t Use Rice
Contrary to popular belief, rice is not the best material to use to dry out wet electronics. The drying process is not sped up by it. And it will cause you even more issues than the initial spill if rice grains end up in the cooling system or USB ports. Instead, we advise you to consume the rice.
Avoiding Spills in Future
Keeping your laptop away from food and liquids is the best way to prevent a soggy laptop. Another choice is to use a keyboard cover, which functions as a waterproof membrane to keep liquids out. However, since vents still need to breathe, they are not perfect. Additionally, they’ll make typing more difficult.
However, you might want to try a keyboard cover if you’ve damaged several laptops due to spills.
You can also use an external keyboard and mouse and a riser to support your laptop. Because you won’t need to slant your head downward to view the screen, this also has the added benefit of improving your posture. Unfortunately, this advice really only applies to personal and professional settings.
Some laptops, including some of Lenovo’s ThinkPad line, feature “spill-proof” keyboards to prevent moisture from seeping through in the event of a mishap.
You might want to think about getting a laptop that is made to withstand more abuse if you’ve broken several of them by dropping things or spilling drinks on them.
Final Words
Even though spilling coffee, juice, or water on a laptop may seem like the end of the world, if you act quickly, you can probably save your investment. You should first turn off your device before removing the power cable and battery as soon as you can. Then, to save your laptop, adhere to the directions above.