Accidentally Spilled Liquid on Your Laptop? What to do and What to Avoid

Spilling a drink, such as a bottle of water or your morning coffee, on your laptop is a very common problem. Now that many of us have large portions of our personal and work lives on our laptops, a spill like this can feel like a disaster. If you find yourself in this situation, here are some steps that you should take right away to reduce the chances of severe damage, as well as some tips for what you should avoid.

Avoid the spill:
While it sounds obvious, the first thing you should do is avoid the spill in the first place. Accidents happen, and sometimes it was unavoidable - however you can take some precautions to significantly reduce the chances of an accident happening in the first place. The most common reason we see laptops with liquid damage here at our shop is because the laptop was being kept in a bag with a water bottle that leaked. To avoid this, don’t keep your laptop loose in a bag with a water bottle. Use a laptop bag, and if you are carrying water, either keep it in an external water bottle pocket on your backpack, or carry it separately. If you tend to eat and drink while using your laptop, make sure to use some caution. Don’t keep open drinks too close to the laptop, and try to keep everything on a stable surface to avoid the risk of something knocking over. If you can keep a level of caution in the back of your mind when using your electronic devices in a situation where they might get liquid on them, the risk of damage occurring is much lower.

Turn off your laptop:
If your laptop is on when the spill happens, you should turn it off immediately. Unplug it if it is charging, and hold down the power button for a few seconds to force it to power off. Leaving it on could potentially cause a short circuit, causing damage to the internal components that will be much more difficult to repair. If you are able, it is also a good idea to remove the laptop’s battery. Some laptops have easily removeable batteries that you should be able to pop out of the back. Modern laptops tend to have batteries hidden on the inside with the other internal components - if this is the case with your laptop we would recommend taking it to a professional.

Unplug your devices:
Once you have the laptop turned off, you should next unplug any devices that you have plugged into the laptop - any USB devices, headphones, HDMI cables, etc. Try to avoid getting any excess liquid on devices that were plugged in to avoid damaging them as well.

Dry the laptop:
The next step you should take is to dry the laptop of any excess liquid on the exterior. Using a microfibre cloth, gently dab the liquid to remove it from the outside of the laptop. You should avoid wiping the liquid - this could just push it into the laptop, underneath the keys for example. After drying, it is be best to take it to a professional right away so that they can examine it and dry it before any potential corrosion develops. Of course, this is not always an option. If you can’t take it to a shop like ours right away, you should let it dry over a long period by opening it and placing it upside down on a towel in a dry and well ventilated location, this should let some of the liquid that got inside drain out. You should let it dry like this for between 24 and 48 hours before attempting to turn it on again.

Bring to a professional:
After going through all of these steps - you should take the laptop to a professional repair shop when you can. Even if it is turning on and seems to be working, there is a chance that there could be a small amount of liquid remaining, and a potential for corrosion to develop. Repair shops like ours can do an assessment of the damage, dry off any remnants of liquid, and use isopropyl alcohol to clean off any residue, as well as clean corroded components. Buy following through with these steps, you have the best chance of saving your laptop and not having to pay for a costly repair or replacement.

What to avoid:
As spills are so common, there is a lot of advice out there on what to do - and a lot of it is misinformed.

Putting it in rice - It is a very common belief that putting your device in rice will draw out the liquid effectively. In reality, this is an ineffective way to draw out moisture from your laptop, and could potentially cause further damage as starch and debris get inside your laptop.

Drying it with direct heat - Trying to dry your laptop off quickly with something like a hairdryer is also not recommended. High heat could warp plastic parts of the laptop, and may also damage the display too. Avoid the temptation to use your hairdryer on it, or leave it out in the harsh sunlight. We have also heard of people putting their laptops in the oven, needless to say - we don’t recommend it.

Testing if it will turn on - Do not try to test if it will turn on before letting it dry out for at least 24 hours. Doing this while there is still liquid in the laptop could cause a short, and severely damage the motherboard.

Assume it is fine because it is turning on - Just because the laptop is turning on and working now doesn’t mean that issues won’t crop up in the future, and there could still be moisture remaining that could eventually cause a short. The best course of action is to let a professional assess it for you to confirm that it will be ok to keep using.

After you’ve followed all of the recommended steps to take here - and avoided common bad advice - you should be in the best position possible for a good outcome with your laptop. As always, if you need any assistance, drop by our shop on Camden Street in Dublin, and our expert technicians can assist with any of your tech problems, including liquid damage!

Email us at hello@right-click.ie or call (01) 475 9681 to contact us.