Spilled a drink on your laptop? What you do in the next few minutes matters more than anything else. Water and drinks conduct electricity, and once they reach the board inside they start to cause corrosion. Switching off fast and getting it checked quickly gives you the best chance of saving the laptop and your files.
What to do straight away
- Switch it off now. Don’t wait to save your work. If it won’t shut down normally, hold the power button until it goes off.
- Unplug the charger and anything else connected, such as a mouse, USB stick or printer.
- Tip it to drain. Open the lid wide and turn the laptop upside down in a tent shape on a towel, so liquid runs out the way it came in rather than further inside.
- Wipe off what you can with a dry cloth or kitchen roll. Don’t press hard on the keyboard.
- Take the battery out if your laptop has one that clips out. Most modern laptops and all MacBooks have the battery inside, so leave those closed.
What not to do
- Don’t switch it on to see if it works. Powering a wet board is how most of the damage is done.
- Don’t charge it, even if it seems fine.
- Don’t use a hairdryer or put it on a radiator. Heat can damage parts and doesn’t dry under the chips.
- Don’t rely on a bag of rice. It doesn’t dry the inside, and it loses you time that matters.
Why it can fail days later
A laptop that still works after a spill isn’t necessarily safe. Liquid left inside keeps corroding the connections, and tea, juice, fizzy drinks and anything sugary leave sticky residue behind. It is common for a laptop to work for a few days and then fail, by which time the damage is worse and the repair costs more. Clean water gives the best chance; sugary drinks and wine usually do more harm.
What a liquid damage repair involves
In the workshop, the laptop is opened up, the board and the affected parts are inspected, and the board is cleaned to remove the liquid and the corrosion. After that, every part is tested: the board, keyboard, screen, battery and charging. Liquid damage often affects the keyboard and trackpad as well as the board.
- Diagnosis is free. You’ll be told what is damaged and get a price before any repair work starts.
- There is a £39 non-refundable cleaning fee for liquid-damaged devices, because the cleaning has to be done before anything can be tested.
- Repairs come with a 90-day guarantee on parts and labour.
MacBooks are handled the same way. See MacBook & iMac repair.
Saving your files
If the laptop can’t be saved, the files often still can. Copying your documents and photos off safely is usually the first job. On newer MacBooks and many thin laptops the storage is built into the main board, so cleaning and repairing the board is often the way to get the files back as well. See data recovery in Hull and East Yorkshire.
Bringing it in
The sooner it is opened up, the better. The workshop is at 27 Newport Road, North Cave (HU15 2NU), about 20 minutes from Hull, 18 minutes from Beverley and 10 minutes from Brough. Early drop-off before work can be arranged, and collection is free within 5 miles of North Cave. Call 07927 915560 or get in touch.
Questions
My laptop still works after the spill. Do I need to do anything?
Yes. Switch it off, dry what you can, and get it checked. Liquid inside can carry on causing corrosion, and it is cheaper to clean it now than to repair the board later.
How long should I leave it to dry?
Leaving it to dry doesn’t remove the residue that causes corrosion, so don’t wait days and then try it. Keep it switched off and bring it in as soon as you can.
Is liquid damage covered by the guarantee?
The 90-day guarantee covers the parts and work done in the repair. A new spill afterwards isn’t covered.
How I can help
Need a hand with this?
Free advice over the phone. Mon–Fri 10–6, Sat 10–2, early drop-off and evenings by arrangement.