Spilled a Drink on Your Laptop? Do This Right Now
Coffee, tea, water, wine: one knock of the mug and your laptop is soaked. What you do in the next few minutes matters more than anything else. Read the first section now and the rest later.
Do this immediately
1. Unplug the charger. Electricity and liquid are a bad mix, both for the laptop and for you.
2. Turn it off. Hold the power button until it shuts down. Don't wait to save your work. Electricity flowing through wet circuits causes most of the damage.
3. Disconnect everything: USB drives, mouse, cables.
4. Remove the battery if your laptop has a removable one.
5. Turn it upside down in a tent shape (open, keyboard facing down) on a towel, so liquid drains out rather than further in.
6. Blot, don't wipe. Soak up visible liquid with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. Wiping spreads it around.
2. Turn it off. Hold the power button until it shuts down. Don't wait to save your work. Electricity flowing through wet circuits causes most of the damage.
3. Disconnect everything: USB drives, mouse, cables.
4. Remove the battery if your laptop has a removable one.
5. Turn it upside down in a tent shape (open, keyboard facing down) on a towel, so liquid drains out rather than further in.
6. Blot, don't wipe. Soak up visible liquid with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. Wiping spreads it around.
Then: be patient
Leave it upside down to dry for at least 48 hours, and preferably 72. Liquid hides under the keyboard and on the circuit board, where you can't see it.
Don't turn it on to "check if it works." That's the most common way a recoverable spill becomes a dead laptop.
Things NOT to do
• Don't use a hairdryer. Heat can damage components and push liquid deeper inside.
• Don't put it in rice. It doesn't draw moisture out of a laptop any better than open air does, and rice dust and grains can get inside.
• Don't shake it to get liquid out. That spreads it around inside.
• Don't keep using it because it "seems fine." Corrosion can take days or weeks to cause problems.
• Don't put it in rice. It doesn't draw moisture out of a laptop any better than open air does, and rice dust and grains can get inside.
• Don't shake it to get liquid out. That spreads it around inside.
• Don't keep using it because it "seems fine." Corrosion can take days or weeks to cause problems.
Water vs. sugary drinks
• Plain water gives you the best chance. A careful dry-out sometimes works.
• Coffee with sugar, tea, juice, soda, beer or wine leave sticky residue and acids behind that keep corroding the circuit board even after the liquid dries. For these, a professional clean is strongly recommended, even if the laptop turns on afterward.
• Coffee with sugar, tea, juice, soda, beer or wine leave sticky residue and acids behind that keep corroding the circuit board even after the liquid dries. For these, a professional clean is strongly recommended, even if the laptop turns on afterward.
When it's dry
• Turn it on and back up your files straight away. Even if it works now, problems can appear later.
• Test everything: every key, the trackpad, the ports, the speakers and the screen.
• Sticky keys? That's a sign of residue under the keyboard. Get it professionally cleaned.
• Test everything: every key, the trackpad, the ports, the speakers and the screen.
• Sticky keys? That's a sign of residue under the keyboard. Get it professionally cleaned.
Get professional help if
• It was a sugary or alcoholic drink.
• A large amount of liquid went in.
• It won't turn on, or behaves strangely.
• You see corrosion (green or white crust) or smell burning.
• A large amount of liquid went in.
• It won't turn on, or behaves strangely.
• You see corrosion (green or white crust) or smell burning.
Tell the repair shop what was spilled and when, and that you switched it off straight away. Also check your home contents insurance or any accidental damage cover, which may cover the repair.
Prevent the next one
• Keep drinks on a separate surface from your laptop, or use a lidded travel mug at your desk.
• Consider a thin silicone keyboard cover if spills are a regular risk (kids, pets, busy kitchens).
• Keep your backups current. It turns a spill from a disaster into an inconvenience.
• Consider a thin silicone keyboard cover if spills are a regular risk (kids, pets, busy kitchens).
• Keep your backups current. It turns a spill from a disaster into an inconvenience.
The bottom line
Unplug, power off, turn it upside down, and wait at least 48 hours before trying it. Skip the hairdryer and the rice, and get sugary spills professionally cleaned. Quick action saves a lot of laptops.
