A single careless moment and your coffee is out of the cup and dripping into the keyboard of your pricey new MacBook. Or perhaps your sexy, aluminum bodied laptop was desecrated by a drunken roommate while you were away (it’s more common that you would want to believe!).

Have no fear because I’ve got some tips that will help you out of one of those unfortunate situations.

My MacBook Got Wet!

How Can I Prevent Liquid Damage?!

Whether it was a big spill or not–there is still hope. Even though the fate of your computer hangs in the balance, try not to freak out. Beetstech is here to help!

Depending on your technical prowess, the best option would likely be to send your computer in to be professionally cleaned and repaired.

Pro Tip: The chance of survival for your computer increases drastically depending on how quick you can act.

But before you rush to do anything, follow the steps below first to minimize the damage dealt.

Don’t feel too bad, accidents happen all of the time. With some luck (type of liquid & location of spill) and quick reaction time, your computer can still be saved.

To the left is an example of a logic board that has been severely corroded due to liquid damage. To the right is the same logic board after our repair staff worked their magic.

So even if you wait weeks after a nasty spill, and your hardware is in this bad of condition, hope remains.

But, in order to prevent your logic board from looking like the one above, we recommend following these steps immediately after a liquid spill:

Step 1: Kill the Power

Shutdown your computer as quickly as you can. Hold the power button down if the keyboard or mouse is unresponsive.

Be sure to disconnect USB devices and cables, and DO NOT try powering your computer back on until it has had ample time to dry out (24-72 hours, unfortunately.)

Step 2: Use Gravity to Your Advantage

Turn your computer upside down to prevent further liquid damage. If you have a towel or kitchen rag nearby, you should lay it underneath the begin soaking up the mess.

If the spill is concentrated on either side of the top case, keep it tilted so that the liquid stays confined to the affected area. This will prevent unnecessary damage by stopping the liquid from spreading throughout the computer.

Any cloth or absorbent material you can get your hands on quickly will suffice. Toilet paper works wonderfully for absorbing, but be sure not to get little pieces of it stuck in your keyboard.

Wipe up all of the liquid on the computer itself and the surface it’s resting on. And, most importantly, under NO circumstances should you attempt to dry your computer with a blow dryer, or a big bag of rice.

The heat will melt delicate pieces of hardware, and rice will get stuck in places it should never be.

Step 3: Clean Affected Areas Inside of the Computer

Here is where it gets tricky, and unless you’ve got the tools and experience, professional assistance should be sought out ASAP.

Nevertheless, if you’ve got the skills–or wish to learn them in the process–we will gladly cheer you on and supply you with all of the parts you’ll need for the job.

In fact, to empower individual Macbook and electronics owners by providing them with the necessary tools and supplies to perform their own maintenance is our mission.

Interested in learning about the most common liquids spilled on laptops?

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