Having water spilled on your laptop can be a stressful and frustrating situation. A little bit of water in the wrong place can fry the sensitive electronic components inside your laptop. However, all is not lost! With some quick action, you may be able to save your laptop and recover your files. In this article, I will walk you through the steps I take when water gets spilled on a laptop and how you can try to fix it yourself.
Assess the Situation
The first thing you need to do is quickly assess the situation. Was it a small amount of water or did your laptop get drenched? What kind of liquid was it? Water, coffee, juice? Where did the liquid land on your laptop? Was it near any openings like the keyboard, ports or speakers? Being able to identify how much liquid got inside your laptop and where it could have penetrated will help determine the best course of action.
- A small amount of water on the keyboard can often be fixed by simply drying out the laptop well.
- A large spill directly over openings like the keyboard, ports or speakers indicates a higher chance of liquid penetrating deeper inside.
Act Fast!
If a significant amount of liquid ended up inside your laptop, time is of the essence. The longer you leave liquid inside, the more potential damage it can cause as it seeps onto electronic components and circuits. Here are the key things you should do immediately:
- Shut down the laptop – Don’t wait, force shut it down by holding down the power button. This will help prevent shorts and further damage.
- Disconnect power – Unplug the AC adapter from the laptop. You don’t want liquid near an electrical source.
- Remove the battery – If you can access the battery compartment easily, take the battery out.
- Drain the excess liquid – Tilt your laptop around to allow any excess liquid to drain out of openings.
Disassemble and Dry Out Your Laptop
The next critical step is to disassemble your laptop in order to clean off and dry out any components that got wet. This usually requires unscrewing and removing panels, drives, keyboards, etc. Refer to a repair guide for your specific laptop model if you need help with disassembly.
Once disassembled, use paper towels or a cloth to soak up any droplets or wetness you find on internal components. Be very gentle as you do this to avoid any damage. Avoid getting components like the screen and circuit boards wet with cleaning liquids.
Let your laptop dry out completely – at least 24-48 hours with it disassembled. You can place paper towels or cloth around the parts to help absorb moisture. Point a fan at it to speed up evaporation. The goal is to get it bone dry before reassembling.
Clean Corrosion and Check for Damage
Once your laptop is fully dry, inspect the internal electronics for any signs of corrosion or shorts. Corrosion usually appears as white, blue or green growths around moisture. Use rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush to gently clean any corrosion you find on metal parts like contacts.
Check for any damaged ports, connectors or cables. If a component got very wet, it may have shorted out and need replacement. Closely examine both sides of circuit boards for any browned, burned spots which indicate damage.
Reassemble and Test Your Laptop
With everything dried out and cleaned, it’s time to reassemble your laptop. Follow the reverse steps from when you disassembled it and make sure all screws and connectors are secure.
When fully reassembled, attempt to turn your laptop on. If it works, fantastic! Be sure to verify full functionality by connecting to power, testing all ports, speakers, keyboard, etc.
If it still won’t turn on, further troubleshooting or repair may be needed. It’s also possible liquid caused irreparable damage. In that worst case, you can salvage your hard drive to recover data before replacing the laptop.
Preventing Future Spills
While I hope these tips help save your laptop if water gets spilled on it, prevention is even better. Here are some ways to avoid liquid damage in the future:
- Keep drinks away from your laptop and use coasters or water bottles with caps.
- Don’t use your laptop around sinks, tubs, pools or other sources of water.
- Consider getting a waterproof case or sleeve if you frequently use your laptop where spills are possible.
- Close the lid immediately if you do spill liquid on your keyboard.
- Carry your laptop in a bag when walking to protect from rain or drink spills.
Taking simple precautions can go a long way towards protecting your electronics investment. But even if an accident happens, don’t panic. Follow these steps and you have a good chance of reviving your water-damaged laptop. Let me know in the comments if you have any other laptop spill survival tips!
