What to do for liquid spills on laptop computers

It's easy to spill liquids on laptop computers.   Because of their convenient portability, laptop computers end up on kitchen or dining room tables, airline trays, Starbucks counters, on the car seat next to you, in your children's rooms, in classrooms, you name it.  

And usually within a foot or two of the computer is your preferred method of either staying alert or staying calmed down - a cup of coffee or tea, a can of coke, a glass of milk, a bottle of fruit drink, a glass of wine, or something.

So what happens when that drink ends up being emptied into the laptop accidentally?   Accidents can happen to anyone.  The most important thing is to not compound the mistake that just occurred.   The second thing is to try to minimize the damage that the liquid spill might have done to your computer.

Liquid spills are not all equal.  Liquid spills are often not fatal.  Some spills are more damaging than others.   The least harmful would be water, followed by coffee or tea that didn't have sugar in it, then milk, then any sugared drink, followed by acidic-type drinks including soft drinks, fruit drinks, and wine..  

Unfortunately, liquid spills are very unpredictable and any part in the laptop could be damaged.  Even a part not affected by the liquid directly could go bad if it got shorted out from the spill.  

To estimate the repair of your laptop, we'll have to look at it to know for sure what sort of cost is involved in it's repair.   The best chance we have of saving your computer is if you can get it to us within 24 to 48 hours of the liquid spill.

If you experience a spill on your laptop, here's what to do:

1. Turn it off as quickly as possible.  If need be, do a hard shutdown.
   
   
2. Blot up excess liquid with a soft cloth. Don't use a wiping motion, that just pushes the liquid around.
   
   
3. Unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery.
   
   
4. Remove any cables, external drives, removable bays and external Network Cards.
   
   
5. Blot up the liquid that may have gotten on the removable media.
   
   
6. Do NOT take apart the laptop casing. This can void your warranty and you could damage internal components if you don't know the proper techniques.
   
   
7. Tilt the laptop from side to side to allow the liquid to drain out. Do this gently and do not shake the laptop.   Place upside down so that any excess liquid that you couldn't reach will drain out.
   
   
8. At this point, we recommend taking the laptop to a Certified Laptop Repair facility within 24 to 48 hours, such as Atiwa Computing.  (phone 713-467-9390 or toll free 800-428-2532, or website http://www.atiwa.com/)
   
   
9. If you don't have access to a repair place, or are desperate to try to use the laptop, then use a blow dryer if you have one and set it on the coolest setting. Carefully dry the laptop, paying attention to the keyboard and the parts you removed.  Keep the blow dryer moving over all parts.
   
   
10. The minimum recommended drying time is one hour but leaving the laptop to dry for at least 24 hours is preferred.
    
    
11. Once your laptop has had time to dry, reattach the removable components and start up the laptop. If it starts up with no problems, then run some programs and try using the external media.
    
    
12. If the laptop does not start up or there are other problems, it is time to take your laptop to a Certified Repair Service.
    

Need help with this, or more information?   Call Atiwa Computing at 713-467-9390 or toll-free 800-428-2532, or, go to our website, http://www.atiwa.com/  for some great free resources, or, just send an email to mailto:atiwa@atiwa.com .  

Simple.  Easy.   Hassle-free.   We've been providing office technology support to businesses for 22 years.   We're your office-technology-management experts.

Dedicated to helping you with technology, 

Wayne Springer, President, and your office-technology support team at Atiwa Computing, Inc.