You are in the middle of writing an article and boy! Are you nailing it?
You are buzzing with inspiration and the points you are putting down are not only original but also they are quite plenty.
Suddenly, something bad happens.
The coffee cup next to your laptop tips over in ways you cannot understand and spills lots of coffee on your laptop.
Your computer is starting to become unresponsive and lots of thoughts are beginning to cross your mind.
Is this how the death of your computer was decided by the angels?
Fortunately, the answer is no. You can still save your laptop, but only if you act fast.
The steps below outline some of the key things that may be the difference between “life” and “death”.
Steps to consider if Liquid spills on your Laptop
1. Turn off the laptop immediately
Since the damage to internal components starts immediately a liquid spills on your computer, time is of the essence. So, the first thing you should do is make sure your gadget is turned off. Do this by pressing the power button.
Once your computer is off, disconnect it from the power source. It is important to note that while doing all these, extra care must be observed. What do we mean? Do not go around pressing and unplugging things with wet hands – you might get electrocuted.
2. Remove the laptop from “the crime scene”
Once your computer is turned off and unplugged, the next thing to do is make sure it is far away from any residual liquid. This helps prevent more liquid from getting inside the laptop.
3. Open the Laptop as wide as possible and then turn it upside down
The next thing to do is open your device as wide as possible while making sure it is in an upside-down position. This helps prevent the liquid from finding its way into the most interior parts of your laptop. You may want to use a towel or an absorbent material to help make the situation less worse.
4. Remove the battery and unplug external hardware
If the battery of your laptop can easily be removed, do it right away. Also, remember to unplug all external hardware components. These include controllers (like the mouse), USB devices (such as flash disks), and memory cards.
5. Remove hardware if you can
Earlier versions of laptops are designed in such a way that their hardware is easy to remove. Therefore, if you own one, you may want to open it up and remove all the hardware you can. Check if any liquid reached them.
If that is the case and the liquid was water, simply wipe it off and then wait for some time (at least 1 day) before taking everything back the way it was and then turning the laptop on.
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If the liquid was something sticky, like a soft drink or coffee, you may need to clean these parts thoroughly before reassembling your gadget. Soft drinks are very corrosive and should not be taken lightly.
6. Have a professional look at it
Ideally, if you are not comfortable opening your laptop, you can take it to a repair store to have a professional look at it. This also goes to when your device (like MacBook) cannot be taken apart easily.
Moreover, if the manufacturer of your laptop has an established shop, consider taking it there. On your way to the store, you may check your laptop’s warranty to see if damage like this is covered and if the warranty is still applicable.
Can I use Rice to Fix the Issue?
This is a famous piece of advice, but we are about to disappoint you. While rice may work pretty well in absorbing water, it does not work as effectively as anticipated when it comes to liquids containing alcohols, sugars, and other substances.
Even if the liquid is pure water, using rice is still not advised. This is because it does not absorb the liquid trapped inside with the desired efficiency. Also, rice has numerous and very tiny debris that can easily get inside your computer and cause more serious damage than the one already there.
Maybe it is best if we only turn to rice when hungry and not when we have a technical issue needing a fix.
Tips to keeping your Laptop safe from Spills
We know it is a cliché, but once bitten twice shy. If all the above tricks worked for you and you managed to bring your laptop back to life, these tips on how to prevent future spills from landing on the keyboard of your computer are worth your attention.
1. Place your coffee or any liquid as far away from your laptop as possible
They say the best way to solve a problem is to deal with the problem itself. In this scenario, your coffee or water in a glass is the problem. Therefore, make sure it is at a safe distance where even if it spills, it will not reach your gadget, or, rather, you will have enough time to move your gadget to a dry place and clean the mess.
2. Use waterproof material
Everyone loves to have a cup of coffee beside them when writing a nice piece. So, if this whole thing of putting your coffee 200 yards away from the laptop does not make sense to you, a waterproof material should be a frontier for you.
The market has lots of them. And they are meant to cover your keyboard – the most vulnerable part in case of a spill. This means if liquid spills next to your computer, no damage (other than your coffee going to waste) will be done.
You can also consider using lidded coffee cups. This is self-explanatory and we do not need to waste your time explaining further.
3. Avoid putting a drink and a laptop in the same backpack
Most people seem to overlook this until the worst happens. If you plan to use your computer on the go and also want to stay hydrated and refreshed, do not put these two together – they do not just get along.
Instead, consider wrapping your laptop with a waterproof cover before placing it in your backpack. You can also carry your laptop in a separate bag, but again, this will only make things bulky. So, the first tip is more viable.
Summary
A liquid spilling on your laptop is not the end of the world. All you need to do if this happens is turn your gadget off; unplug it from the power source; turn it upside down; remove hardware and external components if you can, and have a professional check it out.
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