Spilt Liquids on Your MacBook? Here’s What To Do!

Is there anything more heart-stopping than accidentally spilt liquids on your MacBook? MacBooks are not liquid-proof or liquid-resistant. Liquids like water, tea, and coffee are not acidic so they can be the easiest to repair and fix. However, liquids such as wine can be difficult because it is acidic. It may or may not be the end of the journey for your MacBook depending on how much you spilt and the kinds of liquids. To avoid the death of your MacBook and mitigate the damage, act fast and follow this guide to save your MacBook! 

1. Turn OFF the MacBook immediately

As soon as liquids are spilt on your MacBook, you need to act fast and turn it off completely. You can click on the Apple logo on the top left and select “Shut Down” if your trackpad is not wet. As an alternative, simply press the power button (the “Touch ID” for the new MacBooks) for a few seconds until you see the screen turns off. Once that is done, don’t touch the button again to turn it on. Don’t worry about the unsaved documents as it is more important to turn off your MacBook as fast as possible to save your other data. 

2. Unplug the charger

Following by turning off your liquid-damaged Macbook, you need to unplug the chargers it also turns off the charging circuit of your logic board. Liquids and electricity are not a good mix and can even be dangerous. The charging circuit in higher voltage may pose a great threat to your MacBooks if it is not unplugged. While it is still safe to touch your liquid-damaged MacBook, it is not the same for the charger itself when it is flooded with liquids. So make sure to disconnect the power cord from the charging socket.

3. Disconnect all connected peripherals

Remove any connected peripherals such as wired headphones, hard drives, external SSD, mouse and etc can prevent any more liquids from damaging their way inside. Vent holes are especially important to be protected as it is designed for releasing heat from the logic board. You can use a cotton swab to try drying the vents and use tissues to absorb liquids on your MacBook to prevent liquids from reaching inside. 

4. Do not shake or move around your MacBook 

Shaking and moving your MacBook too much will allow the liquids flow and spread even further into other parts. You do not want the liquids to reach other delicate components like the screen’s backlight film. It is best to dry out your MacBook with a hair dryer but set it to low heat and refrain from putting it too near to your MacBook as it may further damage it. Putting it near a fan can also help. The gist of it is to increase airflow in your MacBook to evaporate the liquids inside without shaking your MacBook. However, if the liquid primarily went into the keyboard, it is recommended to flip it upside down to prevent the liquids from going into other components.