No matter how careful you are with your laptop, you may accidentally spill liquid, tea, water or coffee over it at any given time. At moment like this, you may worry of causing potential harm to the system and damaging normal functionality of the keyboard.
Reportedly, it is revealed through intensive studies that liquid spill is amongst the top four reasons that cause damage to laptop. Within a few seconds of spilling liquid on the keyboard of your laptop you hardly have any time left to instantly react to the situation. Your first step is to instantly turn off the system and remove the battery. The time you take to act is the time you actually save your laptop. There are some tips that you can apply to save your system from further damage. Let us find out the simple and easy steps that you can apply.
Leave it to air dry
If you have accidentally spilled liquid on the keyboard of your laptop then instantly clean it with a sponge or an absorbent tissue. Clean water is less harmful than spilling an aerated drink or coffee. You can also keep your laptop inverted or upside down to drain off the liquid easily. If you have a table fan then you can let your laptop sit near it to air dry. Avoid using hot air or a dryer as this can damage the vulnerable components that are made of plastic. The plastic components may melt with hot air. Ensure that the keyboard is dry and the battery area is free of any moisture. Then replace the battery and boot up, you are ready to run your laptop.
Using a desiccant
If you are facing a situation where you have spilled a liquid excessively then the chances are that it might soak deep into the inner areas of the laptop. At this time you need to instantly draw out the liquid instead of let is drain or air dry as it can cause a lot of damage. Draw out the liquid by the help of a desiccant. For this you can use a silica gel that often comes along with products to keep them away from accumulating moisture. If you cannot find it then there is another option, that of using an uncooked rice. Get a container that is large enough to fit your laptop. You can use a plastic tub with lid or even a huge plastic bag. Now fill in the container or the bag with uncooked rice to submerge your laptop. Seal the bag or close the lid of the container and let your laptop sit for at least a couple of days. Take it out after two days and brush off the laptop with a soft cloth or a soft brush to remove rice particles and power on.
Remove the Keyboard
Spilling liquid on the entire keyboard by accident will damage the keyboard functionality. The liquid will seep into the keyboard and cause damage to the keys. In order to minimize the damage you need to remove the keyboard by following the instructions that are given on the website of your laptop manufacturer. After following all the instructions when your keyboard is removed you need to wipe off the liquid. Spray a cleaner into a soft cloth and wipe off the part clean.
Cleaning with Alcohol
You may encounter a situation where your laptop is submerged in a liquid or you drop it in a liquid accidentally. The above given techniques for removing moisture will not work in this situation. You need to apply a technique that is more helpful at this time. Use an isopropyl alcohol, this is helpful in displacing the liquid and make it evaporate in air. You need to submerge your laptop in the alcohol for a few minutes and then jiggle it around so that the alcohol reaches to the components. Now remove your laptop from the solution and leave it to air dry while keeping it inverted for a couple of days.
Things to remember:
• As soon as you spill any liquid on your laptop power off immediately
• Remove the adapter and unplug other devices
• Immediately reach out for a dry cloth to wipe off the keyboard clean to minimize damage
• While performing the above mentioned cleaning tasks ensure that the laptop power is off at all the times
• If you are still not able to resume the normal functionality of your laptop then get in touch with an expert