Liquid spilt on a laptop

What you do in the next few minutes matters more than anything we do later. Switch it off, unplug it, and do not turn it back on to see whether it still works.

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What to do straight away

Hold the power button until the laptop switches off. Do not wait for Windows to shut down.
Unplug the charger and anything connected by USB.
Open the lid as far as it goes and stand the laptop upside down, like a tent, on a towel.
If the battery clips out without tools, remove it.
Leave it off and contact us. The sooner it is opened and cleaned, the better the outcome.

Why it cannot simply dry out

Liquid does two kinds of damage. The first is immediate: with power on the board, liquid bridges components that should never be connected and they burn out. Switching off at once is what prevents this.

The second is slower. Tea, coffee, wine and soft drinks leave sugar, acid and minerals behind when the water has gone. With the battery still connected, that residue corrodes the board and the connectors over the following days and weeks. This is why a laptop often works after a spill and then dies a fortnight later. Rice and warm air remove neither the residue nor the liquid trapped under components.

How we repair liquid damage

Full strip-down

The laptop is taken apart and the battery disconnected so corrosion stops.

Board cleaning

Residue and corrosion are cleaned from the motherboard, connectors and under shields.

Component repair

Parts that have burnt or corroded are replaced at component level and the board tested.

Keyboard and battery

Keyboards usually need replacing after a sugary spill. Batteries are checked and replaced if affected.

We give you a fixed price after the assessment. Tell us what was spilt and whether the laptop was on at the time; both change where we look first.

Common questions

It still works after the spill. Do I need to do anything?

Yes. Liquid under the keyboard keeps corroding the board while the laptop appears fine. Having it opened and cleaned now costs far less than a board repair later.

Are my files safe?

Usually. Drives often survive a spill, and on laptops with a removable drive we can copy the files even if the board is beyond repair. Where storage is soldered to the board, the board must be repaired first.

Is it safe to send a wet laptop by courier?

Let the outside dry, keep it switched off and tell us before the collection is booked. If the battery is swollen or was soaked, we will advise on the safest way to get it to us.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm