Tip of the week: How to salvage a spilled-on laptop

Cut the power. Switch off your laptop “immediately” and unplug all “electrical cords, battery units, or other connected devices.”

Practice damage control. Halt the flow of liquid to the computer’s “innards” by flipping it over. Tilt it in different directions to get as much liquid out from under keys as possible. Check if your laptop has a “pop-out keyboard”; it’ll make the whole process much easier.

Start the cleanup process. Wipe off as much liquid as you can with a cloth “slightly dampened with distilled or deionized water.” Leave to dry for “at least 24 hours.” If keys remain sticky, use cotton swabs and “99 percent isopropyl alcohol” to get rid of lingering residue. Juice, soda, and milk tend to be the worst offenders.

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Hope for the best. There’s no guarantee your laptop will work perfectly, but getting it “dry and clean” is the “first step” toward recovery.

Source: The New York Times