Computer with Liquid Damage

How to Handle Liquid Damage

Liquid damage can be catastrophic to electronics. This guide is meant to explain why liquid damage is bad, and how to mitigate liquid damage to your electronics.

What to do if it happens

Unfortunately, electrolytic corrosion is an immediate reaction. If the device has power running through its components, then the reaction will occur. There are steps that can be taken to mitigate the damage, or stop it from spreading further.

Turn off and unplug the device from power
- If it has a removable battery, remove the battery
Use an absorbent material (paper towels, toilet paper) to soak up excess liquid
Invert the affected area to over a towel to allow liquid to drip out
- Tent method

Table Edge method

Allow the computer to dry for 48 hours before attempting to turn it on
Bring the device to an authorized repair center for an evaluation

While these steps may prevent additional damage from happening, they will not stop damage entirely.

How does liquid damage electronics?

Liquid damage to electronics can be devastating, but why? Liquid damage occurs when a liquid encounters an electronic device, which then undergoes a reaction known as electrolytic corrosion. The corrosion can disrupt or damage the conductive pathways in the device, causing it to malfunction. Electrolytic corrosion does not happen in all cases - only when an electric current is applied while a liquid is still present on conductive material. Not all liquids cause electrolytic corrosion either, but the liquids that most commonly hang around consumer-grade electronics do (e.g., coffee, bottled water, soda, etc.) With today’s finely-tuned electronics, just a tiny bit of corrosion can cause serious damage.

What does liquid damage look like?

Liquid damage varies, but below are examples of the signs of liquid damage:

Liquid in the keyboard

Liquid in the trackpad

Liquid in the screen

Other symptoms may include:

Keyboard keys performing multiple presses or not responding to a single key press
Stiff or spongy key presses
Track pad or screen experiences "phantom touch"
Track pad not registering touch
Device not charging
Device not turning on
In rare situations, popping sounds, sparks, or bad odors can occur

Prevent it from happening

Here are some helpful tips to prevent liquid damage:

Keep your devices in a water-resistant/proof sleeve/case, especially in your bag
Don’t keep food/liquids and electronics in the same bag
Don’t keep open containers next to your electronics
Be mindful of the weather

In the end

Liquid damage affects all devices differently. In some cases, you might be lucky and resume normal activity on it; however, in most cases, you will experience reduced functionality, declining functionality, or no functionality. While it doesn’t prevent liquid damage, getting your device covered by a warranty that includes accidental damage will often drastically reduce the cost of repair, should you need it.