How to Fix a Water-Damaged MacBook

Water is the devil for electronic items. One second of carelessness and that coffee or water is over and inside your precious MacBook. But since the accidents keep occurring, we should always be prepared and, most importantly, aware. If you are aware of the right actions that can be taken after any such accidents, you will act quickly and save a lot of damage. So, here are a few tips on what to do and what not to do when you accidentally spill water on your MacBook. Read this article, so if ever this happens to you or around you, you will know how to rescue that precious MacBook of yours.

What Should You Do?

If the amount of water that has spilled on your MacBook is just a little and has dampened only the keyboard, then you can take a sigh of relief. You might not know, but your Mac’s keyboard comes with an air-tight mechanism to prevent dust and water from getting into the system. So your MacBook is seemingly out of danger. However still, it’s a good idea to get your MacBook serviced to avoid any possible damage. While you shouldn’t waste any time before taking your MacBook to an Apple service station, here are a few things that you can do if you couldn’t take it right away.

Simply Unplug: Don’t bother if it isn’t attached to power.

Remove the battery: Removing the battery will help prevent the water from going into it. Also, any dongles and peripherals, including the printer, mouse, scanner, iPod, or camera, should be detached.

Shut down the laptop: Without wasting any time saving your work, you should quickly shut down the laptop by holding the power button for around ten seconds.

Place your laptop in a tent position: This will help you pull the water towards the keyboard, saving the sensitive parts of your MacBook.

Keep it off for at least 48 hours: Water combined with electricity in your MacBook can damage the most crucial parts. So, leaving it off for at least 48 hours will give enough time for the water inside to dry up. So, don’t power it on no matter how important work you have, else you might damage your MacBook completely.

Visit the nearby Apple Service Station: Even if your laptop seems to work fine after drying up the water, it is always a good idea to get it tested for any internal damage the water might have caused. If your MacBook is still under warranty, then you can take advantage. If nothing else, the service station technicians will clean the internal components thoroughly using ultrasonic cleaning machines to rule out further damage.

What You Shouldn’t Do

Do not switch it on: As mentioned above, no matter what, do not turn on your MacBook, as it could be destructive. If too much water has gone inside the sensitive parts, turning it on can even cause a short circuit in your laptop. So, don’t think about turning it on until it’s dry after at least 48 hours.

Don’t shake the laptop: This action will do nothing but worsen your MacBook condition by spreading the water inside.

Forget about the hairdryer: Using the hairdryer can blow the water droplets inside the laptop to seep into more difficult and sensitive parts of your MacBook. So, you shouldn’t even think about trying this. However, you can leave it in a warm and dry place, maybe your balcony that receives a good amount of sunlight.

Ignore that rice trick: The ages-old granny’s remedies to keep the laptop in a rice bag to pull out moisture will only add to your task of cleaning the rice on your MacBook. Plus, you can end up popping some rice particles into your laptop.

Using a waterproof laptop skin can help you safeguard your MacBook in case of such accidents. Also, investing in a silicone cover for the keyboard with a waterproof screen protector is cheaper than replacing a water-soaked battery or any other sensitive part.

Everleig is a Blog expert and has been working in the technology industry since 2003. As a technical expert, Everleig has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as peerny.com

Source: Water-Damaged