It’s not uncommon for a glass of water or a cup of tea to end up all over the keyboard. That’s not such a problem for desktop workstations, because the worst case scenario is that you’re down a keyboard. Grab another one, plug it in, and problem solved. However, when it’s a laptop keyboard that gets flooded, it spells trouble. However, it doesn’t make your laptop beyond repair, and may not even mean you’ve destroyed the laptop keyboard.
Like all first aid, the thing to do with spill related laptop repairs is stay calm and act quickly. The longer the liquid is in contact with laptop hardware, the more damage will be done.
The first thing to do is turn everything off. Detach any peripherals that might be connected – USB keys, mouse, network cables and other laptop hardware. Take out the power supply cord, and then get as much liquid out of the keyboard as possible. Don’t lift up the keyboard until you’re sure nothing will get spilt underneath. Use paper towels or toilet paper to mop up all you can, and a corner poked between keys will soak up even more. Keep poking bits of paper through the gaps all across the laptop keyboard until none are stained with your morning cup of tea.
Then, prop the laptop upside down in an A shape and wait for it to dry. Don’t succumb to the temptation to turn it back on until you’re really sure it’s fully dry, and you just might be lucky. Sticky, but lucky!
If not, there is always Laptop Power here to help. We supply compatible laptop keyboard replacements for laptops with a keyword that is worse for wear.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 10:54 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.