So a week or so ago I spilled drink on my laptop. It's the first time I've ever done that in all my years of owning a computer. I was naive and didn't know what to do. My naivety would cost me dearly. It was ice tea. So I quickly pick up the ice cubes and grab a towel and dry it off. I then hook it back up as normal and began to use it. About thirty minutes later I hear this "EHHHHHH" sound. The screen was all wonky. I turned off the power and tried to turn it back on and....nothing. I was convinced I had broken it.
The next day I go to Best Buy to purchase a new laptop. I settle on one that I thought was similar to my old one. So I go home and set it up and notice that it is extremely slow and that it won't play YouTube videos in HD. I was stumped. So I do some research and find out that I bought the laptop with the slowest processor of this brand. So I go and take it back and exchange it for a laptop that is genuinely similar to my old laptop. It was about $200 more expensive but I figured it was worth it. So I set it up and I loved it. Now hear is where it gets weird. I was doing some random YouTube surfing when I came across this video on how to repair your laptop screen when it won't come on. One of the tricks was really simple so I decided to try it. Guess what? It worked! I was really happy and immediately thought that I could take my laptop back and get my money back. It was almost $500 so I could really have used that money for something else. So I take the laptop and pack it up and hook up my old laptop. Late that night I randomly discover that the "b" and "n" keys won't work. So I put my face in my hands and moaned. I tried to find some fixes for it online but it seems that there are no easy fixes, other than seeing if crumbs or dirt or responsible. In my situation they weren't. So I can't take the laptop back and get my money back. :(
Don't let my bad luck be your bad luck as well. Here are some things I learned that can possible save your laptop or computer if you spill drink on it.
1. Not all drinks are the same. Water is the least damaging. Sugary drinks, coffee and sodas are the worst. If you spill a sugary drink, coffee or a soda on your laptop you may not be able to save it.
2. Immediately after you spill the drink turn off the power by hitting the power button and remove the power cord if it's plugged in.
3. Immediately turn the laptop upside down. This will prevent liquid from traveling further into the laptop. In the past laptops and keyboards were made with plastic key protectors that prevented dust and liquids into getting in between the keys. The very first laptop I ever bought had such protection. However, new laptops do not have this feature. So be warned.
4. Take a towel and dry off the laptop or keyboard while keeping it upside down.
5. If you laptop is beyond it's warranty you can carefully remove the back to allow it to dry faster. If your laptop is still under warranty then removing the back may void the warranty so be warned.
6. You can take a vacuum cleaner hose and hold it up to the vents to try to suck out the moisture.
7. You can take a hair drier that is set on the lowest setting and try to dry the laptop or keyboard that way. However, be warned that if you have the hair drier set too high it can damage your laptop or keyboard.
8. Allow the laptop or keyboard to air dry for a lengthy time, possibly up to 2 weeks if possible. Remember to keep it upside down. You might want to prop it up so that air can circulate underneath it.
In case you are wondering about the trick I used to fix my laptop screen not working, here it is:
Unplug the power cord. Remove the battery. Hold the power button down for a minimum of 20 seconds to drain all residual charge. Then replace the battery and power cord and hit the power button again. This trick fixed my laptop and you might try it if you are in a similar situation. Unfortunately if you have broken keys your keyboard will need to be replaced or you will just need to purchase a new laptop.
