Glossary › Laptop Repair › Liquid Damage
What is Liquid Damage?
Liquid damage is the harm done when water, coffee or any other liquid gets inside a laptop. It does its damage in two ways: short circuits straight away, and corrosion over the hours and days that follow.
Why a laptop is so exposed
In most laptops the motherboard sits directly under the keyboard. A spill on the keys runs through the gaps and lands on the board within seconds. The battery keeps parts of that board powered even when the laptop looks off.
Why it gets worse after it dries
The liquid itself evaporates, but what was dissolved in it stays behind: minerals, sugar, milk, salt. Those residues conduct electricity and attract moisture. With the battery still supplying power, they eat into the metal contacts. A laptop that works the day after a spill can fail a week later for this reason.
What to do in the first hour
Switch the laptop off by holding the power button, and unplug the charger. Turn it upside down, open like a tent, so liquid drains away from the board. Then bring it in. A board cleaned the same day is far more likely to survive than one left over a weekend.
What not to do
Do not turn it back on to check. Do not use a hairdryer, which pushes liquid further in and can warp the keys. Rice does not help either: it cannot draw liquid out from under the chips, and it does nothing about the residue.
How it is repaired
The laptop is opened, the battery disconnected, and the board cleaned of residue and corrosion. Damaged components are then replaced by chip-level repair. The keyboard often needs replacing as well.
Related terms
Chip-Level RepairSwollen BatteryLaptop Screen Panel