What to do when you spill water on your laptop

Have you ever had water or any other liquid – soda, water, coffee, tea, wine, milk or juice- accidentally spill on your laptop? It is a terrible feeling, especially if you spent a lot of money purchasing the laptop or you have very important information in it.

Drink spills are a risk to laptops in many environments: at home, coffee shops and bars. It is just something that happens and all you can do is act as fast as you can to control the situation.

If you are reading this article right now, trying to figure out how to save your precious laptop from the liquid you just spilled on it,Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 online hotel booking portal has a number of the steps for you to follow while keeping in mind that time is of the essence.

Stop the spill.

The first thing you do when you realize water is getting on your laptop is to stop the spill, that way the amount of water getting in the computer is reduced. You do this either by raising a cup that may have fallen on to it, or by physically removing the laptop such that the spillage stops. Moving the laptop though is determined by how the gadget reacts to the spillage. If it explodes or sparks, you may want to get some gloves first or just run for help.

Cut off power supply

Water and electricity are a very bad mix. Most laptops run on battery, which are charged with electricity. Next thing you do after you stop the spill is cut out the power supply to the laptop, that way you reduce chances of being electrocuted. Again, this depends on how much water has been spilled and what parts it made contact with. If it just a few droplets, you may not need to go that far. But if the spill is a lot, and your laptop is wet, You should turn it off, unplug the network cable from the wall, disconnect the power cable from the laptop. Do not even bother with shutting it down properly, just go ahead and press that power button until your machine shuts down. Make sure your hands are dry too.

Turn the laptop over and remove the battery.

Once the laptop is disconnected, turn the laptop upside down and remove the battery. Turning the laptop ensures that the liquid will stop seeping deeper into the laptop and it will also help in draining the liquid off of your laptop. Take out the battery too and check to see how much water it has come in contact with.

Clean the spilled liquid

If the spill is small, using a lint-free paper towel or cloth, clean the laptop surface, but if you feel the spill must have seeped into areas beneath the surface, you can dismantle some parts like the keyboard and clean it thoroughly.

Replace the battery and observe

Once you are sure you are done with all the cleaning, and you are sure the laptop is absolutely dry, replace the battery and check to see if it starts up properly. If it works properly, then you are in luck, however, if there are some issues and even the keyboard does not work, try plugging in a USB keyboard, this may allow you to retrieve any data that hasn’t been backed up before you take it in for repairs.

Nkem Ndem, is a travel/tech writer @Jumia travel