I accidentally spilled water on my laptop when my cat knocked over a flower vase. After discovering the water, I turned the laptop on, and while the power button and keyboard lights lit up, the screen stayed black. Realizing something was wrong, I powered it off and placed it upside down in front of a fan to dry. However, now it won't turn on at all, and I'm hesitant to plug in the charger. Should I take it to a professional repair shop, like Best Buy, or leave it as is for a longer period?
3 Answers
Yikes, you’ve got a tough situation! Turning it on was a risky move. Now, to avoid further damage, leave it powered off and avoid plugging it in. If you can’t get to a repair shop immediately, you might consider taking it apart yourself if you’re comfortable with that. Just remember to disconnect the battery and be careful about heat—use a low setting if you decide to dry it with a hair dryer. But definitely get it cleaned by a pro when you can.
Your laptop really needs a professional touch now. Best Buy may not be the ideal place; they’re likely to upsell you on a new device rather than help you salvage this one. Look for a local repair shop that specializes in cleaning electronics. They’ll know how to handle water damage correctly and assess whether they can fix it without replacing major parts.
Good point! Local shops often have the experience and might be more cost-effective.
It's unfortunate, but turning it on after the spill was probably the worst thing you could do. With liquids, powering it on can easily cause short circuits. The fact that it turned on but the screen didn’t is a bad sign, and not turning on now suggests there might be worse damage. You should definitely stop trying to power it on or charge it for now.
Let it dry, but don’t just leave it for days. It's best to have a professional disassemble and clean it. They can disconnect the battery and use isopropyl alcohol to properly clean the internal components, which is essential to prevent corrosion.
Yeah, don’t let it sit too long; that could just cause more issues. Getting a repair shop involved is the way to go!
Taking it apart sounds risky unless you know what you’re doing. Pro repairs are best!