Spilt coffee, water or wine on your MacBook? What you do in the first few minutes really matters. Liquid itself isn’t the long-term enemy — corrosion is, and it keeps spreading after the spill. Here’s how to give your MacBook the best chance.
Power it off. Hold the power button and shut it down straight away — don’t wait for menus. Power flowing through wet circuitry is what causes shorts.
Unplug everything and stop charging. Turn the MacBook upside down into a gentle “tent” shape so liquid drains away from the logic board instead of pooling on it.
Don’t turn it back on to “check if it works.” That’s the single most common way a recoverable MacBook becomes a write-off.
Don’t put it in rice. It’s a myth — rice doesn’t pull moisture from inside the machine and can leave dust and starch behind. Don’t use a hairdryer either; heat pushes moisture deeper and can warp components.
Once liquid touches the board, corrosion begins — especially with sugary or salty drinks. The sooner the MacBook is opened, cleaned and the affected areas treated, the more likely it is to be saved. Days of delay can turn a cleanable board into a failed one.
We open the MacBook, disconnect the battery, and clean the logic board to remove liquid and corrosion. We then test, identify any damaged components, and repair at board level where needed. We’ll always give you a free diagnosis and a fixed quote first.
If the drive is intact, your data is usually safe — and we offer data recovery if a drive has been affected. This is exactly why regular backups matter. Bring your MacBook to TechVise in Bagshot as soon as you can after a spill.
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