Liquid spilled on a MacBook

In short: Speed is everything. Power off immediately (hold power for 10 seconds), unplug, do not turn it back on, do not put it on rice. Bring it to us as soon as possible. Properly cleaned within 24-72 hours of the spill, most liquid-damaged MacBooks are recoverable.

What to do in the first 60 seconds

1. Disconnect power and force shutdown. Hold the power button for 10 seconds. The MacBook must be off. Liquid plus electricity is what does the damage, not liquid alone.
2. Unplug everything. USB-C cables, accessories, anything connected.
3. Open the lid and turn the MacBook upside down, like an inverted tent, to drain liquid away from the logic board. Leave it like this on a towel.
4. Do not turn it back on, even to “check if it’s working”. That’s when corrosion starts.
5. Do not put it in rice. Rice does almost nothing for liquid damage and the dust gets inside the machine. Old wives’ tale.
6. Get it to us as soon as possible. The window for clean recovery is roughly 24 to 72 hours. After that, corrosion sets in on the logic-board components.

What we do

Workshop diagnostic + ultrasonic cleaning + component-level repair where needed:

1. Open the MacBook, document where the liquid reached and what’s affected.
2. Remove the logic board, ultrasonic-clean it in an isopropyl-alcohol bath to dissolve mineral residue from the liquid (sugar from cola, salts from saline drinks, hops from beer — all leave residue that corrodes contacts).
3. Inspect under microscope for component damage. Replace any failed components.
4. Reassemble, full diagnostic, load test.

The earlier we see the machine, the higher the success rate. A MacBook brought in within 24 hours of a clean water spill is often fully recoverable. A MacBook left switched on for hours, or left untouched for weeks, has the worst odds.

How we quote

Liquid damage outcomes vary too widely for fixed pricing. The £75 diagnostic fee covers the initial assessment and ultrasonic clean. Any further board-level repair is quoted separately after we’ve seen the damage. If it’s beyond economical repair, you pay only the diagnostic and we’ll quote on data recovery instead.