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Q: Is it safe to place my MacBook in the Freezer? (Bedbugs)

My macbook is infested with bedbugs, i just found out that freezing them for 80 hours below freezing temperatures kills them, is it safe to put my laptop in the freezer?

 

I understand that condensatiob from moisture from other things in the freezer can potentially damage the hardware when turned on and heated, but if I place it in a sealed bag free of moisture would it be safe to freeze it?

 

Thank you for the advice

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jan 5, 2016 6:46 PM

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Q: Is it safe to place my MacBook in the Freezer? (Bedbugs)

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  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jan 5, 2016 6:47 PM in response to Sal.vador
    Level 10 (270,896 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 5, 2016 6:47 PM in response to Sal.vador

    No. Don't do that unless you just want to throw the computer away.

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Jan 7, 2016 7:20 AM in response to Sal.vador
    Level 9 (53,921 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 7, 2016 7:20 AM in response to Sal.vador

    It would be helpful to know on what Kappy's response is based in case there are other factors or first-hand experience. I can understand it being an immediate response to the concept of sticking your computer in the freezer.  We do not know which exact MacBook this is but I went to Apple - Support - Technical Specifications and pulled out one for the model range of this forum (you need to check for your model!):

     

    MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009) - Technical Specifications

    Storage temperature: -13° to 113° F (-24° to 45° C)

     

    This is the temperature range for storing the computer when it is not running which is much wider than the much narrower

    Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)


    Our freezer at home is set to -4°F and living in Minnesota I know that unless you warmly bundle your computer every time you go outside that it can easily be subject to temperatures below 32°F. Probably if there is a semi truck driving through North Dakota in winter delivering a pallet of MacBooks they too cannot guarantee the load will be kept nice and toasty all the time either. Going by the Apple provided technical specifications I would think if you can set your freezer to, say, something in the twenties it shouldn't be too close to the margins of the specifications but it should be well below freezing.  Do make sure you have it well protected against condensation!  You might need to reset some settings but you could also consider removing the battery for this treatment.