What to do to prevent liquid damage

Up front, be aware that a large number of notebook computers exposed to liquid incursion never recover.

Care?

1) Do NOT try to start the computer.

2) turn the computer upside down for draining to see if any liquid remains

3) Have Apple evaluate NOW!

Put your homeowners'/renters' insurance carrier on notice NOW of a potential total loss. Such policies often cover accidental damage to your tech gear. It may be all the financial relief you get.

Lacking any more knowledge about what liquid is lurking inside your device, we can only recommend you have Apple evaluate it immediately. There are no "home remedies" for this.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

Emergency treatment to avoid further damage:

Park it in an A-frame shape, hinge up and resting on the top screen edge and bottom trackpad edge. This will coax any liquid inside to tend to run into 'don't care' areas.

I don't recommend the A-frame method because it will still cause the liquid to move around inside the laptop perhaps onto the electronics. Best to turn it completely upside down so any liquid in the keyboard drains onto the table or the key caps (even this flip will cause the liquid to move, but it is unavoidable, but can be done quickly). Make sure to have the display open at least 90 degrees so that the display can hang over the edge of the table while the keyboard portion is flat on the table.

Also, make sure to power of the laptop. If the laptop is a 2018+ model, then make sure none of the keys are not touching the tabletop since pressing any key on a 2018+ model will trigger the laptop to power on. If liquid makes contact with any powered electronic component or circuit, then the combination will start corroding the metals on those components. Unfortunately computers always have some circuits active in order to allow the power button to work, or to allow the sensing of the display being opened, or a key being pressed which are all used to power on 2018+ Macs. Ideally having the battery disconnected is best, but that is no longer a user option with any of the Retina model Macs.

Also, do not put the laptop into a bag of loose rice as that will just make a mess since the rice will get inside the laptop and a tech will have to pick out pieces of rice which is a pain.

Yes, assuming the liquid was spilled onto the keyboard. Hopefully the worst is that the Top Case/Keyboard Assembly will need to be replaced. If it is a hot liquid, then you don't want hot liquid draining onto the Display as the heat may damage it.

If liquid enters from one of the vents, then maybe tilt the laptop toward the side the liquid entered. It is all about minimizing the liquid moving around inside.

Unfortunately it takes a long time for any liquids to evaporate on their own.

On the 2015 & older Apple laptops, they actually had a mylar piece beneath the keyboard to reflect the backlight around the keyboard.....this mylar also helped to minimize the liquid making it to the Logic Board since the liquid actually had to make it to the edge of the mylar. However, with the Apple USB-C laptops, the mylar has been replaced with a fine mesh which I'm assuming is to help with heat dissipation else why change it unless it is less costly.

Unfortunately with Apple or AASPs, they will replace any part where they see a liquid sensor tripped, or where they see liquid residue or corrosion. In most cases, it probably makes little difference what a person does when liquid is spilled on an Apple laptop. I can understand why Apple has this policy, although I don't completely agree with it...it does minimize the potential of problems since anything with signs of damage will have been replaced. However, If a liquid damaged laptop can be taken to a tech quickly enough using the above tips, then a tech can dismantle the whole laptop and dry it up & clean off any liquid residue which helps to minimize the components needing replacement, but Apple does not allow for this latter option.

Emergency treatment to avoid further damage:

Park it in an A-frame shape, hinge up and resting on the top screen edge and bottom trackpad edge. This will coax any liquid inside to tend to run into 'don't care' areas.

follow Allan Jones wise advice which posted while I was still typing.

My "A-frame" advice is admittedly dated.

So the updated guidance for the future should be:

"Power off, remove power and invert the computer and park it so that the keyboard is parallel to the table, but supported upside down, with no pressure on any keys or the trackpad."

¿Is that about right?