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User profile for user: sweetdaffy19
sweetdaffy19 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Hand sanitiser spill on MacBook

Hand sanitiser spilled in my bag, and my MacBook Air was inside so now there is some hand sanitiser in the charging ports (USB-C). Also, the corner of the screen is damaged.


I tried my best to take the sanitiser out of the ports, but I think there is still some of it inside. I’ve left the MacBook upside down over night in hopes that the rest of it can come out. I have 3 questions:


  1. Is there any way I can clean out the ports and ensure all the sanitiser is out?
  2. If after a while I put a charging plug in there, could it start a fire or something because of the sanitiser residue inside?
  3. Can the sanitiser travel into the logic board and slowly destroy the computer? It was operating fine when it happened, everything was working. I’ve shut it down for now.




MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Jun 23, 2023 2:47 PM

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User profile for user: ku4hx
ku4hx
User level: Level 7
23,592 points

Posted on Jun 24, 2023 3:55 AM

Any liquid incursions is very likely to cause damage. If not immediately it can be delayed.


Hand sanitizers are part water, so basically you have a water spill. You may dodge this bullet, but you may not. Just wait and see. If it does act like it's damaged, Apple needs to evaluate it hands-on.


  1. Not really. The sanitizer will evaporate
  2. Not likely once it evaporates; hand sanitizer is not a fuel and an alcohol water mix burns poorly.
  3. Yes most definitely.
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User profile for user: ku4hx
ku4hx
User level: Level 7
23,592 points

Jun 24, 2023 3:55 AM in response to sweetdaffy19

Any liquid incursions is very likely to cause damage. If not immediately it can be delayed.


Hand sanitizers are part water, so basically you have a water spill. You may dodge this bullet, but you may not. Just wait and see. If it does act like it's damaged, Apple needs to evaluate it hands-on.


  1. Not really. The sanitizer will evaporate
  2. Not likely once it evaporates; hand sanitizer is not a fuel and an alcohol water mix burns poorly.
  3. Yes most definitely.
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User profile for user: Voidoider
Voidoider
User level: Level 1
71 points

Jun 24, 2023 5:51 PM in response to sweetdaffy19

I'm not sure about your screen but as far as the usb ports go you could try this. Once the sanitiser has dried it will leave some material on the port protuberance (the male section) that needs to be cleaned off or else it will get into the female part of the item that you are plugging into it. You could clean both sides of the protuberance with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud or Q-Tip. Perhaps the best thing would be to clean it with a squashed down match covered by a pre-injection swab. Pre-injection swabs are easily available from any pharmacy at a low cost and usually just contain isopropyl alcohol and water. Also, pre-injection swabs don't leave additional material behind unless you wear them out.

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Hand sanitiser spill on MacBook

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