Coffee Spill on laptop - still works, but seeking advice about corrosion

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Coffee Spill on laptop - still works, but seeking advice about corrosion

So I spilt a whole cup of coffee in my macbook pro. I took the necessary steps, turned it off, took the battery out, took it back into the warehouse that I work at with a coworker and got out as much liquid as possible and left it to dry. Afterwards, I turned it on, everything booted and so far the only casualties that have been were the superdrive, LED lighting in the back of the keyboard and now the fans are starting to get a little noisy so I'm guessing those are next, what worries me is that I'm afraid is that enough of the coffee hit the logic board and the corrosion. Right after this happened I took it to Apple and asked them if I should clean it since it still works and simply can't afford to pay $1300+ to get it repaired. He advised against it and so did my coworker (He thinks if I leave it be, it'll be fine. Uh, yeah, no.) He said the logic board looked good, and to use the computer until it basically dies and then get a new one. But I want to extend the working life of this thing as long as possible so I was thinking about cleaning. I've looked at all the tutorials on how to take this thing apart, but have found none on cleaning corrosion from coffee. I've read that some people just dip an old toothbrush in rubbing alcohol and scrub, some people soak the logic board and I've just ended up making myself completely confused and unsure what to do. Coffee pretty much got into everywhere and yes, I know that this thing WILL eventually die. But it's working and I'd just like to do what I can to extend its life another 6-12 months if possible.

17" Macbook Pro mid 2009 unibody, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 6, 2011 4:21 PM

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Answer 1

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eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Mar 7, 2011 6:03 AM in response to keriwgd

You aren't going to find any corrosion yet — there hasn't been time for any to happen. What you will have to contend with for as long as you keep the machine is the fact that whenever the machine is in a humid environment, the sugar residues inside it will draw moisture out of the air and deposit it wherever the sugar is, and it will cause gradual corrosion and/or short circuits there. There is really no possibility that you'll be able to clean everything effectively (and this is why Apple never tries, but instead just replaces all the parts that can be seen to have gotten wet). Therefore, I agree with those who say don't tear it all apart and spend days and days in a fruitless effort to clean every nook and cranny (and there are more of them than you can imagine). Just use it until it gives out and then move on.

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Answer 2

iVmichael

Level 6

13,740 points

Mar 6, 2011 5:02 PM in response to keriwgd

I'm with the "leave it be" votes - honestly, trying to take it apart and clean things with any sort of fluid and abrasive is more likely to cause more damage than good. Yes it might smell a bit when warm and yes the sugar could cause some corrosion but if I were you I'd just be glad it's still working OK and let it be.

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Answer 3

TildeBee

Level 7

31,923 points

Mar 6, 2011 5:43 PM in response to keriwgd

keri --

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
We're not staff, but other Mac users here, asking questions and sharing solutions.

How long did you leave it off to dry?
A week or two is usually highly recommended.

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Answer 4

keriwgd Author

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Mar 6, 2011 6:02 PM in response to TildeBee

Being that my personal laptop is the laptop which I bring in to their office everyday to work on that was not an option. After 3 hours of drying with tools in the back of the warehouse (I work for an electrical wholesale company and the guys work with fixing and repairing breakers and electrical equipment so they took care of getting the coffee out and drying it) I had to turn it back on. I wish I could have left it off longer, or taken it home and taken it apart then and couldn't believe how lucky I was something didn't short. The apple tech said it looked like not a lot of coffee got on the logic board or harddrive so I was really lucky.

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Answer 5

keriwgd Author

Level 1

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Mar 7, 2011 5:48 AM in response to Valentine Moreau

Yeah, I've already ordered a replacement set of the fans and went through the ifixit repair guide to switch those out but I'm concerned about corrosion. The Apple tech basically said that if the coffee was bad enough the logic board would have been toast. The cup of coffee dumped into the machine from the left side which I know is where the logic board is, so I immediately picked it up and while holding it in the air did a cold powerdown by holding the power button while turning it upside down and tilting it towards the optical drive. My hopes were to keep it from touching the logic board, harddrive and battery. But I just really need to extend the life of this thing as long as possible, which I know is a lot of ask because I made a stupid mistake. (I was rushing to answer the phone and rather than put it in my normal place behind me on a shelf, I sat it on the desk and when I picked up the phone the chord hit the cup.

I'd definitely like to at least clean up a bit of the corrosion. My friend suggested getting a contact cleaner and some q-tips and gently cleaning them if the corrosion is bad. But he's basically said the same thing as you all, if not too bad, then sometimes it's better to keep the machine as cool as possible, keep it as clean as possible in terms of dust and let nature take it's course...

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Answer 6

Mar 6, 2011 10:11 PM in response to keriwgd

It sounds like it was in good hands then. If the board hasn't gone yet, then it should be fine. I would watch out for the fans. If they stop working entirely then you will have a serious problem.

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