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i spilled coffee on my macbook pro

I recently spilled a little bit of coffee on my new macbook pro. i took off the keys, cleaned it out and held a blow dryer to it for a little and it was working fine. then slowly (within the next 30 minutes or so) some keys would stop working, then whole rows of keys, etc. i then turned my computer upside down to let it drain and dry out. then the computer turned blank. i left it upside down, i tried turning it on once or twice then i decided to leave it and let it dry out, which it has been diong for about a day now. is there anything else i can do? i don't know when to try to turn it back on! what do i do!?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Apr 17, 2012 2:24 PM

Best reply

7katz

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Sep 21, 2012 12:13 AM

There may be hope yet - Someone tipped over a beer on the table and a great splash shot into the back of my six month old macbook and onto the logic board. I didn`t know this and thought it was nothing. However, a sudden feeling prompted me to have a look about an hour later and I took the smallest screwdriver I could find (was not a phillips type), opened up the back and saw that a shot of beer had actually made a pathway of green slime across a small section. I got some good glasses, some cotton q-tips and washed away whatever I could see with warm water until it was all gone. I then went onto the internet and found similar problems discussed in macuser. Basically water is not good long term as it contains contaminents that will react with the metal parts on the board so you need to remove everything that might contain elements that will cause further corrosion. I went to the chemist as soon as it opened, bought a small bottle of ISOPROPANOL (alcohol) and cleaned those sections of the logic board with thee q-tips thoroughly all over again. I then left the macbook open for 24 hours (at least) to make sure it was absolutely dry. I closed it up and it worked perfectly and has done ever since. A few months later I met a computer expert, I told him this and he said that it was the best thing I could have done.

It is a good idea to check the macbook inside a few weeks (or sooner) later just to make sure that you have cleaned everything away and there is no corrosion.

I have learned my lesson and keep drinks away from macbook and mac at all times!

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16 replies

Mar 3, 2013 11:35 AM in response to Necca

i spilled coffee two days ago and did not realize the severity of the problem. The MacBook shut off and i immediately turned it upside down to empty as much liquid as possible. After contacting Applecare, i was told to go to a Genius Bare to have it check out. My logic board had recently been replaced and my 2008 model was running like a dream until this incident.

The "Genius" at the Apple Store told me that it would have to be sent somewhere for a cost of $1,295 since it was out of warranty and the damage resulted from human error. He suggested that i buy a new one which is easier said than done since i can't afford one. i insisted that he open it up so that i could see the damage. There was some leftover coffee in the keyboard area and he pointed out to me what he thought would be damage to the logic board and said my machine was toast.

Well upon retuning home, i started it up and everything worked but the keyboard. i was able to use my history and bookmarks to watch video and visit web sites. Today, two days later, i'm typing this with only my capital i not working. i'm going to have one of these local geek squads who do everything cheaply take a look at it and remove any excess coffee. However, with Apple, once you're out of warranty, you're on your own.

i spilled coffee on my macbook pro