The worst has just happened.... (Milk spilt inside MBP)

[Xander562]

So I was just sitting with my MacBook Pro at my diningroom table, working on project in keynote for my dad. My mom sits down at the table, (she was sitting opposite me) and spills her entire glass of milk on the back of my MBP. It immediately shuts off and begins to restart. Meanwhile my mom is hurrying to get a towel from the kitchen. I mash the power button to force it to shut off power. I begin to lift up my lappy and milk dribbles down out of the CD slot in the front. I removed the battery and took off the RAM cover to see if any milk had made it in there. It hasn't. I'm too afraid to turn it back on for fear i will ruin it permanently. (if i haven't already) I've propped it up rear vents facing down (thats where i presume the milk entered from) to try and let it drain and hopefully dry. PLEASE HELP! What do I do? I've done everything i could think of so far... Any and all advice on water-damaged macs is needed.

This sucks.....

 

[bartelby]

Don't turn it on or connect any power for at least 48 hours. Open it and leave it upside down on a towel to drain and dry.

 

[techlover828]

good advise, that's what I'd do.d

 

[Killyp]

I'd say even more than 48 hours. Give it 5 days or so, and remove the battery/disconnect the mains. There is no way you can be safer...

 

[maestrocasa]

I just went through something very similar with my girlfriends black macbook. check out the replies to my thread HERE. there's some good advice in there I let it dry upside down on some towels for 3 days, and it's working fine, but some of the keys are sticky. I'm looking for ways to clean under the keys, so if you come up with something let me know.

 

[Xander562]

Yes, that is what i have done. From the sound of it, there's not much more i can do but wait 48 or 72 hours to see if it works. .....

 

[Xander562]

For when (or if) it does boot back up, Does anyone know of any diagnostic apps that i could run to make sure all the various components are working properly?

 

[zioxide]

take it all apart (every piece) and clean each piece off with rubbing alcohol. then let everything dry and put it back together

 

[Xander562]

take it all apart (every piece) and clean each piece off with rubbing alcohol. then let everything dry and put it back together

Wouldn't that then void my warranty? I suppose i'd do this if apple won't fix it. (Or charge an outragious amount for it)

 

[DerekS]

Your warranty went void when you spilled liquid in it, so you have nothing to lose.

Just google for thorough repair/disassembly instructions before you begin.

 

[Tumeg101]

empty a bag of rice (not cooked) in the MBP and let it sit, then empty it all... lol

 

[phungy]

I just don't understand why people drink near their electronic devices. I remember reading a few threads (beer and white) being spilled onto MB/MBP.

 

[emac82]

take it all apart (every piece) and clean each piece off with rubbing alcohol. then let everything dry and put it back together

That is what I would do. And have done actually...This is why I buy Accidental Coverage on my laptops (not through Apple, but from the reseller where I got my MacBook)...

If you aren't comfortable doing it yourself, you can take it to a computer shop... (Same goes to the guy with the sticky keys on the girlfriend's laptop)

 

[zioxide]

Wouldn't that then void my warranty? I suppose i'd do this if apple won't fix it. (Or charge an outragious amount for it)

Your warranty was voided by the milk being spilled on it. I hope you didn't buy the extended one.


Anyways, take it apart and clean all the milk off of every part. You don't want to just leave it for 3 days then try to turn it back on. The milk will still be dried on to the logic board and stuff, and there's a couple problems with that: it's going to be bad for it, it will insulate it and make it run hotter, and it's going to smell like ****.

Check out ifixit.com for disassembly guides. And make sure you keep track of all of the screws.

 

[Alienbrain]

Yeah Everyone has said what to do, but I was just thinking about this today. I wonder when Apple will start doing what Lenovo has done. With some of Lenovo's notebooks they actually have drainage holes in it. So if anything does get spilt onto it there is a drain and all you have to worry about is getting your desk wet.

Anyway good luck with that, it sucks even more because it was milk and if all the parts do not get clean it will smell later on (I am sure that is the least of your worries for now).

 

[emac82]

If it were me, I would either take apart the laptop and soak the logicboard in an Isopropyl Alcohol or Hot Water Bath, to remove the milk. Alchohol works really well and dries very fast. Hot water has worked too, but it will need to dry a few days...and then I woudl just wipe down anything that i can't Soak...

 

[amoda]

Hey,

Good luck to the OP, hope everything turns out well. I have a question that came up while reading this thread and since this thread has been answered (several times) i hope it's okay for me to do a small hijack. I've read, in this and other similar threads, about people dunking their electronics and whatnot in hot water baths. Since when did water+electronics=safe? Or is it only safe when no electricity is running through the device?

Cheers,
Amoda

 

[island]

Clean it out like posted above and see if it works, if not, put it back together and bring it to an Apple Store and let them try to figure out why it doesn't work. I spilled water in a MacBook a while back and I got it fixed at no charge.

 

[emac82]

Hey,
Since when did water+electronics=safe? Or is it only safe when no electricity is running through the device?

If there is absolutely no power running to the device, it shoudl be fine, because it won't short. As long as your let it dry for enough time, you'll be fine.

I have put many wired keyboards through the dishwasher to clean them, and let them dry for a few days...and they work great...

 

[zioxide]

Hey,

Good luck to the OP, hope everything turns out well. I have a question that came up while reading this thread and since this thread has been answered (several times) i hope it's okay for me to do a small hijack. I've read, in this and other similar threads, about people dunking their electronics and whatnot in hot water baths. Since when did water+electronics=safe? Or is it only safe when no electricity is running through the device?

Cheers,
Amoda

The electrical components such as the logic board are completely water tight, so as long as there's no power running through it, if it gets wet it will be fine. The only way the water does damage is it causes a short circuit if there is power running through the component.

So yeah, technically you could take the logic board out of your laptop, wash it off under the sink, and as long as you completely let it dry out, it would be fine. (I'm not responsible for any damage you do to your electronics if you try this )

 

[GoCubsGo]

While it is drying start telling your mom to save her pennies.

 

[squeeks]

I just don't understand why people drink near their electronic devices. I remember reading a few threads (beer and white) being spilled onto MB/MBP.

I KNOW

and i even told everyone DONT DRINK MILK OR OJ NEAR YOUR LAPTOPS YOU MIGHT BE NEXT see: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/4220382/


AND I WAS RIGHT

thats awesome, but im really sorry and i feel very bad for your poor mbp, they are such pretty machines

 

[zioxide]

I KNOW

and i even told everyone DONT DRINK MILK OR OJ NEAR YOUR LAPTOPS YOU MIGHT BE NEXT see: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/4220382/


AND I WAS RIGHT

thats awesome, but im really sorry and i feel very bad for your poor mbp, they are such pretty machines

So that means that within the next like 4 days someone will be on here "O **** I SPILLED ORANGE JUICE ON MY MACBOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[squeeks]

So that means that within the next like 4 days someone will be on here "O **** I SPILLED ORANGE JUICE ON MY MACBOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!"

most likely

 

[wildthing1994]

Even if an electronic device does have the power turned off and the battery out, you should let in sit for a few days before uoy take it apart to clean it. Not allowing the capacitors to disipate over that few day sit time could cause a short when cleaning the part with water or alcohol. I wouldn't clean it with any kind of alcohol either. You should use purified distiled water to avoid any mineral deposites. Capacitors are made to hold a charge for days or microseconds. That was your Electronics Circuits Class 210, please read section 8 of your text for the next week's lesson.