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Accidentally spilling water on your keyboard can be a frustrating experience, especially if you’re in the middle of an important task. Whether it’s a spill from a cup of coffee or a glass of water, it can cause serious damage to your keyboard and even your laptop. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to follow your PC or Mac Keyboard if you ever happen to spill some type of liquid on it.
Table of Contents
How To Fix Liquid Spills On Keyboards
Step 1: Turn off your laptop immediately or unplug your keyboard.
The first thing you should do after spilling water on your keyboard is to turn off your laptop immediately and unplug it from any power source (this goes for an external keyboard as well). This will prevent any electrical damage from occurring and will also stop the water from spreading to other parts of your laptop.
Step 2: Remove the keycaps and components
Whether you are using an external keyboard or the keyboard from your laptop, you need to try to remove as many components as possible. This will make it easier for you to clean the keyboard and dry it out. Even if it’s just the keycaps and switches, that’s definitely a start.
Step 3: Dry the keyboard
Whether you like to put devices in rice, use a blow dryer or just a towel – Make sure to get rid of any visible water droplets, and don’t use too much pressure as this could push the water further into the keyboard.
Step 4: For Spills Other Than Water
Once the keyboard is dry, use a damp cloth to clean it. Avoid using any liquids or solvents as this could cause further damage. If your keyboard is sticky, you can use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to clean it.
Step 5: Dry the keyboard completely
After cleaning the keyboard, let it dry completely before reassembling it or plugging it back into your laptop. You can use a fan or a hair dryer on a low setting to speed up the drying process, but make sure not to use too much heat as this could damage the keyboard.
Step 6: Reassemble the keyboard and test it
Once the keyboard is dry, reassemble it and plug it back into your laptop. Turn on your laptop and test the keyboard to see if it’s working properly. If some keys are still not working, you can try removing them and cleaning them separately.
What To Do If Your Keyboard Still Doesn't Work
Spilling water on your keyboard can be a frustrating experience, but following these steps can help you minimize the damage and get your keyboard back to working properly. If your keyboard is still not working after following these steps, it may be necessary to just buy an external keyboard replacement or take it to a computer shop (for laptops). For high-end keyboards, I would try to get it replaced by the manufacturer through warranty or reach out to communities like Reddit or Taeha Types who build keyboards from scratch.