Most of us like to have a little snack while watching movies on our Laptops or eat our breakfast, perhaps some cereal and milk, while we work on our Laptops.
While you do so, it’s pretty easy to knock over your cups and spill milk on the Laptop or any other liquid.
I knocked an entire glass of milk over my Laptop, but I soaked up the liquid and immediately checked to see if my Laptop was working.
Unfortunately, it damaged the electrical circuits on my Laptop and permanently damaged it.
So, to prevent such errors, this article will guide you on how to help if you have spilled milk on the Laptop.
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Can a Laptop be Fixed After Milk is Spilled on it?
Liquid spills on a Laptop can damage its components. Moreover, denser liquids like milk can leave stains and dry out slower, so it can damage your Laptop even more.
The damage to the Laptop can be physical or electrical. Milk spills can cause short circuits and even corrosion if not fixed on time.
Time, amount, and the location of the spill determine the extent of Laptop damage.
1. Duration of Laptop Left Wet
The longer your Laptop is left wet more the chances of damage.
You have to clean up the spill as soon as possible; even an hour of soaking your Laptop in liquids can damage its battery and circuits.
Milk contains whey proteins, which can cause steel and metals to corrode over time.
Therefore, you must clean your Laptop and dry it as soon as possible.
2. Location of Spill
The severity of the damage depends on where you spill the milk.
For instance, if you have spilled the milk only on the surface of the Laptop, then it won’t damage your Laptop. A quick wipe will keep your Laptop safe.
Spill on Touchpad
A little spill on the touchpad will not harm it, so you can just blot up the milk.
However, it might be damaged if you spill too much and get inside the touchpad through the edges.
Spill Near Speaker
Milk Spill Seeped Into the Battery
If the spillage has made its way toward the battery, you need to replace it.
Even if your battery works fine, it is now unsafe to use. The water damage can cause your battery to swell, increasing fire chances.
Read about; What are the Chances of Laptop Catching on a Fire?
Spill on Screen
It is unlikely that you will spill anything on the screen while the liquid splashes might get into it.
The milk can leave stains on your screen and damage your LCD or LED screen. If your milk is hot, it can cause more damage.
Hot milk can crack your screen by removing its outer anti-glare coating.
Spill on Keyboard
The spillage can quickly reach the core areas below the keys.
Therefore, you need to power off your Laptop within 30 seconds if the spillage is on the keyboard. Otherwise, it can cause a short circuit.
3. Amount of Spillage
If only a small amount of milk is spilled on your Laptop, you can just blot it off without much damage.
However, if you spill an entire glass of milk over your Laptop, it spreads quickly to internal components causing more damage.
What to do Immediately When you Spill Milk on the Laptop?
The first step to taking care of a milk-spilled Laptop is not to panic and think rationally for both your safety and your Laptop’s.
Logically, you should get the milk out as soon as possible, then clean and check your Laptop.
1. Make Sure your Hands are Dry
Your Laptop can be precious but always put your safety first.
When you spill your glass of milk or any liquid over, there’s a high chance you spilled it over your hands.
While panicking by the spill, you might touch the power outlets or cables to plug in a rush.
Electric shock voltage in a Laptop is low; however, when it is wet, it can cause a current leak and easily shock you.
2. Turn the Laptop Off
Immediately turn your Laptop off. The milk can seep inside your keyboard and reach the electrical circuits causing it to short circuit.
So, it would help if you cut off the power supply as soon as possible. Simply press the power button off as a primary safety measure.
3. Remove the Battery and Plug-ins
The next step is to remove the external plug-ins and battery. But, before you remove them, you need to ground yourself.
Grounding will remove any static electricity and keep you safe. You can do so by standing barefoot on the ground, removing static clothing, etc.
You can remove the battery by flipping your Laptop and removing the bottom panel.
However, if you are a Mac user, you will need to unscrew the housing to remove the battery.
Next, you can remove mice, keyboards, USBs, etc., and anything plugged into your Laptop.
4. Turn the Laptop Over
You must ensure that the spilled milk does not seep into the internal components.
Flip the Laptop over to prevent the problem.
If you have spilled a lot, you can gently shake your Laptop to get the milk out.
Materials Required to Clean Milk Spills on a Laptop
You need specific products to clean your Laptops as they are delicate and can be damaged by harsh cleaning equipment.
| Cleaning product | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 99% isopropyl alcohol | Wiping off the milk stains |
| Microfiber cleaning cloth | Lint free absorbent cleaning option to soak spilled milk |
| Compressed air can | Blows aways the excess liquid |
| Bryson screen cleaner | Cleans stains from the screen |
| Alcohol wipes | Cleans stains from screen and laptop casing. |
Do not use alcohol or water to clean spills on the screen.
How to Clean Milk Spill on Your Laptop?
The laptop can be cleaned to remove any stains and milk inside the components after you have ensured it is safe and removed any extra milk.
1. Blot the Laptop Clean
It would help if you found a clean piece of absorbent cloth to blot the milk out of your Laptop.
Avoid using tissue or newspapers, which can leave further residue inside the keys or the ports.
If possible, also avoid using clothes that leave lint residue.
Microfiber cloths are best for cleaning purposes. Remember not to rub or use excessive force while cleaning the delicate Laptop components.
2. Wipe Down the Laptop
Milk, unlike water, can leave stains and residues, so you need to use a damp cloth to wipe off the spilled area.
In addition, if there is sugar in your milk or other additives, it can leave a stubborn sticky residue.
You can use lukewarm water to dampen a cleaning cloth and wipe the area down.
Keep your Laptop flipped while carrying out this step so any drips will fall instead of going inside the Laptop.
3. Remove the Keys to Clean Spots
If the spill occurs on your keyboard, you must remove the keys to clean out any milk that might enter before it reaches the internal components.
You can easily remove the keys of a keyboard. However, if you are using a mac, you can use a probe tool to remove keys off a mac Laptop.
You can use a fan to ensure the liquid has dried off your keyboard by pointing it toward the keyboard for hours.
After dismantling the Laptop, make sure not to lose any screws to put it back together.
4. Dry Your Laptop
After cleaning the Laptop with a damp cloth, you need to use a dry cloth to ensure your Laptop is dry.
Using hairdryers might seem like a quicker way. However, plastics used on keyboard keys have a shallow melting point.
Therefore, if you must use hairdryers, use them in a cold setting.
Other alternatives for drying your Laptop are mentioned below.
- Use a dehumidifier to help remove moisture faster. You can use a small dehumidifier to remove the moisture from a particular area.
- Use a desiccant like silica gel packets sealed in a bag with the Laptop.
- Use compressed air cans to blow the milk out of vents and keyboards.
Read more to learn how to clean your PC and Laptop without compressed air.
5. Remove Dry Residue
Remove any lint pieces or residues left behind during the cleaning and drying.
You can use compressed air to blow those residues out.
How Long to Leave Laptop Turned Off After the Spill?
The spill incident might make you panic, so your first instinct would probably be to turn the Laptop back on to see if it’s working.
But that’s a big mistake because it could lead to a short circuit if the liquid is still inside the Laptop.
You can use a small fan to speed up the drying process.
What to do if the Laptop is not Working Properly After the Spill?
Your Laptop might not open, or your display or keys might be damaged due to the milk or liquid spill.
In such cases, you must test your components and take them to repair shops for permanent damage.
1. Test the Components Out
You are using a hit-or-miss trick with this method, but as long as you figure out the faulty component, consider your work half-done.
You need to test each component out.
For example, check your trackpad, speaker, charging slot, etc., to ensure everything is fine.
After finding the faulty part, you can take it to the repair shop to fix it.
2. Check for Permanent Damages
Overexposure to moisture can also cause permanent damage to your Laptops, like water inside the battery and damaged speakers.
If there is temporary damage to your Laptop, like the keyboard being blocked due to sticky milk residue, you can easily clean it up with some Q tips and water.
However, you might need to replace your battery and other parts for permanent damage.
If your Laptop works after the spill, it does not mean there is no damage to it.
Therefore, check for the signs that appear on your Laptop, or get them checked by a repair shop to fix it completely.
Here are some signs of Laptop damage due to spillage.
- The Laptop won’t open
- Your screen is cracked
- The battery won’t charge
- Internal circuits are burned
3. Take the Laptop to a Professional
If your Laptop doesn’t turn on or charge, or the display is damaged, you will need professional help.
Please take it to a repair shop and get the faulty parts changed.
Tips to Prevent Milk Spills on a Laptop
It is better to prevent the spillage itself rather than fix the problem.
While spillage is not our fault, we can take some measures to avoid it.
- Try not to eat or drink around your Laptop.
- If you have to drink, try to keep your glass of milk or liquid as far away from your Laptop as possible.
- You can use a Laptop riser or stand to make sure not to get any liquid on a Laptop, even if you spill it by accident.
- Lids are available for cups and glasses; you can keep the lid on to prevent spillage.
- Use keyboard covers to prevent the milk from moving in, even if it spills over your Laptop.
Read about; How to Use a Laptop Stand Ergonomically?
The Bottom Line
Any liquid spill can easily damage your Laptop if it reaches the internal components.
Therefore, you must turn the Laptop off first; then, you can clean the Laptop by blotting off the spilled milk and cleaning the stains.
However, get the Laptop checked in a repair shop if the spill amount is high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Milk Spill Worse than any Other Liquid Spill?
All kinds of liquid spills are harmful to Laptops.
You might spill water, alcohol, coffee, wine, milk, etc., or anything on the Laptop.
However, milk spillage is different as it leaves stains on your Laptop, while water does not. But any other sugary liquids can also cause sticky residue.
Can We Use Rice to Dry Laptops After the Spill?
Rice is a desiccant so that it can dry your Laptop.
However, doing so would bring forward more problems that are not worth the effort.
For instance, the rice grains can be stuck on your keyboard keys; they can wedge inside the charging and USB ports.
Also, the powdered or small rice grains are tough to remove from tiny ports.
It can interfere with charging, audio, and even typing.
Also, read: How Often should you Clean your Computer?
Can We Use Soap and Water to Clean Milk Spill Stains off the Laptop?
You can use soap and water on your laptop’s casing to clean the spills.
However, avoid using soaps on LCD or LED Laptop screens; it can harmful ingredients like; alcohol, benzene, and ammonia, which can damage your display.
You can use diluted soap and water mixture even on the screen if you are a Mac user.
In addition, you should only use distilled water on LCD or LED screens.
