We get the call almost every week at our Perth workshop. Coffee, water, wine, Coke, someone knocked a glass over their laptop. The first 60 seconds determine whether the laptop survives. Here’s what to do, in order, before anything else.
Step 1: power it off immediately. Don’t wait for Windows.
Long-press the power button until the laptop fully shuts down. Do not “shut it down properly” through the menu, every second of power running through wet circuits is causing corrosion and shorts. Get it off NOW.
Step 2: unplug everything and remove the battery if you can
Pull the charger. Pull any USB devices. If your laptop has a removable battery (older ThinkPads, some Dells), pop it out. Most modern laptops have internal batteries that need a screwdriver, don’t waste time on that, move to step 3.
Step 3: flip the laptop upside down
Open it to a 90-degree angle, then place it screen-down on a towel, keyboard facing up but tilted so liquid drains AWAY from the motherboard. Most laptop motherboards sit under the keyboard, gravity is your friend here.
Don’t put it in rice. Don’t blow-dry it. Don’t try to turn it on to “see if it still works”. Just leave it draining for 30 minutes.
Step 4: bring it to a Perth workshop within 24 hours
This is the critical step. Liquid spills are race-against-corrosion repairs. Even after the liquid has dried, corrosion starts eating into the copper traces on the motherboard. Sugar-based drinks (Coke, juice, wine) are the worst, they leave conductive residue that causes shorts days or weeks later.
In our Perth workshop:
- We disassemble the laptop completely, keyboard out, screen disconnected, battery out
- The motherboard goes into an ultrasonic cleaner with a specialised solvent that lifts contamination
- We treat any visible corrosion with isopropyl alcohol and a fine brush
- We replace any components that died (commonly the keyboard, sometimes the trackpad cable)
- We reassemble and test under load for a few hours
What it costs in Perth
Liquid damage repair starts at $199 in our workshop. The final price depends on what didn’t survive:
- Just the keyboard died: ~$199–$300
- Motherboard cleaned, no component replacement needed: ~$199–$280
- Motherboard cleaned + new keyboard + new battery: ~$400–$600
- Severe spill with multiple component failures: quoted on inspection
We always quote in writing after diagnosis. The $85 inspection fee applies.
Common mistakes that turn a fixable spill into a write-off
- Trying to turn it on to “check it”: powers up the corrosion process, kills components that were savable
- Putting it in rice: marketing myth. Rice doesn’t absorb anything; you’re just losing 24 hours during which corrosion eats your motherboard
- Using a hair dryer: pushes liquid further into components, melts plastic
- Waiting “to see if it dries out”: by the time you see issues a week later, the corrosion damage is permanent
Tell us what spilled
If you’re calling our Perth workshop after a spill, tell us:
- What liquid (water is most forgiving, sugary or alcoholic the worst)
- When it happened
- Whether you’ve tried to turn it on since
That tells us how aggressive the cleaning needs to be and how time-sensitive the repair is.
Spilled water on your laptop? Call 08 9325 1196 right now. We’ll talk you through the next 5 minutes on the phone and book your laptop in the same day.