If your laptop gets wet, how long should you wait before turning it on to avoid short-circuiting? Here’s what you need to know about drying out a wet laptop.
Quick Answers
It can take 1-5 days for the inside of a laptop to fully dry after getting wet. However, you may be able to turn it on safely after just 24-48 hours if you take immediate action to dry it out.
The exact drying time depends on:
- How wet the laptop got on the inside
- What types of liquids spilled on/in it
- How quickly you start the drying process
- Environmental humidity and temperature
To speed up drying, remove all power sources, then disassemble the laptop to wipe away exterior moisture. Leave the laptop open in a warm, dry area with airflow. You can also use desiccant packs or a dehumidifier.
Check for residual moisture in hard-to-access spots before turning your laptop back on. Any remaining liquid could cause electrical shorts and damage components.
How Wet Did the Laptop Get?
The drying time depends largely on how much liquid penetrated into the laptop’s interior. More moisture equals longer drying time.
If just a small amount of liquid splashed on the exterior of a closed laptop, it may dry out in 24 hours or less. But if you accidentally dumped a large quantity of liquid that seeped inside, it could take 3-5 days to fully dry out.
Cracks, ports, and openings provide entry points for moisture. The more openings your laptop has, and the more moisture that got in, the longer drying will take.
What Type of Liquid Spilled?
Water-based liquids like coffee, tea, juice, soda, rainwater, etc. evaporate faster than thick liquids like syrup and oil. The thicker the liquid, the longer it will take to fully dry out of a laptop’s nooks and crannies.
Here are some drying times for common laptop-damaging liquids:
- Water: 24-48 hours
- Coffee, tea, soda: 48-72 hours
- Milk, juice: 72-96 hours
- Syrups, oils: 4+ days
Alcohol and acetone dry quickly, but can damage plastic laptop components. Saltwater and sugary liquids are very conductive and corrosive, extending drying time.
How Quickly Did You Start Drying?
The sooner you start drying a wet laptop, the faster you can get it functional again. Don’t delay taking action.
Power off and unplug the laptop immediately if it gets wet. Remove any batteries. The longer the laptop remains on, the more moisture will get absorbed by components and the longer it will take to dry out.
Disassemble and open up the laptop to wipe away exterior moisture right away. Start airflow drying as soon as possible. The quicker you go through these initial steps, the less time moisture has to seep deeper inside.
Environmental Factors
Warmer, drier environments speed up laptop drying time by facilitating evaporation. Cool, humid environments slow down the process.
Temperature: Heat accelerates evaporation. Drying will go faster at higher ambient temperatures. Turn up the heat during drying.
Humidity: Moisture in the air resists evaporation. Drying will go slower in humid environments. Use a dehumidifier if possible.
During the warmer, drier months, you may be able to dry a moderately wet laptop in 24 hours. The same laptop could take 48-72 hours to dry in a cool, damp environment.
How to Dry Out a Wet Laptop
Follow these steps for the fastest laptop drying:
- Immediately power off and disconnect all power sources, including battery.
- Disassemble the laptop and wipe away any exterior moisture.
- Remove any wet internal components that can be safely taken out.
- Leave the laptop open in a warm, dry place to air dry. Point a fan at it.
- Place desiccant packs or a dehumidifier nearby to absorb moisture.
- Check for residual moisture before turning it back on.
NEVER try to dry a wet laptop in an oven or with a hairdryer. High heat can damage electronic components and plastics.
How to Know When a Wet Laptop Is Dry
Here are signs that indicate a wet laptop is fully dry and safe to turn on:
- No visible moisture on any internal or external surfaces
- No damp smell from inside the laptop
- Desiccant packs are dry again after being near the laptop
- Similar ambient temperature and humidity readings from inside the laptop as the room
To confirm dryness, check hard-to-see spots like under the keyboard, behind ribbon cables, inside port openings, etc. Also allow an extra 24 hours just to be safe if it got very wet.
Turn It On Safely
Once confident your laptop is 100% dry:
- Reassemble the laptop and replace all components.
- Plug it into wall power, but NO battery.
- Turn it on and let boot up. Don’t move it for 15 minutes.
- Check for normal functioning and let run for 30+ minutes.
- If all seems OK, carefully reinsert the battery and test again.
- If it works fine, you can start using your laptop again.
Take it slow and be ready to turn it off immediately if you see any smoke, sparks, weird smells, or hear popping sounds. Even a fully dried laptop could fail due to unseen damage.
Do a Closer Inspection
If your dried laptop won’t turn on or isn’t working right, do a more thorough inspection for damage:
- Check for signs of liquid on internal components
- Inspect ribbon cables for corrosion
- Look for shorts on the motherboard
- Make sure no connections came loose
- Examine smaller integrated circuits
You may need to take it to a repair shop if you can’t find the issue. Some parts made need replacement due to liquid causing permanent damage.
Prevent Water Damage
It’s better to take steps to prevent liquids from damaging your laptop in the first place:
- Keep drinks away from your laptop area
- Shut the laptop if bringing it into a kitchen or bathroom
- Don’t use laptops outdoors when rain is possible
- Transport laptop in a protective case
- Make sure ports are covered when not in use
Accidents happen though. Having a quick-dry plan in place helps minimize the downtime and potential damage when they do.
When to Give Up and Replace a Wet Laptop
If drying efforts fail and your laptop remains dead, it’s time to replace it. Signs it’s beyond recovery include:
- Noticeable corrosion on internal parts
- Permanent shorts on the motherboard
- No power at all when pressing the power button
- Won’t boot up even after completely drying out
- Obvious damage to integrated circuits
Don’t waste too much time trying to salvage a clearly totaled laptop. Just dispose of it properly and buy a new replacement.
On the bright side, you’ll be more careful about keeping the next one away from liquids!
Conclusion
Drying times for a wet laptop can range from 1-5 days depending on the amount of moisture, liquid type, drying speed, and environmental conditions. With quick action, you may be able to get a mildly wet laptop working again after 24-48 hours.
Carefully follow the drying steps, check for full dryness, and thoroughly test function before returning your laptop to regular use. This helps avoid short circuits or unsafe situations.
Ultimately, prevention is best to avoid water damage altogether. But having a plan to dry electronics out quickly can save your laptop if an accident happens.