Most of us have, at one time or another, have spilled a drink on our laptop. Rather than thinking the computer is completely ruined, a little bit of quick laptop repair might save the machine before permanent water damage is done. Following these three steps can help get your laptop back up and running without having to visit a computer repair shop.

1-Turn off the computer.

Liquids may short-circuit many parts of a working laptop computer. Shutting the power off right away minimizes that danger. Removing external hardware is also a good idea for this reason. If you’ve spilled liquid on your laptop, remove the power cord and battery immediately!

2-Blot the wet area with a dry cloth.

The first impulse may be to tilt the laptop, but that might cause liquid to spread. Take a dry cloth and blot as much liquid as possible. Next, if desired, open the laptop and blot the inside as well. Make sure to take proper precautions before attempting that kind of laptop repair. Don’t go in over your head. If the task of opening up a laptop seems daunting, you’re better off to seeking a professional then potentially causing even more damage yourself.

3-Air Dry 24-48 hours.

Some recommend a hair dryer on low heat, but it is possible to melt the laptop surface and/or overheat metal components. This would result in yet more laptop repair to be done. The best thing to do is to just leave the laptop alone for 24-48 hours before turning it on again. The longer the laptop is allowed to dry, the better the chance that it may function normally.

Depending on how much liquid has been spilled, you may be able to do your own laptop repair and save your machine from permanent water damage. These three steps can help you do just that.

If the above three steps don’t fix the problem, seek a professional. Repairs might not be as expensive as you may think. If cost is a concern, look for a computer technician on Kijiji or Cragislist instead of calling the big name stores. Fixing a laptop that has suffered damage from spilled liquids often requires replacing of components. If the cost of repairs end up being too high, always remember that you can simply recover the data for much less. Removing the old hard drive and mounting it in an external hard drive enclosure means you’ll have access to all of your important files and a brand new external hard drive. Best of all, this service is often very quick and inexpensive.