Water damage can be saved in 90% of cases

Disclaimer: This guide has been prepared in good faith. However, we cannot accept any liability for the use of this assistance. The use of this assistance is at your own risk.

Keeping a cool head increases the chances of rescue enormously

If you have spilled water or any other liquid on your beloved MacBook, it is not necessarily the death sentence for your MacBook. In rare cases, the hard drive is affected by water damage, so your data is probably not lost. It is important that you keep a cool head now and follow the first aid steps.

First aid: Do not switch the device on again!

No start attempts

We know it’s tempting to see if your MacBook might still be working, but don’t turn it back on. Attempting to start the engine can make the damage worse. Immediately switch off the device and disconnect it from the power supply to avoid further damage.

Liquid out of the MacBook

Next, we need to remove as much of the liquid from the MacBook as possible. To do this, place the device so that the liquid flows out of the openings through which it entered. If you have tipped a glass of wine over the keyboard, first place the MacBook with the keyboard on a towel. Make sure that no liquid can flow into the display. Proceed similarly if the water has entered through the side openings, in which case place the MacBook on its corresponding side. Allow the MacBook to dry for 48 hours. If you put the MacBook on the heater, the drying time will be shortened to 24 hours.

Note: Please do not use a hair dryer for drying, it may damage the keyboard and other plastic parts. Additionally, the airflow pushes the liquid back into the MacBook.

The following video explains the important steps again in detail:

Play Video

The solution: drying, Apple dealer or notebooknerds

While your MacBook dries, you can figure out how you want to deal with the water damage. You basically have 3 options: Drying, repair by an Apple dealer and smart rescue by the notebook nerds.

Drying

We cannot recommend this solution in principle. After drying, residues often remain that cause further corrosion. Devices that work again after drying often break down in the long term due to corrosion. As can be seen in the picture, corrosion grows much like a fungus. This growth often causes a short circuit sooner or later and the device can be damaged. We do not recommend this solution because we have seen too many devices that could be easily saved, but which have become irreparable due to further use. However, if you have a very old device where a spontaneous failure is justifiable. Think about regular backups of the data!

We recommend this emergency solution only if the device is very old (< 2010) and a spontaneous failure is justifiable. Please remember to back up your data regularly.

Korrosion
Main board after drying

Repair by an Apple reseller

A repair by an Apple dealer can be relatively expensive. The cost of repair can quickly exceed the value of the MacBook. We would only recommend this form of repair if the MacBook is very new and the costs incurred can be well borne. You can find an Apple reseller near you via Apple Support.

We recommend this solution only if the high costs can be well borne.

Smart rescue by the notebooknerds

If a repair by an Apple dealer is too expensive, the smart rescue from the notebook nerds offers a good, cost-effective alternative. After liquid damage, Apple dealers always replace all components that have come into contact with liquid. We clean your device and check which components have been damaged. Affected components are repaired or replaced. These small parts are much cheaper than whole components, so we can offer you a competitive price. Our works are guaranteed for 12 months. This solution is useful when the repair price of an Apple dealer exceeds the value of the MacBook or the money for the repair is not available.

Recommendation: If a good, inexpensive rescue of the MacBook is desired.

Solutions overview

Solution Solution type Risk Costs
Drying Dry the device and hope that it works High First free of charge, possibly high follow-up costs
Repair by an Apple reseller Replacement of all components that have come into contact with liquid Low Mostly 800 - 1200 €
Smart rescue by the notebooknerds Cleaning and replacement/repair of the defective components Low 367 € Fixpreis im Erfolgsfall, sonst kostenlos

Conclusion

Water damage usually does not make a MacBook a total loss. For each MacBook, you can now decide which is the best solution for your case depending on the age and importance of the device, as well as your wallet.

About the author

Stephan Steins is the technical director of Notebooknerds. He has many years of experience in smart MacBook rescue. In addition to the classics such as water, coffee and red wine damage, he has also freed MacBooks from fake blood or cat urine. He finds milk particularly unpleasant because milk usually has large areas of mold.

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Your MacBook has water damage? We save it.

  • 90% success rate due to our experience
  • 3 days average rescue time
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For the treatment of the motherboard you pay a fixed price of 367 €, no matter how tricky it is to fix the error.

Call us at 0231 22 61 46 30 or write us via Whatsapp and let us advise you.

The fixed price refers to the treatment of the motherboard. If the replacement of components (e.g. battery, display) is necessary, we will contact you to find a favorable solution. Don’t get confused by other estimates. As a rule, the listed components do not need to be replaced due to our smart treatment method.