Liquids and electronics don’t mix very well – but eating, drinking, and being entertained do mix very well. With the computer being a great source of entertainment and communication, you’re bound to end up eating or drinking by it sooner or later.
The day will come when you knock over a glass of water or open a can of soda that’s been through a bumpy ride home.
Where will it land? Well, most likely on the component that’s right underneath you – the keyboard.
The amount of liquid needed to damage the computer’s components will vary depending on where the water is spilled and if it makes its way through to the internals.
If you accidentally spilled liquid on your keyboard but haven’t noticed anything yet – you may be wondering what to expect from a keyboard that’s been exposed to liquid.
You can expect your keyboard to have water damage if your keyboard stops working completely or partly, if it’s starting to type random characters and repeat letters, or if the keyboard is disconnecting frequently a short time after you spilled liquid on it. You can also visually inspect the components for discoloration and corrosion – usually on laptops, where the keyboard is placed on top of other components.
But there are more signs – let’s take a look at the list, and what you can do to resolve the problem.
3 Signs That Your Keyboard Has Been Water-Damaged
Depending on the severity of the spill and where the water ends up in the circuitry, the outcome will be different. This list includes some of the most common signs that a keyboard has been water-damaged.
Keyboard / Keys Not Responding
Obviously, if the keyboard starts acting up right after you’ve spilled water on it, then you can tell that it has been damaged by the water with ease.
It’s imperative that you disconnect the keyboard directly after spilling water on it to make sure the electronics aren’t running when they come in contact with the water. This could save the keyboard.
Keys Getting Stuck
When you spill liquid on a keyboard, the keys may get stuck in the pushed-down position more frequently. This isn’t because of the liquid itself, but because of the corrosion that it causes in the key’s mechanics over time.
As rust, corrosion, and sticky residues appear on the underlying components, it will start restricting the key’s movement.
Unusual Sounds
The same build-up can also result in strange sounds being made when keys are pressed. If this happens, your keyboard is most likely corroding. This process is hard to reverse when it has been going on for a while.
Typing Letters On Its Own
When a keyboard goes haywire as a result of a water spill, anything can happen. If your keyboard is outputting letters or symbols without having received any input from you, or if the keyboard is outputting other letters than the ones you’re pressing, the keyboard has definitely been damaged.
A keyboard typing on its own can, however, be caused by other things as well.
How To Deal With Liquid Spilled On a Keyboard
If you’ve spilled liquid on your keyboard without seeing any consequences yet – don’t start celebrating right away.
The problems may come further down the line as the water makes its way to fragile components. Regardless of what you’re experiencing, I suggest you disconnect the keyboard as soon as possible and set it to dry overnight (preferably much longer if possible).
Note: You can unplug a regular USB keyboard from a computer while it’s still on without damaging the circuitry. You shouldn’t do the same with a PS/2 connector keyboard as it can accidentally cause damage to the circuitry or the computer’s motherboard.
Visually inspect the keyboard after it has dried. If you can’t find any liquid or residue, plug the keyboard back in.
Note: If the keyboard has been exposed to coffee, juice, or soda – clean the component until the residue is completely washed off.
If the keyboard starts working when you plug it back in, then you’re good to go. However, a lot of people will end up with a keyboard that doesn’t start up. What’s the next step then?
Well, you either spend more time drying the keyboard to make sure it’s completely dried or you jump to the conclusion that there’s nothing to do to get your keyboard back.
I would suggest that you spend more time drying the keyboard first and then start looking for a replacement keyboard.
Additional things you can do to your keyboard to bring it back to life:
- Flip it over to let it dry upside-down, which should let gravity drain the remaining liquid.
- Disassemble the keys and wipe the inside with a dry cloth and let the keyboard sit without keys for a while
This doesn’t apply to laptop keyboards, as we’ve talked about. When it comes to laptop keyboards the procedure is completely different, as water damage often harms all parts of the laptop, not only the keyboard.
But even when it comes to external peripherals, the type of keyboard matters quite a lot. Mechanical keyboards are more resistant to water and dust than membrane keyboards, which makes them more likely to survive water damage.
The extra cost of a mechanical keyboard is worth the investment, and even more so if it can withstand a couple of drops of water.
Tip: Here’s how you tell if a keyboard is mechanical or not.
How Long Does It Take For a Keyboard To Dry Out?
The answer to this question varies a lot depending on the amount of water you spilled on the keyboard, and the method used to dry it out. To be on the safe side, I wouldn’t reconnect a keyboard that’s been exposed to liquid within the first 24 hours, regardless of how it’s dried.
Let’s put it this way;
A wet keyboard should be wiped off with a dry cloth and then left hanging upside down for about 2-3 days to make sure that it’s completely dry before reconnecting it.
If you can open up the keyboard to visually inspect it and make sure there’s no moisture, then 24-48 hours should be enough. Trying to blow dry the keyboard may drive moisture deeper into the keyboard.
How Do You Dry Keycaps?
Remove the keycaps one by one and place them on a paper towel somewhere ventilated. This should remove the moisture from the keycaps within a couple of hours. You can use a hair blower to blow dry the keycaps while they’re on the paper towel.
The keycaps don’t really have any nooks and crannies, so there’s no need to worry about driving moisture deeper into the keys when blow-drying.
Conclusion
If the most obvious symptoms don’t reveal themselves, then it might be hard to identify water damage on a keyboard. However, if your keyboard has been exposed to water, it should be removed from the computer and left to dry, even if it’s working as intended.
But if the keyboard starts acting out minutes or hours after you have spilled liquid on it, then you can rest assured that the liquid has done damage to the keyboard. Can it be fixed? Perhaps! Remove the keyboard as quickly as possible and leave it to dry.
Then chances of fixing it will be greater if it’s a mechanical keyboard, as they’re more durable and able to withstand a little bit of water. Whereas membrane and magnetic keyboards are quite fragile when it comes to moisture.