The 7 worst things you can spill on a keyboard

If you're like most people and use your laptop or desktop computer near drinks, there's a real risk that you'll accidentally spill something on your keyboard. While the possibilities are endless, there are some things worse than others when it comes to giving your keyboard an unplanned downpour.



7 Water

An atmospheric image of water spilling from a glass.

Most of the liquids on this list contain water, and water alone is enough to destroy any keyboard or electronics in general. When water gets into conductive electronics, it causes electricity to flow where it shouldn't. This can cause permanent damage to the device and, in many cases, means you have to throw your keyboard in the trash.

Modern keyboards tend to be more water resistant these days, but there's a difference between spilling a few drops and pouring an entire glass over your keys. Either way, if you quickly unplug it and turn the keyboard over until it's dry, it might still work.


The problem is that water is full of things that aren't water, like dissolved minerals. Once the water dries, the residue of these materials can also cause corrosion problems, conductivity problems, or simply gum up moving parts.

6 Sugary drinks

A clear glass jug of cola seen from above.

Soda, juice, or anything that contains a lot of real sugar is a nightmare to spill on your keyboard. The liquid component is bad enough, but even if you manage to dry the keyboard, the sugary residue will make it sticky. Aside from sticking the keyboard together, a sugary residue will also attract ants.


Assuming the sticky stuff hasn't gotten into the keyboard switches themselves, where they come into contact with the circuitry, you can still salvage the keyboard. However, this usually involves taking the keyboard apart and then cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol, or cleaning parts like the keyboard's outer plastic casing with a little warm, soapy water. Remember that rubbing alcohol can damage rubber and plastic, so if it's gotten into the keyboard's electronics, don't get your hopes up. Also, mechanical keyboards are generally better for DIY repair and maintenance, but the far more common membrane keyboards aren't really meant to be taken apart.

5 Acidic liquids

A bottle of vinegar next to apples and mint leaves.


I've already mentioned orange juice among the sugary drinks, but it and other acidic liquids like vinegar can wreak havoc on your keyboard. While pure copper doesn't usually react to diluted acids you find in drinks, other metals in your keyboard still can, and oxidized layers that affect conductivity can also form in places where they shouldn't.

4 alcohol

Whisky sundae

As mentioned above, alcohol can damage some plastics and rubbers, and the same goes for the type of alcohol found in drinks. While it's nowhere near as strong as rubbing alcohol, if you don't clean the alcohol stain effectively, some components of your keyboard may fail over time.

Even if you have a “spill-proof” laptop or keyboard, alcohol can be a pain. Someone once spilled an entire beer on my brand new Dell laptop, and while the laptop was fine thanks to its spill-proof design, it smelled awful for months afterward.


3 Milk

spilled milk

I enjoy a nice glass of milk as much as the next person, but spilling some on your keyboard is no fun. It's not so much that milk is a particularly harmful liquid (although it is slightly acidic), but that it's full of proteins and lipids. This means that the little bits of milk you don't remove will go rancid and encourage bacterial growth or mold, resulting in a horrible smell.

2 Coffee

Two hands on a table, the left on a keyboard, the right holding a cup of black coffee.


It's ironic because coffee is the liquid I'm most likely to have near my keyboard, but it can be a triple whammy depending on how you consume it. When you consume it with milk and sugar, you combine the mild acidic power of the coffee with the rancidity of the milk and the stickiness of the sugar. It may just be bad luck, but none of the keyboards I've spilled coffee on over the years have been able to be saved.

1 Seawater

A photo of a beach with water to the horizon.

It's fun to take your laptop to the beach, but if you accidentally get seawater on your keyboard, that's not good. Since seawater is more conductive than freshwater, it's more likely to short circuit, and even if it dries out, there's still salt and other gunk from marine life in it.


Prevention is better than cure

It's not a pretty day when you spill liquid on your keyboard. Even if you can salvage your hardware, the salvage process may be so much work that it's easier to buy a new keyboard. The only surefire way to avoid this is to keep all liquids away from your keyboard.

What's the worst thing you've ever dumped on your own keyboard? If you rescued it, what did you do?

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