Minute 1 — Power down, no exceptions
Hold the power button for 10 seconds even if the Mac is already on. You're forcing a hard shutdown to stop electricity from flowing through wet circuits. Every second a charged liquid sits on the logic board, more components corrode.
Do NOT 'shut down via menu'. Do NOT 'check if it still works'. Just kill power. The Mac being on while wet is what causes most permanent damage — not the water itself.
Minute 2 — Disconnect the charger and any peripherals
Unplug the power brick from the wall and from the Mac. Pull out USB-C devices, headphones, anything attached. You're isolating the Mac from any external current source. Even the small voltage from a connected charger keeps the board partially live.
Minutes 3–5 — Tilt and drain, no rice, no hairdryer
Open the lid fully (or even slightly past flat if your model allows) and place the Mac on a towel keyboard-side down. Let gravity pull the liquid out of the keyboard well. Leave it like this for at least 24 hours before considering powering on.
Do NOT put it in rice. Rice does almost nothing and starch dust gets inside. Do NOT use a hairdryer — heat solders any sugars (juice, tea, soda) into a permanent crust on the board. Do NOT shake it.
Minutes 5–30 — Decide on action
For pure water and the Mac kept off: you may be OK. Wait 48 hours fully off, then try to power on. If it boots cleanly, watch it for a week — corrosion can develop slowly.
For anything else (tea, coffee, juice, soft drinks, sea/swimming pool water): do not attempt to power on. Sugar and salt residues will corrode the board over the next 24–72 hours even if the Mac dries. WhatsApp us within 30 minutes — we can ultrasonic-clean the board before the corrosion sets.
What AppleForce does in the workshop
Full disassembly, ultrasonic isopropyl alcohol bath of the logic board to remove every residue, microscope inspection for green-pin corrosion, replacement of any damaged components (capacitors, battery, trackpad flex), and a 48-hour post-repair stress test before handing back.
Recovery rate for spills brought in within 24 hours: 90%+. For spills brought in 24–72 hours later: 60–70%. Beyond a week: 30–40%, and any recovery is uncertain. Speed matters.