Rescuing a Water Damaged Laptop Display
On the evening before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year (13th of April) I was as usual sitting in front of my laptop browsing away. (I do that a lot. Hence the blog title). Anyway out of the blue my mom calls me downstairs for tea and tells me to bring the mugs that I’ve taken upstairs but never really returned. For some reason or other I really felt the need to take my laptop downstairs with me. So I unplugged it and closed the lid and took it in my hand.
When I went to get the mugs I saw there are 3 mugs there. So I get the very bright idea of using the laptop as a tray. (I’m really smart aren’t I? Keep reading) So I put one mug turned down so it would wobble less on the laptop. So far so good. There goes the second mug. And here goes the third mug as well. Piece of cake right? Wrong! As my luck would have it, unnoticed by me there was a little water left in the third mug and it went all over the laptop.
Panic!! Laptop!! Water!!! DON’T MIX!!
But keeping a cool head I put down the cups and immediately took the battery out of the laptop. Ok. Breathe. . . Right. Then I took the first piece of cloth that caught my sight (Which incidentally, happened to belong to my sister. Oh well… 
) and wiped the laptop clean. Seemed like no water had reached the keyboard or the vents. So far so good. That meant there could be minimal chance of damage. Holding my breath I inserted the battery in and switched it on.
Fortunately it worked Ok. By Ok I mean it switches on and can do anything I did before. But on the top right edge of the display there was a huge patch of water. Almost like a cloud. 
What could I do? As it was my sheer idiocy that resulted in this outcome I resigned to accept the consequences. My dear laptop isn’t even 6 months old.
Then I logged on and did a bit of googling to look at my options. Which did not look very good. I thought of using a hair dryer to dry the water out. But I found a post in a forum advising against it because the heat could damage the screen further.
I also found a very helpful disassebly guide to take apart the LCD screen. (I can’t seem to find the link right now. If I find it again I’ll post it here) Looking at it, and considering my luck I decided I’ll most probably end up doing more damage than good if I tried that.
Feeling utterly helpless I finally posted about my misfortune on my Twitter with a Twitpic. After I told about what happened Kalinga he suggested that I keep the laptop near a tungsten bulb to dry it out.
He also adviced me to keep checking the temperature regularly to make sure it doesn’t heat up too much. To an LCD display over 60-70 degrees celcius is too much in case you’re wondering what is too much.
This idea appealed to me as well. So I emptied a space in a wardrobe, put my lappy on a dry towel and also put in an old table lamp with a 40W bulb. (I removed the Lampshade obviously)
After 5 or 6 hours in my new “oven” the cloud seemed to be fading a little. A little feeling of hope. Can it actually work?
After a full 36 hours (a little more or less. I did’t keep track of time that accurately 
) the cloud had completely vanished. It’s almost like nothing had happened. Take a look for yourself.
Thanks to Kalinga and his bright idea I got my laptop back just as it was. A little piece of advice. Don’t do the stupid thing I did. Then you can avoid this entire episode. (Of course you’re not as stupid as me. What was I thinking? )
The usual “I dnt giv a sh**” attitude did help after all neda machan =D
There’s still a ghostly patch on the screen but better to keep it. At least it will serve as a souvenir and remind you of the mugs also.
Nice blog macho. Keep up the work.
පිටස්තරයා
April 16, 2009 at 9:32 pm
No no. There is no patch. That’s just the sucky camera on my phone I guess. It’s completely gone.
And thanks. You’re my first commenter.
chathuraw
April 16, 2009 at 9:44 pm
had a similar problem the water dried out but it leave back some white marks pic—> http://pic.twitter.com/xabDI6Oy <—– i thought it was more water but it isnt drying. any advice?
marlon
May 22, 2012 at 5:30 am
thank u so much for the information, ive applied a 40 watt lamp and with in 1 hr already seeing patches in the cloud that are clearing, very thankful for your help as i am a low income earner and did not have money to purchase a new pc such as the other 200 links i clicked in regards to the water behind lsd screen, every 1suggests is not fixable and to buy a new pc, thx again
jesse frewen
May 25, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Hi
cool that you got it going… this is one of the biges mistakes ppl do when an electronic devices get wet, if its a battery powered device, you need to remove the batter ASAP, (Eg: Mobile) and put it under a blog (NOT A CFL) and let it dry for few hours (depend on the amount of watter that got in) this is stop damaging your wet device. since if you apply power, it will damage more.
kalinga
April 16, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Ah… found that link for taking the laptop display apart. Very helpful. But don’t do this unless you’re very sure about your ability to fix it back together again.
http://blog.screenaid.com/2009/03/03/how-i-took-apart-and-repaired-my-notebook-lcd-screen-with-water-damage/
chathuraw
April 29, 2009 at 12:53 pm
While not all together impossible, it is highly unlikely that water damage from a year ago now cause the laptop to cease from working. Corrosion is progressive. However, for corrosion to occur the element must be constantly exposed to the properties of water. Laptops, like any electrical powered machine, produces a great amount of heat. That heat would have thoroughly dried any water by now. Therefore, the element would not be under the threat of corrosion.
However, if the computer is kept close to any equipment that produces steam or any moisture, then, that constant wet and dry senario can produce corrosion in the system and send it belly-up.
mesa water damage restoration
July 17, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hey, I accidentally spilled water on my Dell XPS M1330 LCD Screen and I have the same problem as you. My “clould” of water starts out in the bottom right of the screen. I have unplugged and took off the battery. The laptop is now laying down on the floor with a fan blowing on it. How long should I do this for until I power up my laptop to see if it has dryed?
Michael
November 11, 2009 at 9:18 am
I suggest you leave your laptop in a bucket of rice for about a day or so. Or you can try what I did with the bulb. I left the laptop for 48 hours.
chathuraw
November 11, 2009 at 9:32 am
If I waited 5 days for the laptop to dry, it’s probably too late to save the screen, right?
Caitlin
December 10, 2011 at 6:14 am
This just happened to me earlier today & it ruined my day so far. Hopefully I’ll have the same luck as you. So how far back should I position the lamp? Tungsten and incandescent bulbs are they same thing correct? I’m gonna use a 4o w rating as well. Could you give me tips on how to have the same results please?
Abel
February 13, 2010 at 10:06 am
I’m trying this now. I hope it works.
Dave
June 5, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Hi!
I had the same problem today with my laptop (my son sprayed the screen with water and I thought it was nothing till a couple of hours later when my cloud appeared). I’ll try your advice now…I don’t know how did you position the laptop…I’ll put it upside down…did you do that too?
I hope I have the same results that you had!
Paula.
Paula
June 14, 2010 at 9:56 am
So I definitely spilled an entire glass of water on my laptop and got the same water spot on my screen. I took out the battery and tried your lightbulb idea. I am happy to say that it worked! The water spot is completely gone. Thank you so much for posting this!!!
Shannon
July 19, 2011 at 8:44 am
It worked but the lamp got knocked over and made some brownish spots and melted a couple keys.
But It is so much better!
Thanks
Alice Anderson
July 25, 2011 at 7:02 am
So….a 40watt bulb . . . how far from the display?
Against the screen not behind it, right? Or does it matter?
I was using a moist cloth the other day to clean my very dusty screen, and, *somehow!*, water definitely seeped up into the lower left of the LCD display. Two little ‘line-clouds’, very bright or darkish depending on what angle their viewed from…
And I used the computer all that night and the next morning, even with the worrying spots, because I had ton use it for work. Then I started searching for a way to remedy the problem. It was actually the first I’d heard of the now common-sense-sounding advice of taking the damned battery out and unplugging it.
Earlier in the afternoon and evening I had a high powered fan on it, whilst turned upside down. Don’t know if that helped. Hard to tell.
Having taken most of the screen apart earlier tonight, I satisfied my curiosity about whether the water would seep into the main circuits and chips etcetera. Looks highly unlikely, so that was a load off.
Amazing how little attention I took to how my notebook computer was constructed, just how fragile it is, until a mini-disaster provokes me to investigate. . . .
Anyway, I’ll try the idea, fingers crossed. But the light will be right above the screen as I’m working with it plugged in. Unfortunately, I feel like I may not have sprung into action fast enough with this hopeful idea.
Pat
November 16, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Wait. . .I just found this:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100315110737AAAWEHM
The self-proclaimed expert says, among other things:
“Leave it to dry? That’s the worst thing you can do. Unless the water was triple-distilled, it has minerals and acid in it and leaving it on the parts in the laptop will cause corrosion and eventual failre (to the point that you’ll have to replace the entire upper half of the laptop.”
That sounds like alarmist to me.
My laptop is 8 months old, by the way. I really need it for work, and I don’t feel confident enough drying up the “carbon tracks” (look Ma, learned a new phrase tonight) myself, and sure as hell can’t afford to have it professionally dealt with. . . aarrrgh.
I’m at the incandescent bulb-over-screen stage, finger & toes crossed.
Pat
November 16, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Well I don’t know about that. But for me, the bulb method worked very successfully.
Place the laptop screen about 10-15 cm away from the bulb. And make sure the screen doesn’t heat up too much. Good luck. Hope you’d be able to solve your problem.
chathuraw
November 16, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Thanks much for this, it appears to be working. For about 6 hours this morning I had it a little closer than 10 cms. (that’s a bit under 4 inches for us yanks,) but it’s a smaller-than-usual 40 watt’r and I had a cotton cloth around the display.
Good news it, it’s drying up, so it appears!
I knew that guy was an alarmist, obviously trying to drum up business for his profession. “Worst thing you can do”!? No I already did the worst thing, short of tossing it in the bathtub and leaving it there. I would think common sense is drying a water damaged screen is better than the worst thing!
Thanks to your weblog (and a less hysterical ‘yahoo answers’ that confirmed your solution works, although they suggested placing near a radiator!) I may have dodged a fatal bullet in the life on my laptop.
Good thing to, I was right about to go out and buy a sack of rice and some prayer beads.
Once more, thank you.
– Patrick
Pat
November 17, 2011 at 1:10 am
omg thanks i have i spot right in the end no my sreecn thxks sooo muchh
alora
December 7, 2011 at 5:52 pm
I would really just want to thank the author of this post. I just bought a new laptop and it’s only about 1 month old. It occured two days ago when i accidentally spilled a bottle of water on it. My laptop screen was in a similar position as yours and I am really thankful that I somehow stumbled on your blog. Followed your method and viola, now it’s good as new again. So here is my utmost gratitude to you, you have no idea how much it means to me.
Joshua Choong
December 8, 2011 at 11:32 pm
You’re welcome. I’m glad this post helped.
chathuraw
December 8, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Thank you so much, your idea worked awesome! Based on the experiment you did, i changed it up a little and built “My Own” oven with a 60W light bulb next to it; while also checking on the temperature regularly. It was about 12 hours of experiment, and at the end of the day. I turned my laptop on, the screen was crystal clear as if nothing was happened to it.
Once again, Thanks a lot!
Zack E
December 10, 2011 at 12:06 am
Same thing happened to me and almost my entire screen was covered in water! Thanks to this post, my screen is perfectly clear now. I took the battery out, placed it under a light and checked every 8 or so hours. Took about 36 hours for 99% of it to evaporate, and a few more hours to get it spotless.
Thanks so much!
Jennifer
December 11, 2011 at 4:11 am
I’m scared to use the lamp. So, can you tell me the exact process you went through, and how long you kept the lamp near the computer, how did you position it?
Mb
December 18, 2011 at 8:51 am
Well, I had tried the lamp method, and for the first 30 hours it appeared to be doing the trick (40 watt incandescent about 3 inches from affected part of screen.)
After several days, there was a faint (yes, I must call it ghostly”!) patch, which extends from the left side over 3 inches, with about 1-1/2 inch width.
You can only see it when looking down or way over from the side, otherwise it’s not even noticeable on a black white screen.
Will the interior of the monitor corrode after time, will it leak down and short circuit something!? Time will tell, but I doubt it.
Do you think I should try the Rice Method now or go back to the lamp?
I had to get back to work, and kinda stopped thinking about the water spot. Needless to say, I can’t afford professional service, that’s why I’m here!
Best regards,
Patrick
Patrick
December 19, 2011 at 4:42 am
How do i set my laptop up for the bulb suggestion? Do i open the laptop up and put a towl over it while the back of the screen faces the floor? Tell me how
FireBoshy
December 24, 2011 at 8:35 am
well i had got a laptop for christmas and i was eating ceral and milk got inside
so u looked uo some stuff and i hav clouds on it and know i have a bulb on it do u think it would work i hope so >>>>>…… please reply
alex
December 29, 2011 at 12:34 am
I can see this topic will stand for quite long time ahead!
First, BIG THANK YOU..
I am currently doing the lamp trick..after water has spilled on my laptop..(thank God it’s only water)..and I haven’t seen the result yet..but yet thank you. At least you give me some hope to restore my laptop back as it was.
I place the laptop open and tilted..at least water won’t spread further (hopefully).
I started a fan..before I find your topic..now I’m placing a small lamp near the screen..hoping it works its magic.
I’ll keep you posted with the “good” results. Amen!
Iceberg7
January 22, 2012 at 4:45 am
THANK YOU soo much for this post sir. I panicked as soon as I saw the water stains on my screen. But thank god I found your blogpost. This happened just an hour ago and right now I placed my laptop near the bulb. I am very eager to check if it worked but since you all here said about 5-8 hours, I think I’ll give it a look tmrw morning and leave it near the lamp over night. Keeping my fingers crossed
.. Am soo nervous though… And the water occupied almost 3/4th of my screen so I have very little hope 
Neelu
January 29, 2012 at 9:03 am
i have little patch of water on my bottom of laptop screen what should i do, i was cleaning the screen with water
aMMAD
March 1, 2012 at 12:25 am
my lappy’s whole screen has gone wet with a cleaning liquid while cleaning it.
now its totally wet as can be seen from a bit far and i tried to fix it with a heat of 4-5 hours of sun but it seems useless.
it gives a very bright and red kinda background over my desktop background,
it even let a bit visible view a folder which i open for a while and then close that
what should i do with it???
Prateek
March 21, 2012 at 8:10 pm
does it have to be turn on when u do this?
Dmplz Ouse (@dmplzouse)
March 27, 2012 at 2:09 am
I’d cleaned my eight-month-old Toshiba laptop with Colin spray (Windex) just as I’d always done with my earlier Compaq (never caused any trouble), and ended up with a nasty cloud starting at the bottom of the screen – most of it lighter, but some darker, also a pure white fringe… also some translucent diagonal lines running through… I’m sure that this occurrence would have bothered me no matter what, but being that I’d been miserably ill for several days, that I don’t have a job, that I’d had a tenacious headache all day, and that to top it off, I’d fallen spectacularly down the steps and injured my shoulder on Tuesday… well, this pretty well was the last straw…
I first thought to put it out in the sun (but this had happened in the evening). Checked forums first, which were downright scary / depressing. My wife was making it sound like I’d done something really careless… Oops… I dunno, I’ve got my phones damp / moist / wet pretty often and never had their LCD’s get like this… and my Compaq never did this… was I really being THAT stupid???
Anyway, lacking a 40W, I cautiously used a 60W, with the laptop opened up and placed upside down (hinge up) on the floor with bulb on a plate underneath, just a few inches from the damaged area, my reasoning being that as warm air / water vapors rose, they’d go out the same side they came in, rather than trying to push their way through the rest of the screen…. After 30 min or so on 60W, the LCD surface (not to mention the keypad) seemed predictably a little too hot, so I reverted to the only other thing I had – a 15W flourescent-type lamp – which makes some heat – and kept a flannel cloth over the laptop to contain the heat a little better, and kept it there overnight.
By morning about 80% of the problem was gone. Being a sunny day, I put the unit outside on the veranda, first with the sun on the back of the screen, then with it directly on the LCD – and within a couple hours, everything was perfect again. Thank God.
I’ll put in a vote for solar – all natural and free – so long as you’re not in an area where: 1) the sun is so hot your laptop will melt (I’m in the Himalayas); 2) it’s more humid outside than inside your laptop; 3) local miscreants will relieve you of your “problem” in a way you didn’t anticipate.
If you’re not sure on either of these points, then the 4 paise it’ll cost to run that 15w all day&night is probably well worth it…
Re: the original post, Many Thanks!
mountainman
April 6, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Samething for me ! water in my LCD. I used a dryer and part of the water vanish. The remain disapear 2 days later.
Antonio Carlos Sobieranski
April 15, 2012 at 4:59 pm
I ran across this post after I spilled ~1 cup of water on my laptop. Surprisingly, it was one of very few websites on how to fix water damage without taking it to a professional. I followed your suggestion and I am amazed at how well it worked! My water mark, originally ~1/3 of my screen, is completely gone! Thank you so much. I figured I would have to deal with it for the rest of its lifetime. Thank you, thank you!
LKW
May 1, 2012 at 12:10 am
thank you vvvvvvvv much for posting this,…i had the same problem,….followed your method,…may laptop is same again,… thnx again,..
ijk
May 6, 2012 at 11:39 pm
helloooo i have jus had this problem occur today with my son fabreezinf my acer laptop while my back was turned :@ i hav diagonal streaks and water clouding over a large part of the screen attempting the lamp method before i tranfer it to my airing cupboard overnight hoping the residual heat in there will giv it a boost
emziee
May 18, 2012 at 3:48 am
hI …I spilled Alchohal on my laptop, I put a small bottel of vodka in my laptop bag and it got leaked….my screen behaving the same way..I opened up the back cover of LCD ,used a dryer too..but nothing helped….!!
sunil
June 1, 2012 at 8:26 am