SERIOUS REPLIES ONLY, when should I turn on my MacBook?

[jordysak]

This might be over panicking but I don’t want to cause any damage to my MacBook (less than a month old).. so I’d like to take the correct precautions

It just so happens to be that I was in a rush, washed my hands (because covid), quickly wiped them with a towel, grabbed my MacBook (I use it without a case) and left ..
however my hands were not fully dried and as I placed my MacBook on my car seat I noticed my fingerprints on the MacBook, from where I held it.
The fingerprints quickly evaporated/disappeared from the surface of the lid of the MacBook ..
But the way I held my MacBook, my fingers were covering the USB-C ports so im imagining some of the water from my fingers went inside the ports too (nothing visible) , how long should I wait before plugging my MacBook in?

To be more specific, my hands were not dripping water but they were wet/humid, because I didn’t dry them fully after washing them. The MacBook is a M1 Pro model.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Put the Mac on its side. If no water drips out of any of the pots, you should be fine to turn on. If you do see any water come out, do not turn on. I would wait a minimum of 24 hrs.

 

[KaliYoni]

Well, given your thread title I had to reply. I think you should only turn your MacBook on if you're ready to spend enough time and effort to give it a happy ending.

 

[TiggrToo]

This might be over panicking but I don’t want to cause any damage to my MacBook (less than a month old).. so I’d like to take the correct precautions

It just so happens to be that I was in a rush, washed my hands (because covid), quickly wiped them with a towel, grabbed my MacBook (I use it without a case) and left ..
however my hands were not fully dried and as I placed my MacBook on my car seat I noticed my fingerprints on the MacBook, from where I held it.
The fingerprints quickly evaporated/disappeared from the surface of the lid of the MacBook ..
But the way I held my MacBook, my fingers were covering the USB-C ports so im imagining some of the water from my fingers went inside the ports too (nothing visible) , how long should I wait before plugging my MacBook in?

To be more specific, my hands were not dripping water but they were wet/humid, because I didn’t dry them fully after washing them. The MacBook is a M1 Pro model.

You’re absolutely fine and stressing over nothing.

 

[trevpimp]

I would tend more into taking care of your MacBook as much as possible

Don't touch with wet hands, don't leave on the ground, edge of table, etc

Don't touch it for a few hours and when your done you can run a diagnostics test to see if anything is wrong

 

[jordysak]

Put the Mac on its side. If no water drips out of any of the pots, you should be fine to turn on. If you do see any water come out, do not turn on. I would wait a minimum of 24 hrs.

No, there doesn’t seem to be any water pouring out. I would assume it quickly evaporated even if there was, my main concern would be plugging in my MacBook or avoiding possible corrosion of the charging port

 

[jordysak]

You’re absolutely fine and stressing over nothing.

Perhaps you’re right but the MacBook is less than 14 days old and I’ve heard many horror stories with water destroying macs ..
I am mostly worried about corrosion overtime or charging issues. I believe the ports have metal in it and that would be susceptible to water damage wouldn’t it?

 

[jordysak]

I would tend more into taking care of your MacBook as much as possible

Don't touch with wet hands, don't leave on the ground, edge of table, etc

Don't touch it for a few hours and when your done you can run a diagnostics test to see if anything is wrong

I know I know , it was stupid of me to hold it the way I did and to not dry my hands properly ..
What diagnostics do you mean and how would it tell me if there’s damage caused by water?

I just find it funny that there are people so careless and nothing ever happens to their MacBook and it seems like the more I care for it, the more accidents as such occur

 

[svish]

I think that no damage would have occurred. But just to be safe, power on the Macbook after 24 hours. In case there is any water, it should dry out by then. Most probably there won't be any issue. No worries!!!

 

[jordysak]

I think that no damage would have occurred. But just to be safe, power on the Macbook after 24 hours. In case there is any water, it should dry out by then. Most probably there won't be any issue. No worries!!!

How about corrosion?

 

[TiggrToo]

Perhaps you’re right but the MacBook is less than 14 days old and I’ve heard many horror stories with water destroying macs ..
I am mostly worried about corrosion overtime or charging issues. I believe the ports have metal in it and that would be susceptible to water damage wouldn’t it?

You had damp hands. That’s it.

The very air we breath has moisture!

Honestly you are totally fine.

Any moisture on there has already long since evaporated.

 

[laptech]

How about corrosion?

Get some Isopropyl alcohol, commonly refered to as isoprophynol alcohol, a cotton rag or a cotton ear tip bud and wipe down the area you think where liquid may have been. The isoprophynol alcohol combined with the cotton rag/ear tip will remove any surface grim or residue. If you do not take action quickly any water will start to ingrain into the metal parts and start the corrosion process.

 

[trevpimp]

I know I know , it was stupid of me to hold it the way I did and to not dry my hands properly ..
What diagnostics do you mean and how would it tell me if there’s damage caused by water?

I just find it funny that there are people so careless and nothing ever happens to their MacBook and it seems like the more I care for it, the more accidents as such occur

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

 

[TiggrToo]

Get some Isopropyl alcohol, commonly refered to as isoprophynol alcohol, a cotton rag or a cotton ear tip bud and wipe down the area you think where liquid may have been. The isoprophynol alcohol combined with the cotton rag/ear tip will remove any surface grim or residue. If you do not take action quickly any water will start to ingrain into the metal parts and start the corrosion process.

It’s not water. It wasn’t submerged. The OPs hands were damp - not wet.

And it was over 12 hours ago now!

 

[KaliYoni]

OP: if you happen to have some plastic bins (or even bin liners in a pinch) and a few moisture absorbing packets–you know, the square things that say "Do Not Eat" that are often found with new clothes and in packaged foods–around, you can put your Mac and some packets into a bin overnight–or longer, if you have time. Then you can feel good about taking a concrete action and not have to worry about relying solely on Internet advice.

 

[Longkeg]

OP: if you happen to have some plastic bins (or even bin liners in a pinch) and a few moisture absorbing packets–you know, the square things that say "Do Not Eat" that are often found with new clothes and in packaged foods–around, you can put your Mac and some packets into a bin overnight–or longer, if you have time. Then you can feel good about taking a concrete action and not have to worry about relying solely on Internet advice.

If you prefer to go “organic” you can substitute 10 to 20 pounds of rice for those toxic moisture absorbing packets. Not only will it desiccate your electronics but it should provide a few extra days of food rations come the zombie apocalypse.

 

[Madhatter32]

What is done is done. I would suggest that you turn it on and use it to find out if anything was damaged after an hour or so. Maybe tilt it to promote reverse any drips out of the machine. The water, if any, probably would have evaporated quickly. The odds of damaging the computer with damp hands is very low. Now, if it was a butterfly keyboard, you would not have even needed damp hands to damage it. An M1 ... no worries I would think.