Like many people working from home, you roll out of bed with enough time to put a pot of coffee on before you need to be online. Whether stationed at the kitchen table or a deliberate office, you settle in for another day of remote work with a big cup of Joe by your side.
An early morning jolt of caffeine is often necessary to focus on a screen, but your coffee symbolizes a major risk to the WFH day. One wrong move, and you can spill your coffee all over your keyboard.
Read on to learn what to do if you’re in the middle of a disaster right now.
What to Do if You Spilled Coffee on Your Keyboard
Don’t beat yourself up if you manage to spill coffee (or any other liquid) on your keyboard. Plenty of people do it.
Here’s what you can do to deal with this issue:
- Turn off your laptop or unplug your keyboard, cutting power to this hardware.
- Sop up any liquid with an absorbent microfibre cloth or paper towel.
- Flip the laptop or keyboard over, getting gravity to help any remaining liquid escape.
- Give your laptop or keyboard time to dry out.
- Don’t use rice, an air compressor, or a hair dryer to speed up the process.
If you’re lucky, these tips will be enough to get you back to your day. But a big spill can fry chips or leave behind a sticky residue that interferes with your keys. What then? It depends on whether you use a company PC.
How to Get Your PC Repaired
If your company provides tech to its employees, let them know you may need a repair or replacement.
If your personal computer moonlights as your professional tech, it’s up to you to fix this issue as soon as you can.
First, check if you’re still under warranty; this might cover full or partial repairs. If this warranty is expired, get a quote from several repair shops in your area.
Sometimes, a repair tech can simply clean or replace your keyboard. But in severe cases where damage to your battery or motherboard occurs, it might be cheaper to replace your entire PC.
How to Afford a Repair or Replacement
A brand-new computer or laptop can set you back $1,000 or more, which far exceeds what the average person has in savings. Luckily, online personal loans exist to help you in these emergencies. You might be able to use an installment loan or line of credit to finance a new computer when you can’t delay this essential purchase.
Before you borrow an installment loan, calculate your cost to make sure you can handle these payments. By crunching the numbers early, you can figure out how much you need to budget for your online personal loan.
Don’t Let it Happen Again
You don’t want to repeat the stress of damaging your computer, so do what you can to avoid another spill. Wake up a little earlier to enjoy your cup of Joe away from the computer. If you need this coffee at hand all day, invest in a plastic keyboard protector.
More importantly, sit down with your budget to help you build a tech emergency fund to help you afford a repair without taking out a personal loan online.
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