The entire PC is covered in spills and it's been a week since the issue started.
The entire PC is covered in spills and it's been a week since the issue started.
I removed my PC because I was painting the room. Long story short, someone placed a cola can on top of it, and it covered the GPU, motherboard, RAM, and fans. It’s stuck everywhere—any idea how to clean it without damaging the device?
It’s acidic, which means it probably caused harm already—hope you get a lot of good luck. All impacted parts should be taken apart and cleaned using several mild techniques with the proper tools and solutions. Keeping acid on it for a whole week was a huge mistake.
I won't add another comment about why there was cola for a week. Some things happens, and that's it. I recommend disassembling the computer and cleaning all the parts not electronics with soapy water and rinsing with clear water and letting air dry. As for the electronics, the best thing is probably an ultrasonic cleaner. And if parts are too big to fit in, you can try doing what you can with isopropyl alcohol and a soft toothbrush. The acid of the cola probably did not eat through a lot since most electronics are covered by a protective layer. But every fan and cooler are probably unusable till cleaned properly. And there is also the risk of having cola seeps under some microchips. In conclusion : if you can have someone do the cleaning for you, it's worth spending some money on it. If you gonna throw it to the trash anyway, take some risks and the job yourself. At worst, it will end up in the trash. Good luck !
Take apart all the isopropyl 99% bath items and clean them gently with a soft brush. Allow them to dry for a few days, moving parts often. If it's costly, use less water and scrub thoroughly in three stages: first with dirty water, then clean water, followed by rinsing in a bucket. Reassemble and try. Letting the items sit can help. Clean any sugary or acidic liquids quickly.
It wasn’t my thought that cola was spilled during the week and I did nothing. I just discovered the problem exists—drops on the motherboard, RAM, and a part of the GPS made it easier to fix the GPU. But when I tried taking the RAM apart, I had no idea and the board had non-removable sections, leaving me unsure what to do next.
Previously I encountered someone spilling Coke on a computer from the 80s—specifically an Amiga 500. When we examined it, the IC board was missing, leaving only loose change and remnants of traces and chips. The shaking sounded like shaking your savings pig if you had one. Depending on your location, the Coca-Cola formula was altered at some point, which helped mitigate damage, though it still could ruin coins and destroy IC boards.