I’ve just done something very stupid and don't I just know it.
I’ve been punished for my complacence too.

I have just bought parts for a whole new system. I had an open PC lying on the floor turned on with all the new bits freshly installed. Having a little trouble with the HDD and memory timings, I left the case open to tinker and swap out components just to make sure the new bits where not faulty.
It was all working - Hurray! I just turned it on to make sure it all ran before I closed up and put into its rightful place.

I thought I’d have a little drink to celibate – Gin and tonic with some lime. mmm

I don’t have to tell you where this one is going. And yes, it did all get spilt into the machine whilst it was on. I managed to get to unplug it from the power on time before it blew up; but now I’m left with a clean up problem.

I’m sure coving the device in sugary liquid and alcohol voids the warrantee and my insurance does not cover this.
So my next project is clean the machine as best I can to see if it’s salvageable.

Having nothing to hand late last night to do a job I did the best I could with warm water and toilet paper. Dabbing up the mess and drying where possible.

Not the best I know; but better than leaving the machine in corrosive sugar gunk.
I got about 98% if it out. But that 2% will rot the components eventually.

So after work today I’m off to buy some bits for my limited budget DIY repair job.
Isopropyl Alcohol from Maplin and a shallow plastic tray from Ikea to give the all the components a little alcohol bath for an hour or so.

The mother board is worst off. The rest just took some splashes. So I’ll use a cotton bud and care.

I’ll leave the bit for a few days to dry and I’ll tell you how I get on.

If you have any ideas how I can get the best results. Please let me know.
I don’t have any distilled water and I don’t know where to buy any in central London.

I'm glad to say that in all my years of putting things together I've never done something as stupid as this before.

Let this be a warning and reminder to you all. Complacence is BAD!

You can use a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol to clean between tight spots. As long as your liquid evaporates, you should be ok. You can actually do more damage by cleaning in some areas rubbing sensitive parts with rags or putting pressure in the wrong places. I discharge my hand against metal first before handling the board, but an anti static strap is the safest method. Before posting again, you might have to place the board under a heating vent and moving it around to see if any liquid residue is present. If any shows up, then give it an extra day to finish drying out. Patience is the key.

You should be able to get distilled water at Boots or try Kwikfit (for older car batteries). I think carbon tetrachloride can be used - but since it is fairly poisonous you might struggle to get hold of some.

In fact you might struggle to get hold of distilled water since there is a drowning risk ;-)

saliva breaks down sugar.

Maybe next time Kentucky Bourbon might be less corrosive? Try Knob Creek

If you have a similar shop like RadioShack (here in the USA) you can get compressed air cans that come with a straw to put on the tip of can to push out water and sugar. Speaking of water and sugar, can you name an insect thats loves it. Hope you get this all sorted out, good luck!

That would be Maplins. Good point about getting an air can. Hey maybe if you leave the motherboard outside there's enough rain today to give it a good rince. Tomorrow the ants can get the last residue off the board? Everything should be ready for the weekend without you having to do any work (maybe tumble dry on Friday).

It looks like the rain, Ants and Wasps will be able to look after this problem for me.

This is another reason to respect the environment and nature

Isopropyl Alcohol and a Toothbrush is what I use to clean dirty boards. and a paint brush to finish.

Compress Air helps too but is you're not careful it will leave some marks.

OH man... i feel for ya.

1) fill the bathtub with water
2) Plug in the machine.
3)Throw the whole unit in the tub
4) rinse, repeat.

really though Isopropyl Alcohol and a lot of patients...

GL to you.

Lay off the tonic and lime, better yet stick to moonshine. Alomst as clean as isopropyl ...

Well all the parts are as clean as they will ever get.
I think I'll allow two days to dry as its a bit damp at this time of year.

The CPU and fan have been sitting out in the air so I think redoing the Thermal Grease Paste Compound might be wise. Shame I have to buy a whole tube just for a tiny tiny dollop.

You da man!

If you go to a industrial electrical parts supply house, they have great big spray cans of electrical parts cleaner that costs only a few bucks per can. Places like Radio Shack and Frys will carry it usually, but the cans are half the size and cost twice as much. (notice this is NOT contact cleaner) The stuff I am talking about will say "Non-flammable" right on the front of the can. Take everything apart and give it a good dousing, let it dry for a few hours.

I did chuckle at this. Bad luck though, but its a lesson not do things at a late hour trying to rush through thinks/getting a bit wound up or complacent. I cant talk reall i do it all the time lol.

Write back when you feel ready to switch it all on and tells us how it went. Or will we hear the boom first?