MacBook damaged by water

Take the motherboard out of the laptop following the guides (the LVDS guide is not optional!) and clean it with 99% isopropyl or denatutred alcohol - this will give you the best chance of salvaging the laptop as an end user if you do not have access to an ultrasonic cleaner. Refer to this wiki for instructions on cleaning the board. For device assembly, refer to the device page if you need to remove anything else. For the sake of time right now, just focus on the logic board. There is also a really good chance the keyboard is dead and needs to be replaced, especially after water damage.

After you get the board out, check how far the spill spread and if it got close, change the battery to be sure - the BMS does not like water and it will likely never work right again. While there are no guarantees the MacBook will come back, a proactive approach will give you the best chance. If it does not, the 2011 boards and screens are somewhat unique, and require fitting to use a 2012 board in your old system so you may need to stick to the 2011 boards if you decide to replace it in this instance.

However, what I am going to do is recommend a used Mid 2012 as a replacement (non-Retina) if the machine does not come back. The 2011 13” can be purchased for next to nothing (especially with cosmetic problems), but the lack of Metal 2 support makes them a subpar choice. You can still get by on them, but as a general rule if you have a 2011 die on you, it’s time to upgrade to at least a 2012 with Metal 2 if you can afford it. The issue is the Metal 2 support was dropped and everyone followed so soon it’s kind of a question how much time is left with mainstream programs.