Do you drink and eat in front of your laptop? Are you careful enough?

[Vash]

Sometimes I drink and eat in front of my laptop. Actually I do it a lot. However, when I do it, I'd be very very careful. I will never move food or any kind of liquid over my laptop.

Keep distance is always the case. If I had to move (lets say a cup of water) from behind my laptop to my face, I'd rather move it sideways first before move it toward me... just to avoid move it "over" the laptop. Even one second of it (having a cup of water over my laptop) would make me nerves...even if it is not really over the laptop but somewhere close. Better safe than sorry is what I believe in. I'd rather take the extra second than to have the potential danger of spill liquid and food over my fragile and expensive Surface Pro 4.

As the matter of fact, years ago I have accidentally spilled water onto my keyboard of my desktop computer. The keyboard stopped working, but it returned to normal after the water dried up. That was a keyboard for the desktop computer. For a laptop, we will not be so lucky. For most laptops, all the key components are right below the keyboard. Even for my Surface Pro 4, while the keyboard is just a keyboard, I will not risk it to spill anything onto the Surface itself.

What about you guys? Do you eat or drink in front of your computer at all? How careful are you usually?

 

[filmjunkie08]

I, too, eat and drink when using my laptop. In fact, I am drinking a soda while I am responding to you. I always try to be careful as well. However, I notice that there are tiny crumbs in between the keys on my keyboard. So far, I have not spilled anything on my computer. (EGADS! I wonder if I have just jinxed myself.)

 

[SirJoe]

Just as long as you are careful and don't eat over the laptop it shouldn't be a problem. I normally will only eat near my computer if I'm watching something and am to haunched over it. This way I know I won't run the risk of having an accident.

 

[Brettni]

I also eat and drink around my laptop. What I found extremely helpful is having a keyboard cover. Keeps food from getting in between my keys and gives me a few seconds to clean up liquids before it begins to drip down into the cracks also. It is a very handy thing.

 

[IcyBC]

Oh I am guilty with this too! I can't help it, and must have a drink on the side table when I am working on my laptop. All my drink is either in a cup with a lid on, or a bottle of water with the top tighten. I don't trust myself, or anyone when they come near me, including the dog.

I have a keyboard cover for my laptop to avoid dust and crumbs, but it can do so much to protect. I have to exercise extra precaution!

 

[Vash]

Oh I am guilty with this too! I can't help it, and must have a drink on the side table when I am working on my laptop. All my drink is either in a cup with a lid on, or a bottle of water with the top tighten. I don't trust myself, or anyone when they come near me, including the dog.

I have a keyboard cover for my laptop to avoid dust and crumbs, but it can do so much to protect. I have to exercise extra precaution!

Every time someone else move a cup of water or other food with liquid over my laptop, I'd freak out and tell them "Do not do that". I do not trust myself not making accidental mistakes, so never mind about other people. It is not like such incidents haven't happened. Like I said, better safe than sorry. We can eat and drink near the laptop, just never "over" it, or have a cup full of water close enough to spill over it in case of accidental turn over.

I also eat and drink around my laptop. What I found extremely helpful is having a keyboard cover. Keeps food from getting in between my keys and gives me a few seconds to clean up liquids before it begins to drip down into the cracks also. It is a very handy thing.

I'd use a keyboard cover if it can make the keyboard completely waterproof. Come to think of it, my keyboard for Surface Pro 4 is also a piece of expensive equipment came at $159.99 when I ordered it. It wouldn't be pretty to have it damaged by soup or juice.

 

[lisasian86]

I always eat and drink infront of my laptop but I'm wreckless. I broke a laptop once by tipping a pint of cider into it but I just don't seem to learn!

 

[obliviousme]

I always eat or drink while working on my computer or laptop but i'm also mindful to not spill my drinks or leave any food crumbs, especially on the keyboard.

 

[cluckeyo]

I spilt a Dr. Pepper all over my old laptop several years ago. That was the end of my laptop. I had to buy another one.

 

[Corzhens]

This is the story of my colleague who is a nerd and an oddball when it comes to cleanliness. Since he thinks he knows computer very well so being neat is not in his style. As long as his computer works, the mess doesn't matter. One time there was a heated discussion about an issue and the nerd got his laptop to stress a point. He didn't notice that the boss has his coffee mug on the table. In the course of elaborating the issue, someone had accidentally hit the mug and the hot coffee was spilled on the keyboard. Everyone was quite until I called their attention that the coffee was steamingly hot. You can guess what happened next, the keyboard was inoperable until the next day when it was cleaned.

 

[Vash]

This is the story of my colleague who is a nerd and an oddball when it comes to cleanliness. Since he thinks he knows computer very well so being neat is not in his style. As long as his computer works, the mess doesn't matter. One time there was a heated discussion about an issue and the nerd got his laptop to stress a point. He didn't notice that the boss has his coffee mug on the table. In the course of elaborating the issue, someone had accidentally hit the mug and the hot coffee was spilled on the keyboard. Everyone was quite until I called their attention that the coffee was steamingly hot. You can guess what happened next, the keyboard was inoperable until the next day when it was cleaned.

Was it a laptop? I thought you said it is.
How is it possible that the hot coffee did not damage the internal components underneath the keyboard? It should have totally killed the laptop. Only desktop keyboards can recover from a spill of liquid on it. Was he that lucky or was it really a desktop keyboard?

 

[Corzhens]

Was it a laptop? I thought you said it is.
How is it possible that the hot coffee did not damage the internal components underneath the keyboard? It should have totally killed the laptop. Only desktop keyboards can recover from a spill of liquid on it. Was he that lucky or was it really a desktop keyboard?

Yes, that is a laptop that the nerd was using. I think the tech took care of the damaged laptop that's why it was functioning on the next day. Or maybe I am not accurate with that, it can be that the tech had lent the service laptop to the nerd for temporary use while cleaning or repairing the damaged laptop. The nerd is an executive so the tech would have provided utmost assistance. Sorry for my assumption of the culmination of the accident.

 

[oraclemay]

I do this quite often but I am also very careful. I keep my drinks on another side table so that there is very little chance of ever spilling. I also notice that little bits, like crumbs do mess on the keyboard. I have never used a keyboard protector, but it does sound like a good idea. I think I may get one of those. I do think that it is a good idea to move away from your computer when you are eating or drinking, even if it is to a side table.

 

[acer93]

I do eat and drink in front of it, but never over it I guess.

I had my own problems with liquids and previous laptops so I try to be as careful as I can. One of the most often occurrence is getting salt on the touchpad and buttons. I love salty food. And salty laptops too, it looks like.

 

[artyarson]

I once spilled my cup of tea over the keyboard. Sure, not a good thing to do. It's always a chore to clean the stuff after something like this happens. Safe to say, I hate it.

 

[judyd1]

I think most everyone eats and drinks around their computer--laptop or PC, makes no difference.

One of my favorite habits is to get my supper and sit in front of my PC watching Hulu while chomping happily away. Yes, there are occasional crumbs that fall on my keyboard, but if I shake it out using the three second rule, it's like it never happened.

 

[Fuzyon]

Yeah, I do eat and drink in front of my laptop a lot, I destroyed numerous keyboards while doing so though! I'm pretty careful nowadays and I tend to not bring drinks too close to it, otherwise my clumsy big hands could cause a mess that would be costly. I just can't eat without watching something or interacting with someone at least.

 

[judyd1]

I wonder what it is about eating and watching television? Is it just a habit? I could also eat while reading, but since I need 2 hands for my book usually and at least one hand to eat, that doesn't add up to the number of hands I actually possess.

I need to try harder to get into the habit of paying attention to my food. I enjoy it, but probably would enjoy it more if I were more aware of the action of consuming my food.

I can go all morning without television (sorry, for me, my computer doubles as my television) but as SOON as I make my plate, I've got to turn on a television show. Hmmm....never a movie, always a series. Even though my food doesn't last through a 30 minute program even.

Never mind. I have serious problems. Apparently, I'm eating too quickly without even seeing what I've got on my fork. I need help.

 

[acerme2]

Oh, no. No matter how tempted I am to eat while watching something on the screen, I would discipline myself to set the laptop aside when I'm eating or drinking. Accidents do happen and I can't afford to lose my laptop at this time. An officemate used to eat and drink at the office pantry with her assigned laptop and accidentally spilled water on her keyboard. The repair charges was almost 1/3 of the purchase price of the laptop. I simply can't afford that.

 

[clair02]

I learnt my lesson with the very first laptop I owned. I spilled juice on the keypad and it stopped working. Now I don't risk it and never eat anything near my laptop. I don't even let people come near it with food in their hands. If anything happened to my laptop I don't think I'd be able to afford another one, so that's really great motivation to be more careful around my laptop.