Sister spilled nail polish remover over her MacBook...

So my sister wasn't thinking it was a bad a idea to be watching a YouTube video on her MacBook Pro while using nail polish remover and keeping the bottle open. Low and behold she knocked it over and it spilled all over her keyboard. I took the liberty of attempting to check the computer, albeit very simple, by just taking off a few keys to see if any pooled up. No remover was found under any of the keys likely due to it containing acetone (evaporates quickly.)
The MacBook Pro shut down a few moments after the spill, sadly. I know it has to do with the acetone likely dissolving wires, parts of the circuit board, etc. I also know AppleCare doesn't cover accidents, but her AC expired in July. My main question: What are the repair costs? I know it's going to be pricey, for sure. When I tell her the whole deal I want to able to supply her with options. If she wants to repair it, go for a cheaper but good-for-now laptop, etc.
Thanks for the potential help!

HowWeStult,
So the important thing is not to try to turn on the MBP (As mentioned by Sparkleberry). If possible you should take the bottom off and disconnect the battery. Use iFixIt as has been mentioned.
It would depend on what the solvent was in the remover. Earlier it was acetone and now they're using something chemically similar:
http://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-nail-polish-remover
" Acetone (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen) C3H6O
Ethyl Acetate- colorless, flammable liquid
Butyl Acetate- production of lacquers
Aloe Vera- protects and conditions the nails
Glycerin- helps nails and skin from drying out
Cetyl Acetate- skin conditioning agent and emollient
Petroleum- chemical compound with 5 membered lactam
Phthalic Anhydride- made from crystalline "
So with the composition listed here:
First 3, short term - dissolving of the membrane, insulation between the membranes of the keyboard.
Damage to the connectors (plastic) from the keyboard and between components to the logic board.
Aloe Vera, Cetyl Acetate and Phthalic Anhydride, long term - possible hydroscopic action which would lead to eventual corrosion of keyboard and logic board.
Depending on how much nail polish remover was spilled the consequences would be - total damage to the keyboard, possibility of resurrection of the logic board depending on the long term effects I describe. In general NPR is so volatile that it would evaporate very quickly. So the possibility of saving the logic board is high.
Keyboard is another issue. In that case the trace from the power switch would be so damaged that you couldn't turn on the computer. There are usually pads to enable startup directly from the logic board.
But pull that bottom off and disconnect the battery and let it dry out.
"The MacBook Pro shut down a few moments after the spill, sadly. I know it has to do with the acetone likely dissolving wires, parts of the circuit board"
I can't think of anything that the acetone would necessarily damage that's on the logic board. The "long term" components might have reached the logic board and caused the shutdown since they would be mildly conductive.

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I spilled nail polish remover onto my keyboard.

I spilled nail polish remover onto my keyboards and everything was okay. After a few minutes, the keys started not working and then the computer shut off.
after two hours or more my macbook starting making a loud vacum nosie and the lights on the keybaord were on but the screen was still black. Also the charger was not charging. Then after a few minutes, the keyboard shut off and thevacum noise shut off.
My macbook pro wont turn on anymore. Wondering if this is fixable and how much its going to cost ? What needs to be fixed and yeah.
btwThis happened just yesterday.

The only way to answer your questions is to take it in for testing/servicing.

I spilled nail polish remover on my keyboard about 30 some minutes ago... it is okay, the only problem is my some of my keys don't light up anymore. Is there a way I can make them light up again without getting it fixed?

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Hello kallieford and welcome to Apple Support Communities,
"my some of my keys don't light up"
Well if that's the only thing that happened you're very lucky. I would have expected severe keyboard issues!
Losing a few leds on the keyboard is pretty minor.

Spilled nail polish remover on my keyboard... help!

:[
I don't know what to do! The computer itself seems to be working fine, but the keys stick and I can't type properly. Will I need to replace the keyboard? Or will the whole computer end up being fried?
Any suggestions?

Some types of nail polish remover (namely those containing Acetone) can dissolve plastics. Think about how difficult nail polish is to remove and nail polish remover basically dissolves it. It is possible that the remover has damaged some of the keyboard components. There are also lots of internal components that may be damaged by exposure to remover. If you're talking about just a little bit, it may only be your keyboard that has been damaged... if it has actually gotten into your MacBook, you may be looking at more significant damage. The fact that your machine is not turning on is not a good sign.

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Yesterday I spilled nail varnish remover on my keyboard and wiped it off immediately (within 10 seconds), then I vigorously rubbed my keyboard with my duvet. 24 hours later my keyboard light changes so it only lights up in the centre. I checked similar situations that others went though but my computer seems fine - just the light that is broken.
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thats acetone, that will eat thru wiring covers and cause a bad short and corrosion.
book an appointment to see apple ASAP

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Probably the best outcome is qualifying for a "depot repair." That's when Apple send your computer to a central refurb facility rather than fixing it in your local store. If the case is not damaged, they will fix everything that they find wrong for a flat fee of about US$300. If the case cannot be cleaned, the price goes up by a couple of hundred to install your parts in a refurbed case. If the display must be replaced, add some more.
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Hi everyone,
I spilled nail polish remover on my laptop's keyboard. It has been a year since the incident. I do not have money to spare so I have not had it looked at. Below are the symptoms, could someone possibly tell me which components of my Macbook Pro I would need to replace in order for it to work properly.
a. Shift key is always active. I cannot type numbers or lowercaes letters.
b. No sound other than the intial boot up sound.
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The last thing that you want is inflammable acetone vapour inside a device from which you can't remove the battery, so why not ask the professionals at a Nokia Care facility whom no doubt have faced this issue before?
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Okay so I knocked some nail polish remover onto my macbook pro, I quickly wiped it up and continued using the computer. I remembered from chem last year that acetone evaporates quickly so when nothing really happened I figured everything was fine... Well I was wrong. A few minutes later the screen want crazy and a screeching sound came from the speakers, I turned off the computer and turned it over onto some rice. I am not tech savvy at all so I have made an appointment at the apple store for tomorrow but I am wondering, what kind of damage can acetone do to my computer other then damage the keyboard? I know that it can melt the keys and stuff. Also is there any chance that my laptop will be fine when I turn it on tomorrow morning? Ugh I am freaking out! Thanks!

Hi Macologist,
That was very helpful.
I verified c. and you were correct, it makes so much sense now.
I was also able to figure out b. the link below explains it. My laptop was booting up in "safe boot" disabling any audio input/output after boot up. Seems like apple linked quite a bit of functionality to the shift key.
Now Looks like the only thing left to do is the tedius replacing of the keyboard. I wish I had looked into this earlier. Many many thanks to you Macologist. Greatly appreciate your help. It was very nice of you to spend your time answering my question.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564
a. Shift key is always active. I cannot type numbers or lowercaes letters.
b. No sound other than the intial boot up sound.
c. When a window is minimized it goes to the dock in super slow motion.
d. Keyboard light does not work. Monitor light is fine though.

WARNING: DO NOT USE nail polish remover--Even Non-Acetone! (on macbook).

Here's my experience with my pathetically stained MacBook after 4 weeks.
The discoloration arrived, seemingly all at once, after 2.5 weeks. I tried my usual, a gentle part-alcohol Staples Screen Cleaning Fluid (coincidentally, I asked them at my local Apple Store what they used and they produced the exact same bottle). That did nothing. I tried alcohol, peroxide, still no luck. Following some poor advice on this forum, I tried a bottle of clear "Cutex Advanced" Non-Acetone nail polish remover (hereafter, "NPR"). Rubbing a little in with a Q-Tip or paper towel, I tried to remove the horrible discoloration. There was no change. I put it aside for a few days... Today, after reading a very impassioned post by someone who claimed it really worked, I figured I hadn't tried hard enough. I resumed my struggles with the NPR. After more rubbing, I noticed that an area where I'd dripped the NPR directly on the accursed plastic, and left it for about 30 seconds while rubbing the other palmrest, was discernably lighter than the surrounding stain. Encouraged, I dripped a thin layer over the whole left-side discoloration, which is the worst side on mine. After letting it sit 30 seconds or so, I rubbed the area with a paper towel until dry and inspected the results. Some areas were definitely better, however, I noticed what appeared to my eyes to be a subtle change in texture. Intrigued, I scratched at it lightly with my fingernail to feel whether the texture had indeed changed...
I was horrified when a big scratch appeared in the surface. What appeared to be PAINT had scratched right off in my fingernail!!
So now my freaking $1200 computer is barely a month old and now has a huge scratch in the CRAPPY PAINT right on my palmrest!
This cheap paint stuff is what's responsible for the discoloration. It's clearly perfectly white underneath--why Apple chose to paint this plastic with this crap is beyond me.
Thoughts, anyone?
If anyone wants to see pictures, I have them. But I'd rather not because I only have a cameraphone right now and the quality ***** anyway.
MacBook 2.0Ghz, White Mac OS X (10.4.6) With discoloration and now a big scratch!

i'm sorry to hear that you damaged your new macbook! i can understand the frustration with the discoloration. the left palmrest on mine is slightly discolored also. so now, i'm just paranoid about touching it and i wipe it down after every use (and wash my hands before using it if i have to type). i'm also using a wireless mouse. just taking precautions.
could it possibly be not paint that dissolved but a layer of the plastic itself that dissolved after the prolonged exposure to the NPR?
if you can get it even or satisfactory looking, i would advise to put some sort of plastic protector over it. something akin to this : http://www.nushield.net/productscar_displayslexus.htm
again, sorry you damaged your computer.

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Cianfaglione wrote:
I was at a friends house today and we were on her MacBook (not mine, hers is a standard white). She had some nail polish around her track pad, so I said "Lets use Nail Polish Remover to clean it" and we wiped it, her MacBook got really white around the area so I started rubbing it all over, What I thought was toilet paper accumulating was really little bits of the white plastic on the MacBook.
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Sister spilled nail polish remover over her MacBook...

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