How to fix damaged keyboard?

especially a sugary liquid or coffee which can be quite acidic and may have even chewed through some of the copper tracks already.

Sorry, but not buying that. Look up some of the many Mythbusters shows about sugary acidic drinks like Coca Cola involving organic (beef steaks) and inorganic (nails and pennies) materials. In every case, the myth was busted or took so long that it was judged implausible.

It would have to be some seriously corrosive stuff to eat through the epoxy resin protective barriers used on PCBs. These epoxy resins are used just to provide protection from corrosion and damage from spills, and the elements, and even the air we breathe. So this liquid would have to first eat through the epoxy resins before it could even get to the copper traces and that is just not likely.

More likely it would start to corrode the exposed contacts of the components attached to the motherboard (that aren't coated in epoxy resin too). But before that, if acidic enough to eat epoxy resins and metals, the various plastics and other membranes in the keyboard and on the way to the mainboard would get eaten first. And by that time, the water in the liquid would have evaporated and dried, stopping or greatly slowing down any chemical reactions going on - even if this is a notebook with the battery still providing electrical current as a catalyst.

But most importantly, it takes many years for Coca Cola, for example, to eat through a penny and even then, the Coke would have to be regularly replaced with fresh Coke. That is, gallons and gallons of Coke, not a glass full. It might make the penny shine, but eat through it? No.

Consider this. What are Coca Cola, Isopropyl Alcohol, Acetone, Tetrahydro-furane, Toluene, and other "solvents" stored in? Plastic and metal containers.

What is one of the best corrosives out there? Oxygen.

So the question is, what could the OP (who has yet to return) spill on his keyboard to eat through plastics, epoxy resins and metals? Not anything he would drink, that's for sure.

So excluding the obvious risk of electrical shorts, what is the problem with spilt liquids on electronics if not really corrosion? Gunk!

It is the sticky, gooey, perhaps greasy "gunk" that is left behind that "gums" up switches, electrical contacts, and other mechanical components, as well as creating a coating that collects dust and forms an insulating blanket over heat sensitive devices.

Phosphoric acid as found in cola products is highly diluted - especially compared to that found in industrial strength solvents used in commercial kitchens. We have to be a little realistic here. And to that, industrial strength phosphoric acid is used to descale those surfaces, as opposed to other solvents, because it is safe on aluminum. In fact, industrial strength phosphoric acid is commonly used on aluminum to clean it. BUT, it is not so strong that it "etches" the surface. For that reason, phosphoric acid is not good enough to prepare aluminum for painting, for example, so the paint will properly stick.

And as seen here,

Hydrochloric and phosphoric acid don't oxidize metals well and won't dissolve copper.

Finally, corrosion on the traces does NOT mean the corrosion chewed through the traces. That would take a very long time, if ever, to achieve. The problem with corrosion in electronics is that it can bridge over (short) circuits, and it can interfere with the continuity (add resistance) in connections. If left unchecked, can cause problems with the substrates in the PCBs. Lastly, it can irritate skin and eyes.

ICIT2LOL said:

But if you are adamant that you have the answers then be my guest.

It is not about me. It about doing our homework. I look it up so the OP is given pertinent information. I would not worry about the phosphoric acid in Coke (if that is even what was spilled here). The much bigger worry is all about the water in the Coke getting into the electronics and the sugary "gunk" or residue left behind once the liquid dries.