This is what I do when I spill something on a laptop:
[*:0e759b1f2c]Remove the battery
[*:0e759b1f2c]Rinse the non screen section under the tap
[*:0e759b1f2c]Leave it to dry
[*:0e759b1f2c]Leave it to dry some more
[*:0e759b1f2c]Continue leaving it to dry
Obviously if it's water you've spilt, you can skip the "rinse" bit.
After that, the CMOS battery is usually dead, but it's saved the laptops I've done it on, three so far. It feels so wrong holding it under the tap, but you've got to rinse out the sugary stuff as it's conductive.
Warning, do this at your own risk. I'm not taking any responsibility if it doesn't work for you.