Wait... seriously?

[Rick Kidder]

Yes you can do that, most just use distilled water and then finish with a bit if isopropyl alcohol though. Once you remove the CMOS battery the mobo is basically just a sheet of various materials; as long as it's completely dry afterwards you're fine. I would never use tap water or really anything else though as it can leave traces of residue. So isopropyl alcohol or conserve some isopropyl alcohol and use distilled water first and finish up with isopropyl alcohol so it can dry quicker.

 

[Michael Moran]

electronics are not damaged by getting water on them, they are damaged by current going through the water and destroying transistors through amplified. No current, no problems.

 

[Joseph Casanova]

Alcohol works wonders. It's used in some electrical contact cleaners.

 

[Orion Holt Jacoby]

If you give it enough drying time afterwards this will actually work. I've done it once on a computer that was in a smoking lounge and filmed with oily residue.

 

[Eric Molina]

is legit but as Orion said give it a good drying time