Do’s and Don’ts of Drying a Wet Phone

Regardless of whether you have a smartphone or a basic disposable phone, electronics plus water equals a nightmare. There is always that glimmer of hope that you’ll be able to bring your cell phone back from the brink. Here are a few major Do’s and Don’ts of cell phone resuscitation.

Do: Remove from Water Immediately – The longer it’s submerged the more danger of permanent damage.

Don’t: Push Buttons to See if it’ll Turn On – This could force liquid deeper into your phone.

Do: Take out the battery and SIM card – Removing the power source as soon as possible will help prevent short circuits and permanent damage.

Don’t: Disassemble Your Phone – It voids the warranty and there is a chance that even if it’s dried out completely, you may never get it back together correctly. On top of that, you can cause harm to yourself.

Do: Towel Dry the Phone – Carefully use a cloth towel (whenever possible) dry the phone the best you can without shaking it or making water damage worse.

Don’t: Apply Hot Air or Heat Directly to the Phone – Hair dryers, microwaves and other extreme measures will cause the water to become steam and damage your phone further.

Do: Bury your Phone in Rice –It is true that normal dry rice will dry out phone innards.. But – rice is just one of the many things around your house. Ever get a pair of leather shoes with ‘silica gel’, the ones with the warning ‘Do Not Eat’ on them? Those are made to absorb moisture. By putting your phone into a sealed container with silica or rice, the moisture will be absorbed. Remember, you need to have enough to cover the phone completely.

Don’t: Put the Phone in the Freezer – Intuition should dictate that freezing a cell phone under any circumstances is probably not a good idea. Considering water expands when frozen, there are no circumstances in which you should put a wet cell phone (or any cell phone, for that matter) in the freezer. Still, rumors of this solution working have gotten around. Trust us, it’s not a good idea.

Has your precious phone survived a bath? Tell us about it in the comments!