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!

Jorge Rojas

Tektonic Managed Services is an IT Support and Computer Services company serving Toronto GTA. We provide services in and around Toronto, including York Region, Durham Region and Peel Region. Businesses like yours need technology support to run highly-effective organizations. Leverage pro-growth technology services for your company now!