What would you do if your phone fell in a pool, toilet, washing machine, or some other body of water? Your first instinct will most likely be to grab your wet phone quickly and attempt to dry it off with a towel. Or maybe, you’ll be tempted to chuck it in a bowl of uncooked rice. But are these tips actually going to save your phone from having its circuits fried?
Water and electronics don’t mix, and time is of the essence if your smartphone has taken a swim. Even if your cell phone has water resistance, it can still suffer water damage after a deep dive. So, here are 7 things you can do to save your wet phone from a moist demise.
1. Turn off and dismantle your cell phone
If you’ve dropped your cell phone in water, the first thing you should do after taking it out is turn it off. There should be no electricity running through the phone unless the circuit boards are completely dry. Turning the phone off prevents an electrical short circuit from frying the sensitive components and leaving you with a permanently damaged phone. The risk is there even if your phone is water-resistant.
The next thing to do with a wet device is to take it apart as much as you can. That means removing all the components you can remove easily. Take your phone out of its case; remove the sim card, memory card, and battery (if it’s removable); shake it well to get the most water out; and leave it to dry.
2. Wipe it with a paper towel
After your phone is off, you should wipe its body and remove as much water as you can using a paper towel, tissue paper, lint-free towel, or microfiber cloth. Doing this will absorb the moisture outside the device and prevent more water from getting in the phone.
You’ll also want to wipe inside the headphone and charging ports and all the nooks and crannies you can reach with a paper towel or cloth. We recommend using lint-free or microfiber wipes as they don’t leave fabric residue behind, which may otherwise cause blockage or a short circuit.
3. Air out your wet phone
Instead of waiting around for your phone to dry on its own, try accelerating the process. After taking apart all its removable components, place the device somewhere airy. Put it near a fan or air conditioner to speed up evaporation.
Avoid using a hair dryer to dry your wet device. The heat can damage the internal circuitry, and the strong blast can push water droplets further inside. Using a vacuum cleaner instead is a much better option. While you can also use your mouth to try sucking the moisture out, we wouldn’t recommend it as you might inhale something dangerous.
4. Put it somewhere hot
To speed up the evaporation process, you should put your phone somewhere hot. By that, we don’t mean putting it in a toaster or microwave oven. A bedside or table lamp would do just fine. The heat will help the phone dry faster, but it won’t work well if the phone has a lot of water inside it, which is why we suggest taking it apart and drying it as much as possible first.