Have you ever dropped your cell phone
in the sink, or even worse... the toilet? Did you ever leave it in your
pocket and run it through the washer? Did you ever swim with your cell
phone in your pocket? Ever have it fall into the pet's water bowl?
Getting your cell phone wet usually means you have to replace it, but
sometimes if you're fast enough, you might be able to save the phone!
Follow the steps outlined in this article to try and save your wet cell
phone.
Take the phone out of the water as soon as possible.
The plastic covers on cell phones are fairly tight, but water can enter
the phone in a short period of time, perhaps only 20 seconds or less.
Grab your phone quickly. Don't switch the phone on, as this can cause it
to short circuit – if it has been in water, assume it needs drying
immediately whether or not it is working.
Don't panic. Your phone will probably not be too
damaged if you take it out of the water right away. A longer period of
immersion, such as being in the washing machine cycle, will be cause for
more alarm but it is still worth trying the following steps before
giving up completely.
Remove the battery. This is one of the most important
steps. Don't take time to think about it; electricity and water do not
mix. Cutting power to your phone is a crucial first step in saving it.
Many circuits inside the phone will survive immersion in water provided
they are not attached to a power source when wet.
Remove the SIM card if you have a GSM carrier. Some
or all of your valuable contacts (along with other data) could be stored
on your SIM. For many people, this could be more worth saving than the
phone itself. SIM cards survive water damage well, but some of the
following steps might damage it, so getting it out immediately makes
good sense. Just pat it dry and leave it aside until you need to connect
your phone to your cellular network. (This step does not apply to CDMA
carriers such as Verizon, Alltel, US Cellular, Sprint, etc.)
Remove all other peripherals and covers that can be removed. Remove any covers and external connectors to open up as many gaps, slots, and crevices in the phone as possible.
Dry your phone. If there is even
one drop of
water left inside, it can ruin your phone by corroding it and making the
wrong contact. Obviously you need to remove as much of the water as
soon as possible, to prevent it from easing its way into the phone:
Use a vacuum cleaner or Blower if possible. If you want to try
and suck the liquid out of the inner parts of the phone, try using a
vacuum cleaner. Remove all residual moisture by drawing it away with a
vacuum cleaner held over the affected areas for up to 20 minutes, in
each accessible area (take it in turns with a friend). This is the
fastest method and can completely dry out your phone and get it working
in thirty minutes. However, unless the exposure to water was
extremely
short, it's not recommended to attempt to turn your phone on this soon.
Be careful not to hold the vacuum too close to the phone, as a vacuum
can create static electricity, which is even worse for the phone.
Note: Contrary to common advice, it is
not recommended that you
use a hair dryer (not even on the "cold" mode) to dry out the phone.
Using a hair dryer may force moisture further
into the small
components, deep inside the phone, as the air blows inward. And if it is
too warm, it will likely melt them. If moisture is driven deeper
inside, corrosion and oxidation may result when minerals from liquids
are deposited on the circuitry. Using a hairdryer might be a temporary
fix, but this will eventually cause component failure inside the phone.
While this applies to blowing air into the phone, using a heater, fan or
other moving-air device to blow air ACROSS the phone's openings will
work. The Bernoulli principle states that as the warm, dry air moves
fast over the openings in the phone, the decreased air pressure will
gently pull or suck the moist air out of the phone. The best part of
this option is that you can leave a phone in front of a warm (not hot),
dry movement of air for hours on end without effort.
Use a substance with a high affinity for water to help draw out moisture. Leave the phone in a bowl or bag of uncooked rice overnight. The rice would absorb any remaining moisture.
Let the phone sit on absorbent towels, napkin, or other paper.
After removing the phone from the rice or desiccant (or if you were not
able to use either method), place the phone on absorbent material.
Remember that the goal is to evacuate all of the moisture and humidity,
not to trap it or add even more.
Test your phone. After you have waited at least 24
hours, or longer if possible, check to see that everything on and in
your cell phone is clean and looks dry. Re-attach the battery to the
phone. Try turning it on.
Take the phone apart if your phone doesn't turn on at all. If you feel comfortable doing this, try taking it apart. First, make sure that you have
all of the right parts and know
exactly
where they go. Be sure to put everything back in its proper place once
finished. As you're disassembling it, pat each individual part dry with a
small towel and use the vacuum cleaner once more on the crevices (but
be careful not to accidentally suck up any loose parts – keep them well
to one side, or stretch a length of old pantyhose over the nozzle). If
this doesn't work, or you're too unsure about undoing your phone, get
help from cell phone professionals.
If you are an apple user, you can save your phone or smartphone by drying it with a paper towel and pressing the home button. If you have a nano and it turns on and stays on, it's OK.
Warnings
- Do not leave your phone wet for an extended period of time. Dry it out as soon as possible.
- Do not switch the phone on. This is important as it will prevent a
charge from running from the battery to the phone which may subsequently
cause the phone to short circuit.
- Don't heat the battery or it could leak or explode. Lithium-ion
batteries are sensitive. If you use a hairdryer, make sure to remove the
battery first. Note that it is not recommended to apply heat to the
phone.
- If you use alcohol make sure to do so outside, and do not apply heat
in any form, not even the gentle heat of a monitor. Do not hook up the
battery until the alcohol smell dissipates.
- Do not apply too much heat to your phone, as mentioned above. You don't want to melt or burn your phone.
- Do not put your phone in an oven or microwave to dry it out.
