It happens to everyone lives: their wonderful and precious phone slips out of their hand and
First Things First
Before
we get into how to go about drying your phone, there are a couple of things you
should do immediately after removing the phone from the liquid.
Make
sure to turn off the phone. We want to prevent the phone from short circuiting.
If
you can, go ahead and remove the battery. This isn’t possible on a lot of
phones, like the iPhone, but if you can, remove it immediately.
Remove
the SIM
card if
you can. It’s not a big deal, but if you have important data stored on there,
especially for Android users, you might be able to save all that data by
removing the card.
Now,
let’s talk about drying your phone. First, make sure to keep it off for at
least two days and remove any cases or covers from the device.
Initial Drying
One
mistake I made originally was shaking my phone a lot. I thought that it would
help remove the water, but later on I found out it simply help the water get to
other parts of the phone.
In
addition to not shaking the phone, go ahead and wipe off any visible water off
the surface of the device. If you can open the phone, dry any internal parts
gently.
Drying Techniques
Hair
Dryer
There
are a bunch of different things you can at this point. Another big mistake that
I had made was using a hair dryer incorrectly. It seems like the perfect choice
for drying something, out right? Wrong! You can use a hair dryer, but only use
the fan or cool setting. Do not use any heat setting on the hair dryer.
Vacuums
You
should also avoid using vacuums as they can cause more damage than help. If you
have a small computer vacuum and there is an attachment that creates a good
seal with the phone, then give it a shot. Otherwise, I don’t recommend trying
to use your home vacuum as static electricity can damage the circurity in the
device.
Uncooked Rice
The
best option is to put your phone into a plastic bag, fill it with rice or
quinoa, seal the bag and let it is sit for several days.
The
downside is that you have to wait a long time, but it’s definitely worth the
wait. This method works well, and many people swear by it.
The
other thing to note about rice that you should try to use rice from a sealed
packet. Open rice will not be able to absorb as much water and you’ll be
wasting your time.
Desiccants
What
are desiccants? I didn’t know exactly either, but we see them all the time.
Apparently, it’s those small little packets of silica that you find in shoes,
clothing, and even food all the time.
You
can buy these from Online on the cheap and basically stuff your phone and a
bunch of these into a tightly sealed bag. You can also buy other desiccants
like drierite and use it in the same way. This method is way faster than rice
because these things can really absorb moisture.
The
main thing here is that you need to create a tight seal. Once you do that,
leave it for as long as you can. Again, the longer the time, the drier your
phone will become. It takes a really long time for water to dry up, so be ready
for a 2 to 3 day wait.
Other Methods
There
are other methods of drying that you should avoid like placing your phone in
the sun, using a microwave or using an oven. All bad ideas. The sun might be
OK, but you have to do it properly. For example, place it on a towel to avoid
excessive heat from the ground and leave it out for no more than 15 to 20 mins.
Vacuum
chambers are another great way to dry out phones, but you won’t have one at
home. Luckily, there is a company call Redux that partners with cell phone
repair shops all around the country so that you can use one.
Lastly,
if you dropped your phone into a liquid that is not water, you may have to try
“washing” the phone first. For example, if it fell into the sea or was soaked
in soda, then the residue left over after the liquid dries will damage the
phone.
Note-: These cases, your only option is an alcohol bath, but using
alcohol can cause damage to your screen. It’s not an ideal case, but at least
you might end up with a phone that turns on. Hopefully, some of these tips can
get your phone dry and working again. Enjoy.
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