How To Dry Out A Wet Phone | InformationWeek

IT Leadership

Have you ever dropped your cell phone in the sink (or worse, the toilet)? Don't panic. Here's how you just might save it.

Larry Seltzer, Contributor

March 8, 2012

2 Min Read

Have you ever dropped your cell phone in the sink, in the pool--or worse, in the toilet? Did you ever leave it in your pocket and run it through the washer? 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 can save it.

Uncle Ben's Rice Don't eat a lot of rice? This is a good reason to have a box around anyway.

Follow these steps to save a wet cell phone:

Don't turn the phone on to see if it still works, as this can cause it to short circuit. If it's on, turn it off.
Remove the battery and SIM card.
Dry all the components as best as you can with a clean towel.
Place the cell phone, battery, and SIM card in a sealed container full of uncooked rice. Leave it there for at least 12 hours, preferably 24. Be patient. With any luck the rice will wick the moisture out.
Check to see that everything looks clean and dry, then re-attach the battery to the phone and try turning it on.
Contrary to common advice, it's not a good idea to use a hair dryer, not even set to "cool". The phone might work for a while, but eventually the components will fail. That's because air tends to force moisture farther into the phone. If moisture is driven deeper inside, corrosion and oxidation can result when minerals from liquids are deposited on the circuitry. If you use hot air to dry the phone, it could melt the components outright.
Below is a video demonstration of the proper technique:
Thanks for the original tip to Jennifer Reidy, UBM Information Technology Training.