Even if your wet cellphone seems dead, there’s a good chance it can be saved. Just make sure you act fast! The longer the water sits inside the greater the likelihood it will destroy the phone for good.
List of things you are going to need:
1. 3 pounds of dry rice
2. Your Lungs
3. Patience
4. Your Brain
This is the ultimate DIY moment. While consumers are conditioned to send back broken merchandise, your phone’s warranty probably doesn’t cover water damage. You probably will not have much luck pulling a fast one on your phone company as most of today’s phones come with a “water sticker” that permanently changes color if it gets wet.
The first step: Immediately cut the power by removing the battery. I know it’s tempting, but RESIST the urge to power up your phone to see if it works. Just turning it on can short out the circuits. If you have a GSM phone (the type used by AT&T and T-Mobile), you’ll want to remove the SIM card as well. Even if your phone turns out to be beyond repair, the SIM should retain a lot of its onboard information, such as the contacts in your phone book.
With the battery safely set aside, you now have one goal, dry your phone and dry it fast. If you let the moisture evaporate naturally, the chance of corrosion damaging the phone’s innards increases. Instead, blow or suck the water out. Just don’t use a hair dryer because its heat can fry your phone’s insides. Instead, opt for a can of compressed air, an air compressor set to a low psi or a vacuum cleaner (a wet/dry Shop-Vac would be perfect). The idea is to use air to push or pull moisture out through the same channels it entered.
Finally, wick away any leftover moisture. The most convenient choice is uncooked rice. Just leave the phone (and its disconnected battery) submerged in a bowl of grains overnight. If you’re worried about rice dust getting inside your phone, you can instead use the packets of silica gel that often come stuffed in the pockets of new clothes. However acting fast is far more important than avoiding a little dust, so don’t waste time looking if you don’t already have a drawer full of silica gel.
The most important thing to remember is to avoid heat. That means no hair dryers, ovens, microwaves or extended periods in direct sunlight. While heat will certainly evaporate the moisture, it could also warp components and melt adhesives. Those fragile glues are also why you’ll want to avoid dunking the phone in rubbing alcohol (Yes, yes. We know you read to do this on the web, but don’t). Alcohol is a solvent and can dissolve the internal adhesives. If you drop your phone in the toilet, (first, eeew!!) second, it’s okay to wipe the outside with alcohol to disinfect it.
One final, perhaps surprising, note: If your phone gets soaked in salt water, you should probably flush the whole thing in fresh water before it dries. When salt water evaporates, it leaves crystals that can damage a phone’s fragile components. Just be sure to remove the battery before flooding the device.
After 24 hours in the rice bath, cross your fingers and power up your device. As she roars back to life, forget that anything ever happened!
© 2012, Tinkerbell. All rights reserved.
Actually, you may fare better by submerging your phone in 99% isopropyl alcohol for a few hours and letting it dry off. I’ve resurrected a few phones that way
Are you serious? How does that work?
From what I have researched, the alcohol displaces the water, and then dries out. It is said to work in some cases, but the damage caused by the alcohol to the adhesives and the internal parts makes this an unsafe option.
that’s what I’d be worried about
@orangekid, 2 things:
Isopropyl alcohol is a very good solvent. It helps dissolve minerals that the water may have left behind(water isnt conductive on its own, it’s what’s in it). If you hose down your car and let the sun dry it off, you may notice the sediment that is left behind. Well, aside from air contaminents, the hard minerals in the water will calcify and leave a few lovely visible spots for your viewing pleasure.
Pure isopropyl alcohol is non-conductive. I have actually seen people running computer components while submerged in this stuff(it boots up and runs like normal). The only reason it isnt recommended to run your devices until they have completely dried off is in the odd event where there are still residual minerals that can conduct.
@Tinkerbell,
Alcohol can be pretty harsh on adhesives, no doubt, but most components in the devices are soldered to the mainboard and unaffected by it; although I suppose if you leave the device submerged for days, it may affect the ribbons.
Isopropyl alcohol was/is actually used as a wafer cleaning method; many chip makers used the solution to rinse away stripper chemicals.
Also note, isopropyl alcohol is not to be confuzed with rubbing alcohol. Iso=Isopropanol Rubbing=Ethanol(VERRY BAD!)
If anyone is still reluctant to try the iso stuff, there’s always mineral oil ^_^
I actually have a MT4G that had coffee dropped all over it, it works ok but I’m worried about what that black stuff is doing down there.
Are you 100% serious that If I dip my phone in the 99% isopropyl for what, 5 minutes? It will “clean it out” and not do anything bad?
Based on my experience, it works very well; however, it’s not to say that your experience would be the same. If your phone has no issues, you may be better off leaving it as is, as attempting to remove the dried sediment may “displace” it somewhere it really shouldnt be.
@gullzway, It has become increasingly difficult to find 99% at a local pharmacy, but you can still get them online. I used to be able to get 32oz for ~$6, but everywhere else seems to price gouge since it’s hard to find. anyway, here’s a decent price: http://www.amazon.com/For-Pro-99%25-Isopropyl-Alcohol/dp/B0006Q006M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331251812&sr=8-2
PS: 91% works okay, but it takes longer to dry. I wouldnt attempt to power the device unless I’m 100% sure its ready; otherwise 91% works fine for cleaning things like microswitches(the clicky buttons on your mouse) as long as you arent submerging it in the liquid
Where do you get 99% Isopropyl alcohol?
I use 90% (from local store) to light my charcoal grill, much better and cleaner than lighter fluid, but I’ve never seen 99%.