Save a Wet Cell Phone
Have you ever accidentally dropped your cell phone in the sink, or even worse - the toilet? Did you leave it in your pocket and run it through the washing machine and at times it's possible that your friends dunked you in a swimming pool just for the fun of it? Did you get beaten by the rain or did you forget and go swimming with your cell phone in your pocket? Or perhaps it fell out of your pocket and 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 to save your wet cell phone.
Steps
- Take the phone out of the water as soon as possible. Ports for hands free kit, tiny hole for microphone, charging, usb cable connectivity and the plastic covers on cell phones even though tight can freely allow water to enter the phone in a just a few seconds of time. Grab your phone quickly, and turn it off immediately, as leaving it on can cause it to short circuit – if it has been in water, assume it is waterlogged whether it is still working or not.
- Your phone may 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, is more cause for alarm. It is still worth trying the following steps to attempt saving the phone, before giving up.
- If the phone is connected to a wall charger and is also submerged in water, do not attempt to remove it from the water. Seek a professional immediately to ask the proper steps to do this safely (as in turning off a main power switch, or similar action). Electricity and water do not mix and can result in electrical shock. However, if your phone was NOT connected to a wall charger but fell into water, remove the phone from the water as quickly as possible, and proceed with the next few steps.
- Acting quickly can make all the difference in being able to save your phone from water damage, however don't panic. Maintaining a level head is key to working more efficiently under pressure.
- After removing the phone from water, quickly gather some paper towels or soft cloths to lay the phone on while you remove the battery cover and battery. This is one of the most important steps to saving it. Many circuits inside the phone will survive immersion in water provided they are not attached to a power source (battery) when wet.
- To find out if the phone is truly water damaged, check the corner near where the battery is – there should be a white square or circle, with or without red lines. If this is pink or red, your phone has water damage.
- Quickly read the manual to your phone if you're not sure how to remove the battery.
- Remove the SIM card if your phone has one. Some or all of your valuable contacts (along with other data) could be stored on your SIM. For many people, this could be more valuable and worthy of saving than the phone itself.
- SIM cards survive water damage well, but getting it out immediately makes good sense. Pat it dry and set it aside to dry out until you reconnect your phone to your cell network again. (If your phone does not have a SIM card, skip this step).
- Remove all other peripherals such as ear buds, memory cards, as well as any phone cases or protective covers. Remove all plugs that cover the gaps, slots, and crevices in the phone to expose them to air drying.
- Dry your phone with a soft rag or towel. If there is even one drop of water left inside, it can ruin your phone by corroding it and making the circuits corrode or short out. Obviously you need to remove as much of the water as quickly as possible, to prevent it from easing its way into the phone:
- Gently wipe off as much water as possible without dropping the phone. Avoid shaking or moving the phone excessively, so as to avoid moving water through it.
- Wipe down using a towel or paper towel, trying not to clog the paper in the gaps and grooves of the phone. Keep wiping gently to remove as much of the remaining water as possible.
- If you pulled the battery out in time, cleaning the inside of your phone with rubbing alcohol will displace the water which alone could remedy the problem.
- Use a vacuum cleaner. If you want to try to suck the liquid out of the inner parts of the phone, try using a vacuum cleaner if there is one available. 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 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 than water.
- Do not use a hair dryer to dry out a phone. Contrary to common advice, it is not recommended that you use a hair dryer (even on the "cold" mode). Using a hair dryer may force moisture further inward toward the crevices, reaching the electrical components deep inside the phone. And if the hair dryer air is too warm, it could .
- If moisture is driven deeper inside, corrosion and oxidation may result when minerals from liquids are deposited on the circuitry which could eventually cause component failure inside the phone.
- While avoiding blowing air into the phone, conversely, using a heater, fan or other air-flow device to blow air ACROSS the phone's openings will aid drying. The Bernoulli principle states that as the warm, dry air moves fast over the phone, the decreased air pressure will gently pull or suck moisture out of the phone. The best part of this option is that you can leave a phone in front of a warm, moving air for hours on end without effort.
- Use a substance with a high affinity for drawing out moisture. An inexpensive option is to place the phone in a bowl or bag of uncooked rice overnight, Rice Krispie cereal, or just cover the phone in paper towels. The rice might absorb some remaining moisture.
- If available, it is preferable to use a desiccant instead. Desiccants may absorb moisture better than rice. You can also try slipping the cell phone inside a plastic bag that can be sealed or a plastic container (airtight). Add a desiccant packet, such as silica gel — often found with new shoes, purses, noodle packets, etc — in with the cell phone. The downside of this method is the packets packed with shoes has usually already reached its absorption capacity. Desiccants for flower drying can usually be purchased at most craft stores. Leave the phone with the desiccant or rice as long as possible (at least overnight) to absorb the moisture.
- Rotate the phone to a different position every hour until you go to sleep. This will allow any water left inside to run down and hopefully find an opening to escape.
- Put your phone on a sunny spot to help the phone get rid of any water in very small places.
- Let the phone sit on absorbent towels, napkins 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 flat on an absorbent material. Remember that the goal is to evacuate all of the moisture and humidity from the device.
- Check the absorbent material every hour for 4 to 6 hours. If moisture is evident, repeat the vacuuming step and desiccant steps.
- Test your phone. After you have waited at least 24 hours, or longer if needed, check to see that every area of your cell phone is clean and looks dry. Check all the ports, compartments and in between crevices for any moisture or dirt. Wipe away any dust and dirt from the device and covers and insert the battery into the phone. Attempt to power on the device, listening for odd noises and observing to see if the phone appears to function correctly.
- Plug it into its charger without the battery if your phone is completely dried out, but still does not work. If this works, you will probably need a new battery.
- Take your cell phone to an authorized dealer. Sometimes they can fix it. Don't try to hide the fact that it has been wet - there are internal indicators that prove moisture - and the repair people are more likely to be able to help you if you explain exactly what has happened to the phone.
- Unless you are trained and skilled to do so, never take a phone apart. Leave that to the professionals, since doing so could potentially cause shock or exposure to harmful chemicals or components.
- If your phone is powering up but doesn't operate correctly after you've dried it, then it's likely that you've missed some liquid, or that corrosion has already occurred. Remove all the covers, battery, cards and other extraneous attachments again, and rub it gently with a clean dry paintbrush or toothbrush. Look on YouTube for instructions on how to properly go about this process.
Tips
- Excessive heat can damage your phone even more! Most phones have warnings about leaving them in your car or exposing them to heat. The main point is to completely dry the phone before applying power. Be patient! Use a vacuum cleaner to rapidly draw all the residual moisture out, this usually takes about 20 minutes of care and patience turning the phone every few minutes to ensure all holes and outlets get accessed.
- Being on and wet at the same time can short out the phone's circuitry. If you're able to turn your phone off before it fries, you may well be able to resuscitate your drowned phone!
- Place the phone in a vacuum chamber (found at many high schools and universities) and activate the chamber. Typically universities and specific industries will have a vacuum chamber available if you happen to know the right person. Water "boils" at room temperature, given enough time, meaning that it evaporates through bubbles even though it isn't heated. This method should be successful when the vacuum is maintained at room temperature for about 30 minutes. That will dry out parts you can't access as will the tip above regarding a vacuum cleaner if you have no vacuum chamber available.
- It is possible to purchase commercial "wet cell phone emergency" kits. It's probably best to buy one "just in case" as you can waste valuable time going to the store to buy one.
- Places that sell hearing aids also sell desiccants which can be helpful in removing residual moisture from the phone once the obvious moisture has been removed and all compartments opened. It has the advantage of not having little pieces of rice which could get into small openings in the phone and gunk it up.
- If your phone falls in the ocean or another form of salt water, rinse it with fresh water before salt crystals can form in the phone after the removal of the battery.
- If your phone has been subjected to salt water crystallizing, gently tap the board and the chips with a plastic object (the back of a small screwdriver for example). The vibration of the taps will set some of the foreign objects free and they will fall out. Be careful and don't smash the board or the chips. A sharp enough blow will break the chips. Tapping very gently multiple times in multiple locations, especially around the chips, is a preferred method. And follow up with appropriate solvent cleaning afterwords to clean away any oxidation residue.
- Never vacuum a wet object. It is dangerous as you could be electrocuted.
- Resist the urge to turn your phone on. Wait a few days for the water to dry.
- Since your warranty is void anyway, if you have further problems with your phone's functions after trying the above methods to dry it out, then buy Torx screwdrivers to open the phone's case, since these are almost always specialized. (For example, the RAZR needs Torx #4, #5, and #6). Pick up a can of contact spray (electric contact cleaner)and douse the inside. It dries rapidly. Scrub any residue with a soft-bristle toothbrush. Spray with compressed air, and/or vacuum it out for several minutes to suck out further moisture and then carefully put it back together.
- Contrary to common belief, putting a phone in rice will not work.
- Another idea is to keep the phone at body temperature for a few hours. As in... next to your skin. The warmth and air flow around the phone may dry it out if it was not submerged to start with.
- Instant rice is theoretically better than other rice types. It has no shell and can absorb more quickly.
- A reader suggests using a clothes dryer as follows: Take out the battery and leave the battery cover off. Place the phone inside a thick sock. Wrap excess material around the phone inside the sock and place into another sock to form a protective bundle. If necessary, use a third sock. Place several dry towels into the dryer with the wrapped phone and dry on high for about 30 minutes. The motion of the dryer and the fabric wrap will draw the moisture out of the phone. Let the phone cool one hour, replace the battery and turn the phone on. If moisture is seen on the screen, repeat in dryer for another 20-30 minutes. The reader has tried this twice on flip phones that went through the washer and both worked just fine after drying them this way.
- If the wet phone is the only phone around and an emergency call is needed, you can try calling from the wet phone immediately, before turning off and drying it. If the device appears to be working, it can stop functioning after some time (the corrosion is not instant).
- Always be careful with your cell phone! Never bring it with you to the toilet or the beach. Never leave it lying around the dining table or any place likely to get wet.
- Try holding a compressed air can straight (upside down, sideways, or at an angle will shoot out a freezing liquid) and shoot into the crevices, speaker, mic, and keypad. Any excess water stuck should come out. If the can gets cold and you're not done, let the can sit a while before continuing, as cold air could make excess moisture condense onto parts deeper inside. This process should be followed by the other methods that use a vacuum chamber or vacuum cleaner to more thoroughly remove any deeper residual moisture and humidity as the phone must be totally dry inside to ensure no further failure later on. The contents of many "canned air" products can be poisonous. Follow all recommendations on the can label.
Warnings
- Do not apply too much heat to your phone, as mentioned above. You don't want to melt or burn your phone.
- Be warned that manufacturers of most modern cell phones place liquid damage indicator stickers that will change colors in the presence of a liquid inside their phones. This helps technicians know that you have dropped your phone in water, as most cell phone insurance coverage policies don't cover water damage. Chances are, if the sticker under the battery is triggered, then the internal stickers you can't access have probably been tripped as well. This will result in you paying a voided-warranty fee in the long run. You should be aware that warranties don't cover water damage, only insurance does, and even then, not all insurance companies or plans will honor water damaged phones. It is also worth noting that these liquid damage indicator stickers have been known to change colors in extreme humidity as well.
- 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.
- Do not put your phone in an oven or microwave to dry it out.
- 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.
- For the semi-mechanically inclined: remove screws and, at a minimum, crack the case open to allow moisture to escape. Cell phones are normally somewhat waterproof, so they can be used in the light rain and in humid environments. This means that once moisture has entered the phone, it is very hard for it to dry out.
- Even if all these steps are followed, minerals dissolved in the water can precipitate on solder and component pins, causing corrosion or shorting. Component pins are packed so closely together in modern cell phones that even a small encrustation can create a short, rendering the phone inoperable.
Things You'll Need
- Tidy Cat Crystals
- Desiccant such as rice, or desiccant packet (found with new shoes, noodle packages, backpacks, etc.)
- Towels, paper towels
- Vacuum cleaner
- Bowl
- Airtight bag or container (optional)
- Cotton cloth
