How To Save A Phone From Water Damage

There must be hundreds of thousands of people out there who have dropped their phone down the loo, jumped into a pool with it in their pocket or ended up in another situation where their phone is submerged in water. There is so much advice out there about how to rescue the handset, with some people pressing all the buttons in a bid to turn it off, before blasting it with a hairdryer or leaving it on the radiator.

The key thing is not to panic. Here are some helpful tips that may just save your precious phone and prevent you from having to shell out for a new one.

The Need For Speed

The obvious tip is to fish it out of the water as soon as possible, the quicker you are, the more chance you have at reducing the damage. If possible remove the battery, however if you have a handset where the battery cannot be removed, then you’ll just have to switch the phone off. By cutting the power quickly, you prevent the likelihood of a short circuit.

A lot of people thing that by applying heat to the wet device, it gives the parts chance to dry off but that is a myth and can actually cause more damage to the delicate electronics. Instead wipe the phone with a clean, dry towel, taking extra care to ensure there is no water entering the ports or openings.

You now have a choice as to what you do next. If you have been recommended by a friend to throw your phone into a bag of rice, then consider first what effect the rice may have on your phone. If the rice absorbs the water, you are at risk of your phone being sat in a mushy mess, with perhaps rice entering the ports. Those in the know also suggest that rice starch can have a detrimental effect to the workings of a phone. Although this hasn’t been proven, you really don’t want to put your phone at any more risk.

A smarter and safer option is to use synthetic dessicants, which most of us have lying around in shoe boxes, delivery boxes and new handbags. When you come across these little dessicant packets, don’t throw them away (which I admit I used to do) but rather store them all in a container that has an air-tight seal. That way you have a ready-made emergency phone rescue packet, that is just as good as any commercial product you can buy, and it’s cheaper. It’s important to note that the container must be air-tight, otherwise the dessicant packet will absorb water from the air as well as your phone. Also make sure you have enough of the packets to do the job.

If you are unfortunate and don’t have your homemade phone rescue pack ready, then you do have other options. The Bheestie Bag and Dry-All are both air-tight plastic pouches, which your phone slips in to. Dry-All is filled with dessicant and dries your phone out in between 24 and 48 hours. The Bheestie Bag can be purchased for $20 and the Dry-All for $6. Just keep them on your shelf for those unexpected emergencies.

If you team together speed and these quick fixes then you could well save your phone. If not then I’m afraid a new phone it is, perhaps go for a waterproof model but for now get saving dessicant sachets!

[Images via Human Health & Says]

SOURCE: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/02/thats-deal-wet-phone/