Cell Phone Meets Water...

Updated on May 17, 2011
R.. asks from Cleveland, TN
16 answers

So the day before yesterday I dropped my phone in the dog's water dish. Unfortunately, I had an armful of laundry... I heard it land, but I didn't hear it splash so I didn't realize it was in the water. I finished up the laundry, which took around 10 minutes, during which time my phone was chilling out in the water... completely submerged... Greaaat.

Did I mention that this is the brand-new blackberry I just got last month?

Anyway, when I saw that it had landed in water, I immediately took it out, took it apart, removed the battery and memory card, dried it as best I could, and let it air out overnight (it probably sat out for 9 hours). When I turned it on the next day, it did turn on... but the trackpad wasn't functioning which meant that I couldn't really do anything. So I turned it back off, took the battery out and let my DD have it as a play phone. Later that evening I was talking to my hubby on MIL's phone, and he asked if I could at least recieve calls. So I stole the phone back from my DD and put it together... and the trackpad was working again! awesome! The screen was still weird, and it was definitely running slower, but I was OK with that. Then this morning when I looked at it, it looked brand new again, and is running like new. YAY! I don't have to get a new phone! lol.

My MIL was telling me that when you drop a phone in water, sometimes the best thing to do is to stick it in a bowl of rice to suck the moisture out of it. I had never heard of this, but she swears it works! I got lucky this time, but I wish I had known the rice trick before! lol.

So are there any other secrets I should know? Not only for fixing water damage... but heck, so much stuff happens to cell phones it's nice to know those nifty little tricks. :)

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Featured Answers

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B.S.

answers from Charleston on

My husband lost his tracphone back in the winter. It was frozen in a block of snow and ice for a month before he found it. He had lost it at work. He brought it home. Dried it off and laid it on the top of the hot water tank. It works fine and he is still using it.

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C.D.

answers from Boca Raton on

Mine fell out of my pocket in toilet EWWW 2 days ago while I was cleaning it. I freaked out, took battery out and put it in bowl of rice and covered it till this morning. IT WORKS PERFECTLY...so yes rice works!

More Answers

C.D.

answers from Columbia on

Yep, the rice is a great trick. Also, if you take a pencil eraser and clean the little metal pieces where the battery has its contact point with the phone it will often remedy a phone that shuts itself off or won't hold a charge as well as it used to.
Glad your phone is working again!

1 mom found this helpful

T.C.

answers from Dallas on

That's the only one I know! And the bag of rice for a couple days really does work:-)

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Houston on

Use the rice trick...but also clean it using a can of compressed air after to remove any remaining rice dust.

Do keep in mind that having dropped it in water voids any standard warranty. There is a little indicator...usually in the battery area that turns R. when exposed to moisture. The rice won't help this.

1 mom found this helpful

M.P.

answers from Provo on

I read an article that said the exact same thing your mom said! Maybe beans could work to since they are dry.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

yes the rice trick works!! my neighbor just did that

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

I just let mine air dry after my wonderful son dropped it in the toilet......(He was about 18 months.) Took a day and a half but it worked! Still using that phone today! (He's almost 4!)

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M.F.

answers from Youngstown on

the rice thing really works. My sister dropped hers in toilet and left it in rice for a day and it was fine. my baby would slobber all over mine and then I sounded to others like I was in water so I would stick it in rice for a couple hours and it was fine. don't know any other tricks though.

C.T.

answers from Detroit on

the rice is a trick for anything that you want the moisture sucked out of! your MIL was correct! glad you didn't have to get a new phone!

V.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

Rice or those little bags that they put inside shoes at the store that say 'do not eat' on them. I haven't tried either but my boyfriend has saved many phones this way. He even has a stash of those bags. Lol

D.G.

answers from Lincoln on

My friend and I were just talking about that today. She did the bag of rice trick and it was perfect afterwards!

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J.B.

answers from San Francisco on

The only one I know is to place it in a bag of rice, taken apart (phone and battery separate in the rice). Leave it for a week and then try it. I washed my husband's phone and that seemed to work. :)

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Seal it in a bowl of rice or seal it in a container with dessicant (Damp Rid).

That may save it a little while but most of the time, once it has been wet, things will begin to malfunction over time.

Daughter dropped her IPhone in water, it worked about 2 weeks after the drop and drying out in Damp Rid. Then it just died suddenly. We had the 2 year Apple Care plan and were able to get it replaced at a much lower rate vs buying a brand new one.

Keep in mind that there are indicatiors that will be obvious to the dealer that the phone was wet, therefore any warranty will be voided unless you have the extra plan.

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R.Y.

answers from New York on

I haven't tried the rice trick. But you can get silica gel in the craft store. You can use it to dry flowers (I used it for my sister's wedding bouquet).

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L.D.

answers from Dallas on

I think you can also use silica gel? THe stuff that comes in little packages with some things you buy (sometimes maybe shoes?)

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