Sometimes we accidentally drop precious gadgets in water. Reasons are so many, sudden rain, swimming pool fun may ruin your devices. Water is a serious hazardous element to electronic gadgets. It may stop their functionality and in some cases leads total device dead.
This guide helpful for those who want to prevent damage when anything happens, not for those who just exposed their device to water. Because few seconds are enough to get total damage to your device.
Steps to fix a device when dropped in water
- First, as soon as possible take your device out of the water.
- Now turn off your device, to prevent excessive damage. It can cause short-circuits when the device is ON. And also remove the battery and other internal parts which are removable like memory cards and SIM cards etc.
- Now dry off your device with a soft cloth or a towel.
- If you have silica gel packets in your home, place your device in silica get crystals. They can easily absorb water and quickly soak your device.
- Rice is a good absorbent of water, alternatively, you can use rice to absorb water from the device.
- Alternatively, try vacuum cleaner to absorb water from the device. It can quickly absorb the moisture present in the internal parts of the device.
- After doing first aid to your device, now take it to the authorized servicing center for further care.
The Updated Portion…
Sometimes we accidentally drop our devices into the water. It’s not always our fault, or is it? No matter how careful you are, there’s a great chance your device may have come in contact with one of its most dreaded enemy; water which can hamper its functionality to a great extent, that’s if it doesn’t render it entirely useless.
This guide will come in handy if you want to save your phone few seconds after you mistakenly dropped it into the water. You need to act quickly…
What you need to do
- Turn off your phone if it’s not already off.
- Remove any protective casing, and remove your SIM and SD cards from their respective slots. Also, remove the battery. (The components of your phone you can remove depends on the phone model)
- Use a dry handkerchief to wipe the wet portions that are visible on the phone’s body dry.
- Get a ziplock bag and put a reasonable amount of uncooked rice into it (a bowl of uncooked rice could suffice) and put the phone into the bag. Rice is a great absorbent that will absorb the liquid that remains on the phone.
- Leave the phone in the rice for a day or two. Don’t be tempted to bring it out every few hours. You’d be shooting yourself in the leg.
- After a day or two, bring it out and put back the components together; the battery, your SIM, the SD card and then try to switch on the phone. Charge the battery if it’s low and play music to check the speakers. Keep a close eye on the phone, and don’t hesitate to take it to a phone repair center if you notice any anomalies in its functionality.
What not to do when you drop your phone into water
At the moment you dropped your phone into water, chances are that panic will set in and you’ll be tempted to do any of the following. Please Don’t DO any of the following when your phone falls in the water.
- Do not turn it on immediately you bring it out of the water, except of course if it’s a water-resistant phone!
- Don’t press buttons except you intend to switch off the phone by pressing those buttons!
- Don’t try to dismantle your phone by opening it to separate it. Most phones come with a liquid damage indicator that may be triggered if the phone is opened by you especially if you’re not an experienced phone technician.
- Don’t try to blow the phone with your mouth or a dryer or a microwave. This would make water enter more internal places where it couldn’t have gone on its own. It could also lead to damage to internal components that wouldn’t be able to withstand the heat.
- Don’t shake or bang the phone on a pillow.
- Don’t throw it on the wall in anger. 😉
You should be careful with your phone. Don’t take it near the pool or the bath, and if you must do, use a waterproof phone cover like the NUUD iPhone case.