How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
Whether you've dropped your phone in the toilet (as do 885,000 British citizens per year), or made the mistake of trying to take underwater phone cam portraits of your pet fish, you'll want to find out about a little trick that may save your phone from a water-logged death (or at least keep it on life support long enough to transfer your photos, contacts and other data to a new one).
Remember, though: It's only a phone. Don't ever risk your life chasing a phone that's been dropped in water ... unless you count fishing around in a public toilet a risk to your life, which it might very well be. As we've previously reported, two drowning deaths have recently been linked to cell phones: a boy who tried to fish his out of a lake and a man who went chasing after his in a sewage drain.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Dorlinda Chong @ Aug 15th 2007 5:00PM
Watched the saving your cell phone segment. I realize most people have rice around, but I save dessicant packets out of food and supplement bottles. I should think throwing the cell phone in with a few of those would work splendidly, too --and it wouldn't waste the rice. (I started saving dessicant after my car engine wouldn't start after a rain. I called the AAA and the guy used dessicant to dry out the distributor wires. The car started up after that with no problem. I've kept dessicant packs in my car ever since.)
Absurd @ Aug 15th 2007 8:00PM
I once spilled coffee (w/sugar and milk) into my laptop. A LOT of coffee, an entire large paper cup. I was able to shut it down quickly. I thought that the coffee grounds, sugar and milk HAD to be bad for the computer. I decided a clean computer might be better than one that would be gunked up. I took it over to the sink, poured out the coffee and ran cold water through the keyboard and the entire laptop. I placed it upside down and let a fan blow on it for an entire day. The laptop worked perfectly. True story, I swear!
Brianna @ Aug 15th 2007 11:07PM
My family and me were on our vacation a year ago. I had went on the dock to help get the minnow bucket and as I leaned over my cell phone fell out of my hoodie into about 2 foot of water. We fished it out with a net. Luckily I was told to take the battery out and let both pieces air out. By the end of the week my phone worked perfectly. I didn't have any water in the screen and I continued not to have problems for a year!!
Bob Curry @ Aug 16th 2007 8:56AM
Yes, it is EXTREMELY important that you remove all batteries immediately from wet electronics! If wet from other than clean water, rinse with pure water-(distilled is best)to remove all contamination or salty water. if covers can be safely opened or removed, do so! Allow to dry, by use of dessicant, or placing in a warm, dry place with good air flow, for at least 3 days before attempting to apply power and operate.-Good luck!-Bob
Bird @ Aug 16th 2007 7:08PM
I washed mine in the washing machine. After I figured it out, I took out the battery and basically wrote it off, got a new phone. The new phone fell in the toliet and I still had the old phone so I decided to give it a try. I put the battery back in and it powered back up! I switched back to the old phone until the new phone dried out.
graycec1999 @ Aug 18th 2007 10:47PM
This doesn't always work, and you can try it with a cordless phone as well. Either may work. Take the phone apart, front, back, battery, antenna and what not.
Lay the pieces on a flat tin surface. Put the tray with phone parts in the oven. DO NOT TURN THE OVEN ON AND LEAVE THE DOOR AJAR SLIGHTLY!!!!!
Check the phone after a day and continue to check. Depending how much water logged the phone is, you may just have a problem with people hearing you speak. The cell phone repair dept can fix that.
Bread dries out, why can't a phone......
mike @ Aug 20th 2007 2:19PM
definately take the battery out,but an air conditioner is also a de-humidifier.when i fell in the river while fishing with my kids myphone was soaked. took the battery out took it home and laid it on a vent the next day all dry!still working fine.
Karen @ Aug 20th 2007 2:21PM
Had good luck with removing battery and drying phone out in food dehydrator. (Worked for Ipod washed in washing machine too.)
realchulabx @ Aug 20th 2007 2:26PM
A wet phone is not 'save-able'. When the mother-board inside gets wet it's just a matter of time, even if it seems to function afterward (dry).
Sue Wagner @ Aug 20th 2007 2:34PM
A friend's daughter dropped hers in the pool. They were told to take the battery out and put the phone and battery in the freezer overnight.
Phone would not power up before ther freezer but powered up just fine the next day and is still working fine 3 months later
Joyce @ Aug 20th 2007 2:49PM
Washed my Samsung phone which is about four years old. It went through the entire cycle and when I discovered it I put it in a west-facing windowsill for about three hours in the afternoon. After I felt it was dry enough I plugged it into the charger and hoped for the best. It charged up, but still had a little moisture in the screen so I sat it in my vehicle window as I drove for about thirty minutes. That was about five months ago and it still works!
April @ Aug 20th 2007 3:00PM
I was in a hurry one day, jumped in my husbands truck, tossed in my purse, the put my cell phone on the jacket that was on the seat & put my fresh cup of coffee in the cup holder, started up the truck, and my phone literally slid down the jacket & directly nose dived into a piping fresh hot cup of coffee. I immediately pulled out the phone, dried it off, and removed the battery. The next day I took it to the dealer, and he couldn't revive it. It died. I guess I was due for a new one.
Laura @ Aug 20th 2007 3:00PM
I have dropped several phones in water and have dried them out with a hair dryer. I was always able to retrieve my numbers but each time replaced the phone. After reading this article I realize now that maybe they all still worked. Next time I will wait before I buy a new one.
Lisa @ Aug 20th 2007 3:08PM
Rubbing alcohol also does wonders if you've dropped your cell phone in liquid. Take the cover off, remove the battery and set aside. Submerse your phone in the alcohol and agitate around for a few seconds. Take it out and let it dry in the sun for a couple of days. I tried this with my razor phone and it's good as new!
catherine @ Aug 20th 2007 3:19PM
My friend dropped his cellular phone in the pool. He wrapped it up in a towel and used rubberbands to keep it with the towel, put it on the spin cycle of the washing machine and then tossed the bundle into the dryer with the setting set to low. After 15 minutes, it worked perfectly.
Sabrina @ Aug 20th 2007 3:26PM
I dropped my cell phone in the dogs water dish TWICE!!! The first time a poured rubbing alcohol all over it, put it on a heat register in the house for a day and it was fine. The second time, I quickly poured the alcohol into a baggie, put the (same)cell phone in it, shook it around, placed it on a heat register for a day and it was fine... again!
Eric Peugh @ Aug 20th 2007 3:41PM
Yeah, thats all fine and dandy dropping your phone in a toilet or pool or even a lake, its what stupid sh*t you do afterwards(like me) that really counts! Try dropping it in a public texaco bathroom full of goodies, (Reaching across to flush floaters) grabbing it taking the batterie out and then beating the excess poop water out of it, letting it sit, minus sim card batterie, photo and memorie card. Then forgeting that you dropped it in human waste, and attempting a human sucking/vacume manuver directly on the sim area, (thinking this would hurry the drying process up) then suddenly remembering! New meaning to eat sh*t. What an idiot I am.
ed @ Aug 20th 2007 3:43PM
Most modern electronics are moisture resistant for at least a few minutes, otherwise your computer would fail often in humid climates. Most mobile devices are even more moisture resistant because 1)people are clumsy dingbats and 2)the inside of a pocket can be a very humid place. As long as you remove the most destructive part of the device (the battery)and let it dry thoroughly it is likely you won't have a problem. It is at best useless and at worst MORE destructive to severely shake, heat, freeze or put a wet item if the spin cycle of the washer. Just let it dry out thoroughly before applying power. And things like alcohol, chlorine or salt, are highly corrosive solvents so avoid them and understand that those items dropped in pools or salt water are much more likely to fail in the future.
loafer @ Aug 20th 2007 3:45PM
I dropped mine in the lake. It was submerged for less than a minute.
Took the battery out, went home and used a hair dryer to heat the phone for short periods of time. After about 1 hour the moisture hade evaporated and the phone has never given me any problems.
Donna Davis @ Aug 20th 2007 3:50PM
I just bought my phone new when I dropped it in the toilet, and thank God it was in the case. I immediately called my niece and she said take the teeny screws out and take it apart, then take the hairdryer and try to dry it as fast as possible, but don't hold the dryer too close, and I used the warm settingand I also removed the antenna and blowed warm air down into that too. Well to my surprise after drying it for 20 minutes and leaving it sitting on it's side, to let any remaining moisture get out, when I turned it back on it worked as if I never let it go swimming, LOL thank you and have a blessed week. VA is for lovers, come see for yourself.