Family on the Phone

It happens all the time. You drop your phone constantly if you are like me. But, if you are lucky you don’t drop it into water. Last Christmas, we were having a party at my home. A dear friend at the party dropped her cell phone into the toilet. I’m not sure what she did to fix it but I know that although she got it working later, it never was perfect again.

When I think about how many times my phone is in my back pocket when I use the restroom and how often it falls on the floor right next to the toilet, I shudder. I’ve heard of people also dropping theirs into the tub, a sink full of dishes, a pool, the ocean and the list goes on. So what do you do when this happens? 

I’ve complied a list of steps to take if the unthinkable happens and your phone is dropped into water. Hopefully, you’ll never need it!

1. Remove your phone from the water immediately! The sooner you do, the less damage is done obviously, and the more chance you have of completely saving your phone. 
2. Take off the cover if you have one and take out the battery, the SIM card, and the memory card if you have one in there and set them aside. 
3. Using something absorbent like a dry cloth, wipe the the battery and card(s) off thoroughly. Do not attempt to put them back in! If you have dropped your phone into salt water, such as the ocean, rinse the battery and cards off in warm water to remove any salt residue and prevent crystal from forming.
4. Remove as much water from your phone as possible. After wiping down the outside well, take a vacuum cleaner to suck out the water. Make sure you have opened up all the little connector spots and vacuumed them as well. When doing this, don’t hold the vacuum too close to the phone. This can cause static electricity, which can also damage your phone. Be patient about this process. It can work very well and dry your phone in half an hour.
5. Do not use a hair dryer. It will simply push water into the tiny crevices of the phone and possibly ruin it for good. 
6. One way to finish the process is to put your phone on top of a mild heat source such as a television, computer monitor or cable box vent. Leave it there for a few hours or even overnight.
7. Another way is to place it in a bowl of uncooked rice and leave it overnight. It will draw out moisture.  
8. This is the part where you be patient. Go do something else and try not to think about your poor phone. Do not be tempted to try it out for at least several hours, possibly a day or two. 
9. After you’ve done all these steps and waited the appropriate time, put your phone back together and cross your fingers. If it works, you are golden. If not, remove the battery and plug the phone in with the charger. It may just be your battery and you can replace that. 
10. If it doesn’t work at all, take your phone to the cell phone provider. They may be able to fix it. Be honest and tell them what happened. (They’ll be able to tell anyway) Hopefully, you’ve purchased insurance on your phone.

Good luck! And be careful!

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