How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
Some times the worst of things happen to the best of us. Just recently my wife got her cell phone wet, and we needed to act fast to save it. Find out how to save a wet cell phone in this money saving article!
Money Saving Breakdown – How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
- Difficulty (Super Easy/Easy/Medium/Hard/Expert): Easy
- Average Savings per Year ($/year): 200
- Time Required (mins): 10
- Savings for your time ($/hr): 1,200
The Background of Why I’m Writing About How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
Our family recently went camping to enjoy some good old R&R. One of the major activities we had planned was for our kids to go fishing with their Granddad. The kids had never really been fishing before, so this was kinda a big deal for them. Needless to say, many pictures were taken.
As my wife was helping our son get his line unstuck from some lilly pads, her cell phone (actually her smart phone) slipped right out of her coat pocket and into the lake!! She grabbed it as quick as she could, but her cell phone had been fully submerged in the water for a couple of seconds! I stood there in horror…
You see, we had eliminated our cell phone insurance last year as it seemed like a complete waste of $10 a month. Over the course of two years, if you add in the deductible for a claim, you would practically pay the value of the phone twice with said insurance. Well, back at the lake I began to question my decision very quickly. I saw hundred of bucks going down the toilet if we didn’t act quickly to save our cell phone from water damage!
What were we going to do? We needed to know how to save a wet cell phone, and quick!
Steps to Follow for How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
For some strange reason I can’t fully explain, I intuitively knew most of the steps to follow to save a wet cell phone. I searched a couple of websites on how to prevent water damage with your cell phone and I hit most of the tips while we were camping. I’ve included the tips below for how to save a wet cell phone. Here are the steps if you need to know how to save a wet cell phone quickly:
- Get the cell phone out of the water immediately (I think this goes without saying)
- Try to immediately remove the battery from the cell phone. If you can’t get at the battery, turn off the cell phone immediately
- Dry the outside of the cell phone off with a towel or your clothes as quickly as possible
- Remove the SIM card from the cell phone
- Shake out any additional water from the cell phone if possible
- Put 1 or 2 cups of rice into a ziploc bag or tupperware container with tight-fitting lid
- Place the wet cell phone (and battery if you removed it) in the bag or container and seal it up tight
- Leave your cell phone in the bag or container for 24 – 48 hours
- Cross your fingers – then remove phone from the rice, re-install SIM card, re-install the battery, and attempt to power-up the cell phone
If you followed all of these steps for how to save a wet cell phone, you have the best chance of saving your cell phone from water damage. These steps will not always work if your cell phone gets wet, but the rice really does a great job of absorbing the water and moisture from electronics such as cell phones. Do NOT under any circumstances put your cell phone in the oven, toaster oven, microwave, or use a hair dryer with it. You will completely destroy it if things get too hot! If these steps above do not work or you forgot to cross your fingers, you may have to take it to an authorized cell phone repair company.
YouTube Video Which Shows How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
COMING SOON!
Final Thoughts for How to Save a Wet Cell Phone
You may be asking – Derek, were you able to save your wife’s cell phone from water damage? I have good news – the steps above for how to save a wet cell phone worked for us! 🙂
As I said, my wife’s cell phone was fully immersed in water (a lake) for 4 or 5 seconds before she could fish it out of the water. Because I was so freaked out about losing a $500 cell phone due to water damage, we actually ended up leaving the cell phone in the rice for four days to absorb the water. When she powered her cell phone up, it came right up without issues. Her cell phone has been working well for the past week without any issues. I’ve got my fingers crossed that her cell phone will last for many more months to come! Let me know if this how to save a wet cell phone guide works for you or if you have other steps I should add to the list!
It saves a lot of resources to save a phone from succumbing to water. Having in mind all the important data that a phone carries and the price of the phone, it makes one do all it takes to save it.
Amos @ Modest Money recently posted…A Review of The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
Amos, very true! When you consider the time to transfer data, settings, apps from one phone to another it really is a big pain in the butt if it succumbs to water damage!
Nice save! The first reaction to dropping a phone in water is to see if it still works…which of course is the WORST thing you can do. I’d actually recommend pulling the battery immediately (if possible) over turning it off. It’s a faster way of getting that phone OFF. Very useful post!
brock @cleverdude recently posted…Rotate Your Tires, Or Pay The Price
Brock – good point about the battery. I will change that around. Thanks for the input!
Good to hear you saved the phone. My boss had a similar story. He went kayaking and his phone go soaked. He did many of the things you mention, like drying it off, shaking out the excess water, etc. But he then bought a bag that is designed to draw out the water. He figured he had nothing to lose so he tried it and it worked. He used his phone for another couple of years. But, he too had to leave the phone in the bag for a few days. It wasn’t an overnight thing.
Jon @ Money Smart Guides recently posted…The Only Tip You Need For Retirement Saving Success
Jon,
Cool – I’ve never heard of one of those bags before. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
Cool tip. Very handy and very cheap to do. I figure you use the rice to absorb the moisture completely. Would it also work if you let it dry in the heat of the sun? Or use a blower?
Matt recently posted…100 Reasons It’s Really Great To Be A Guy!
Matt,
You need to get the moisture out ASAP to prevent corrosion. Placing in the sun or a blower would be a bad idea because you could mess up the internal solders with the high temperatures.