After broken screens, water damage is probably the next common problem smartphone user’s encounter at the most unexpected times. It happens in a snap to the extent of you not being able to fathom how it happened. If your phone is certified to be water-resistant and has a high IP rating, though, you might be on the safe side. But what if your phone has zero IP rating or you’ve submerged the phone inside water past its water resistivity? It’s at that point you think of finding some quick tips on how to dry out phone when wet. Yes, you need that; and thankfully, that’s what this article is all about.
Once again, you don’t have to panic when your phone gets wet or completely drown. Depending on how long the phone is spent inside the water, you could salvage it at home by following our guide on how to dry out a phone dropped in water.
Get the phone out as fast as possible
Whether IP-certified or not, how fast you’re able to rescue your phone from the water would determine if you can dry it out at home or not. Even you dropped it inside the toilet sit, don’t hesitate to dip your hands into it and pick it out! The more your phone is submerged in the water, the more part is likely to get damaged. So, don’t be shy to rescue your phone from the water, no matter the condition.
Turn it off and remove everything you can!
Rescuing the phone from the water is not just enough; you need to cut its components from drawing power as well! After taking it out of the water, turn it off immediately. It’s even better to remove the battery if you can.
Although most modern phones in 2021 don’t feature a removable battery, some of them and the older ones still let you. So, if you’ve got a phone with a removable battery, pull it out instantly to stop all the phone components from drawing power, or end up having short circuits.
One thing you might be tempted to do is keep using the wet phone. If you do that, you’re risking high repair costs or possibly, losing the phone forever.
Once the phone is off, you’ll want to remove everything you can to allow air into the device and prevent the things from damaging. Simply remove your SIM cards, memory card, cover, and other things attached or inserted into the phone.
Time to dry out the wet phone
Learning how to dry out phone when wet is incomplete without the first two things mentioned above. And after that, grab a lint-free cloth to clean the external part of the phone. Clean its back cover, frames, and screen to remove the excess water there. Meanwhile, be careful not to shake the phone too much to avoid spreading the water all over.
Now, on how to dry out phone when wet, you have two options: you can either put the phone inside the rice or leave it in an environment a little high above room temperature. First, let’s focus on how to dry out a phone without rice.
Once the external part is clean, you can then put the phone in an environment/room above room temperature for at least 48 hours. Doing so will allow the water to dry out completely, and hopefully, it returns your phone in a working state.
While we said “above room temperature,” we don’t mean inside the oven, on the radiator, or anywhere “hot.” Just put the phone in a warm room where the water can evaporate within the said period.
Caution: do not dry the phone with a hair dryer, oven, or any other hot equipment. Heat can damage the internals of your phone quickly.
You can also keep the phone inside rice
If you can’t find a warm room in your house to put your phone, then you can use the good old rice method. As its rice’s nature to suck off moisture content from objects, it can also help salvage your wet phone.
However, keep in mind that while rice might help dry out your wet phone, but not completely. So, it’s always advisable any day and anytime to take your phone to a repair professional for assistance. Add to that is the time needed, and we’ve heard some questions like how long should you leave your phone inside rice to dry it out? You need a complete 48 hours or more.
Nonetheless, it’s worth trying. It worked for some and might work for you as well. Here’s how to dry a wet phone with rice.
- Grab a sizable bowl and put some rice inside it. Make sure the rice will be enough to cover your phone.
- And for the last time, make sure you’ve powered off your phone, removed everything removable, and cleaned the external surface of the phone.
- Now, put your phone inside the bowl of rice and cover it with the rice as well.
- Once again, if you ask, “how long do I keep my phone in rice to dry it out,” we recommend at least 48 hours to allow the rice to suck off the water completely. Sincerely, the longer, the better.
- Also, putting the bowl of rice in a warm room can aid the process.
- Remove and turn on your phone after 48 hours to see if it works properly now.
Sometimes, the phone may still not work after living 48 hours inside the rice. At that time, you only have two options: you either return the phone inside the bowl of rice or take your phone to the repair center to fix it.
Also, you can learn how to dry out my phone USB port and how to dry out iPhone charging port here!
After all, you may still need to visit the repair center
The bitter truth, however, is that leaving your phone in a warm room, putting it in a bowl of rice, or both doesn’t guarantee to bring back your wet for to its normal state. Sure, it may work for you. But if it doesn’t, or some parts are malfunctioning afterward, your hope is not lost. A technician can help you out.
If your phone still didn’t work after drying it out, or you face unfamiliar issues afterward, we recommend you take your phone to a repair professional for assistance.
Here at Carlcare, we’re the official service provider for TECNO, Infinix, and itel smartphones, providing users with high-quality repair services. If you have any smartphone or gadget from these brands and it got (or drowned completely), don’t hesitate to visit Carlcare to fix it.
Repairing a water-damaged phone is delicate, as any of the phone component – screen, battery, microphone, and motherboard, to mention a little – is prone to water damage. You don’t need to worry though, as we get you covered. Even if your phone needs parts replacement, you can rest assured of getting the original ones from our service centers.
And, one nice thing is that you don’t have to leave your phone for 48 hours to dry at home. You can bring it to our service center after turning it off and cleaning its body to receive fast repair service.
Add to that, you can book a repair appointment with us to eliminate your waiting time and decrease the risk of damaging your phone with water.
