Tips to Save Wet Gadgets from Getting Damaged

It is horrible when you drop your gadgets in water. You have the unquenchable fear that you could have lost them forever. You will be happy to learn that most modern technology is so well built that it keeps most of the water out so long as it is not submerged for too long. So, the first thing you should do is snatch it from the water. Here are a few more tips that you may find useful.

Warning!

If your gadget is plugged into a socket, then turn off the socket and pull out the plug before you retrieve your gadget from the water. Turn off the device as soon as you can, and do not turn it on again until you are 100% sure that no more water is present in the device.

Vacuum out the fluid

This is your first step. You should grab your vacuum cleaner, attach the thinnest nozzle, turn the power on full and suck up as much water you can from your gadget. Be mindful of all the small holes that your gadget has. This may include ports for putting earphone in, USB ports, the place where you attach the charger, etc. You need to do this until you have sucked up as much water as possible.

Take your device apart and strip it down

Obviously, there are some gadgets that you cannot do this with. But, there are many that have outer cases that you can remove safely and without voiding any sort of warranty. Things such as Smartphones may allow you to remove the outer case. Take out the battery of your device and strip down as many parts as you can. Cases and coverings may be made of metal or plastic and have no electronic parts. They are the parts that you can towel dry quite vigorously.

Dab up the fluid

Now that you have stripped down the gadget, you can take a highly absorbent and dry rag, and dab up as much of the water as you can. If you are able to turn the device upside down so that the water is aided by gravity, then do that as well. For example, you can flip over your PC keyboard, shake it and lay it on a dry towel. Be careful when shaking some devices, as some are not built for a good shaking.

Grab your vacuum again

Now that you have stripped it down and dabbed up the water, you need to vacuum it again. You need to try to draw water from all of the places that your dry rag or towel cannot reach. Also, remember that the air passing through will dry up a bit of the water too.

[Read also: How to Protect Your Phone from Water Damage]

Now your choices are varied

There are a number of methods that people recommend, but their effectiveness is unclear. Here are a few you may like to try that some people claim works:

Put your device in the fridge – Your fridge is actually a good device for drying things out. If you leave a fresh lettuce in the fridge without a bag then it will start to wither quite quickly. You could try putting your device in a fridge and it will slowly draw the moisture from the device, and a fridge should not go as cold as freezing, so the device should not be harmed by the cold. Some devices will not fair very well in the fridge for too long.

Leave your device in the sun – A sunny day is capable of drying out gadgets. The sun is warm and the air is sometimes devoid of humidity (water), so it will draw the water out of the device. Some people say that leaving it on a windowsill will draw out a lot of the water.

Use a hair dryer – Put it on the lowest heat setting and do not hold it too close. Do not forget that some devices do not react very well to heat, so be very careful when using this technique. As you can imagine, the heated air is dry so it draws out the fluid.

Soak in uncooked rice – Yes you heard it right! One guy managed to resurrect his wet phone within 30 minutes by giving it a dry-rice spa.

Use silica gel packets – This involves putting the device in a sealed container with silica gel packets. The silica gel will absorb the moisture in the container, which will draw out the water from the gadget.

Conclusion

The main thing to remember is that you should not try to use the gadget again until you have ensured it is completely dry. Some iPhone users reported flickering iPhone screen issues after water damaged. Also, unless you dropped it in pure water, there is a chance that deposits have been left in the device. Dropping it in milk and such may have left a residue that may affect the usability of your device. Do not try pouring alcohol on it, because it may cause even more problems. Pure alcohol absorbs fluid and evaporates quickly, and cleans things, but it may also corrode things and dissolve components in your gadget.

[Read also: How to Properly Clean Your Gadgets]