If you’ve never accidentally dropped your phone, especially a smartphone in water or some other liquid, then you don’t know the meaning of panic :). It is one of the rare moments when you get a huge adrenaline rush, but don’t know what to do with it. Smartphones, after all, are the most valuable mobile gadgets which most people have with them all the time. And accidents are bound to happen.

But what should you do if you drop your cell in water? The obvious thing to say would be not to panic. But I know firsthand that would be a hard thing to do. Here are some tips which you can follow to salvage your wet cell phone. And even if you’ve never dropped one in the water before, it’s good to have some knowledge beforehand, just in case.

Instant Tips To Save A Wet Cell Phone

If you drop your cell in water, the first thing to do of course would be to take it out immediately. The more time it is immersed, the deeper inside the water will go, and the lesser your chances will be to recover it. So just grab your cell as fast as you can from water when encountered, and take it out.

Turn Off And Remove The Battery

Once you’ve taken out the cell, turn it off! Usually, phones will turn off automatically due to the water. If it didn’t turn off, then do so immediately! And not from the push and hold button! Remove the back cover immediately and take out the battery, as quick as you can.

The reason for that is, your phone has thousands of micro connections and wires running inside. Even a single drop of water, if put at the precise location, would connect these wires.

Give A Freshwater Bath!

If you dropped your phone in salt water (in an ocean), or in a glass of juice or beer or coke :P, then you should rinse it in fresh water after removing the battery. Otherwise, the salts in the liquid would cause corrosion. You can use filtered or tap water for this purpose.

How To Dry The Phone?

Vacuum it – Once the battery is out, take a towel or a tissue, and dry off each bit of the cell you can reach. If you have a vacuum cleaner, try to suck out the water. This should do the trick for places such as charging or USB ports etc.

Use a bowl of uncooked rice – Yes, a bowl of rice. Rice is a good absorbent. Completely submerging your phone in a bowl full of rice will suck out the moisture from the phone. Make sure the bowl is covered with a lid though. And keep the phone there for at least two days. You can also use silica granules, which you usually find inside medicine boxes. Silica is an excellent absorbent, but not as readily available as rice.

No Exposure To Air Or Sunlight!

Keeping the phone in sunlight will not help. It could cause heat damage. Besides, if you expose it to the air, it will corrode fast, just as a piece of wet iron will.  Also, do not try to blow dry your cell with a hair dryer! Hot air will cause more damage than just the sun or just the air exposure.

Those were some of the basics you should know. Even after attempting all the tips above, your phone doesn’t work, you should consider selling your dead cellphone online. There are so many websites online, like USell, where buyers are willing to purchase dead smartphones at decent prices – no matter how bad is the condition of your cellphone.

Anyways, If you know more tips to save a wet cellphone then do share with us in the comments below. Also share this post with your friends to increase awareness, so that others might know how to save their wet cellphones! 🙂