How to Save Smartphones from Water Damage

Cell phones and water: Not a good mix. Yet as phones becaome more and more a part of our everyday lives, it seems like we keep coming up with new and creative ways to damage them. A dip in the pool, perhaps? Or an unexpected trip into some salty water at the beach? I actually have a friend who unknowingly floated around the Dead Sea with a phone in her pocket. Then, of course, there’s that other famous body of water phones just can’t seem to stay away from — the toilet bowl.

No matter where you drop it, it’s never a happy moment when your phone first learns to swim. But try not to panic. Just because your phone got wet doesn’t mean it’s gone for good. Follow these steps and you have a pretty decent shot at bringing it back to life.

Don’t press any buttons.
I know it seems tempting, but pressing a button on your phone can let any residual moisture seep through, increasing your risk of damage.

Remove the internal components.
If your phone has a removable pack banel, take it off. Grab the battery, your SIM card, and/or your microSD card and dry them off completely. After all, even if you can’t save your phone, hopefully you’ll be able to save some of the valuable information you had stored inside. Place the components on a dry paper towel and put them off to the side.

Stick it in some rice.
Now that you’ve gotten rid of all the water on the surface, it’s time to suck out the rest of the moisture you can’t see. Your best bet for doing this is a product like the Bheestie Bag, which is filled with tiny balls (pictured below) that are designed to absorb and retain water more efficiently than even silica. But you probably don’t have a Bheestie Bag just lying around (though if you do, kudos). In that case, reach for the nearest bag of rice. Pour the rice into a container, and bury the phone and components somewhere in the middle. Move the phone around every couple of hours, just to make sure gravity is doing its thing.

https://gigaom.com/2013/08/12/how-to-save-a-water-damaged-cell-phone/