What Do You Do If Your Cellphone Goes Through the Washing Machine?
If a cellphone goes through a washing machine, or gets wet in any other way, it needs to be dried as soon as possible to prevent the water from doing any permanent damage to the electrical circuitry. To dry the phone, switch it off immediately, remove the battery and/or SIM card, and dry all reachable parts thoroughly. Next, place the phone in a sealed bag or container filled with a desiccant, such as dry rice, for several days to help remove any remaining moisture from inside the phone.
- Power off the phone The sooner the phone is switched off the better. It should even be switched off before the outside is dried, as there is no greater priority when dealing with a wet phone than getting it switched off.
- Remove battery and dry
- Get a desiccant
- Turn on the phone
Once the phone is switched off, dry away any excess water from the outside with a lint-free towel. Then, remove the battery and SIM card, if possible, and dry those as well. Touch dry any part of the cellphone that can be accessed to remove the excess water.
A desiccant is a material that is used as a drying agent. Dry rice is a desiccant present in most homes, although it is also possible to use silica gel packets. These can be purchased new or used, and also come in the boxes of many new products. The phone, battery and other wet components should be put in a sealed bag or container along with the desiccant and left there for 2 to 3 days. The longer the better.
Remove the phone from the bag or container, reassemble it and turn it on.
