My family and I had a great time floating the Guadalupe yesterday. I had my phone snugly positioned at the top of the cooler–in a dry place. My phone has been through a lot. It’s scratched all over, it randomly turns itself off. I’m kind of tired of it. That said, I’m not yet prepared to upgrade. I’m on the wait for new releases, most notably the Palm Pre and perhaps the next incarnation of the iPhone.

So, my phone begins acting like it’s been wet after I had recovered it from the van that picked us up at the river (it fell out of my pocket). I see that the moisture indicators are both the accusatory tone of red: “This guy doused his phone. Don’t help him troubleshoot it. Just sneer at him and tell him that we don’t cover water damage.” I think first of using whiteout to cover over the strips (it was a brief thought), then I go to more realistic options. I settled on, “What have other people done when they’ve found their water-fearing devices have gotten aquatic?”

Best Chance of Curing Your Phone’s Ailment

Well, it just happens that all kinds of people have been in this dilemma, so there are a few suggestions on home remedies. The first one I came across involved the use of rice. The next one suggested heating an oven to about 150º, an option in which I had very little confidence. Adding heat to electronic devices, while off and the battery removed, just sounds like a begging for compounding the injury.

So, I went with the less harmful suggestion, immerse the phone in dry rice overnight. When I awoke this morning, I checked the phone. The rice surrounding it had obviously absorbed the moisture. I tried the battery from my mom’s phone (my battery was not salvaged). The phone worked! No need to replace the phone. Just replace the battery. After a trip to the cellular store, I now have a battery with nonmatching color for just around 20 dollars.

Supplies Needed

  • Your soaked phone
  • A soft towel or tissue
  • A medium size bowl or 2 smaller bowls (cereal size)
  • Enough dry, uncooked rice of any kind to fill your bowl(s)
  • Time–at least overnight (6-8 hours)

Recap of the Steps Involved

  1. Remove the battery (and SIM card, if applicable). Do this immediately.
  2. Dry off all the components with a soft towel or tissue.
  3. Take your dry, uncooked rice and generously fill your bowl(s) with the rice.
  4. Situate the battery, SIM card, and phone in the bowl(s) so that they are completely surrounded by a nice padding of rice all around.
  5. Let those components sit overnight (at least 6-8 hours) fully immersed in the rice.
  6. Check back after several hours, say a little prayer.
  7. Reconnect all the components and try powering your device on. Your phone’s fate is now sealed.

Special Note: If your phone was dropped in a corrosive or in saltwater, some people have suggested soaking your phone in distilled water first. This is to make sure that no corrosive particles corrode the innards of your phone over time. I have not tried this since I was only dealing with river water, but I would suggest this course of action if you have concerns about corrosive liquids and saltwater. After a bath in distilled water, follow the steps I listed above.

I’d call my personal experience a success. I didn’t have to upgrade, try to recover my contacts, or worry about any of that nonsense. So, in a few months, I will have a functioning phone when I switch over to a new phone. I like that.

If you should find yourself in a wet phone quandary, try the rice remedy before panic sets in. If you’re looking for a pretense to a phone upgrade, don’t try the rice remedy. It might just work.