You didn’t realize that your smart phone was perched so precariously on the edge of your bathtub. And you certainly didn’t think you would actually knock it over the side and into gallons of bubble bath and water. But you did. Now your cellphone is ruined, right? Perhaps not. Yes, water is without a doubt an enemy of one’s favorite electronic gadgets. But if you taking action immediately, you may be able to save most waterlogged of devices. Here’s how.
Saving drowned technology
The tech Web site Gizmodo recently offered a good tutorial of what individuals can do to save the gadgets that they have accidentally dropped into bodies of water. First, and most important, you need to immediately turn off the device’s power. As Gizmodo explains, it isn’t water that wrecks your electronic toys– it’s the electrical shocks that the water causes. If your device incorporates a battery, quickly remove it. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to turn the power off and keep it off. Don’t be tempted to check to see if your device still works.
Other steps
Once the power is off, remove everything else that you can from your device. This means taking off back covers, removing SIM cards and taking off ear port coverings. As Gizmodo explains, there’s a valid reason for this: You want to open up as many holes as you can in the device. That will allow water to dehydrate more quickly. It will also let more air into the device. Next, vacuum as much moisture out from the device as you can. A vacuum with a small nozzle is ideal for this. Finally, it’s time to dry your device. Gizmodo offers a surprising recommendation for this: Rice Krispies. Yes, dropping your iPad or cell phone into a bowl of dry Rice Krispies will suck water right out of them. After 48 hours, give your device a go. If you are lucky, it may work.
Keeping it dry
Of course, better than rescuing a gadget from water is keeping it dry . There are numerous options for this. The New York Times recently ran a great feature ranking the various waterproof cases available. Such options as the LifeProof, Joy Factory Rain Ballet and Liquipel cases come in handy when you are hanging at the lake with your favorite eReader. Our advice, though, is less complicated: Keep the electronics away from the water. It may be tempting to take your iPhone to the edge of the swimming pool. But such a move might prove very expensive.