What to do when your cellphone goes through the washer

[cam76034]

This may be common knowledge, but for those who might not know...

If you should ever find your cellphone drenched, whether from an overenthusiastic plunge into unknown waters on an ATV, as I did once, or getting thrown into the pool, as my daughter experienced, or going through the wash cycle as my managed to do this past weekend; here is what you should do, as well as what you shouldn't.

Ignore the initial impulse to turn it back on to "see if it still works". If you do, it won't. First thing to do is to take the battery out and set it aside.

What I did with the freshly washed cameraphone cell this past weekend was to take all the itty bitty little screws out that hold it together. Opened it up enough to be able to dry it out with several applications of the hair dryer. Once the condensation stopped reappearing on the displays and the camera lens, I let it sit overnight. Put the battery back in and voila! everything works!

[channelmaniac]

Sometimes you need to rinse it out more... with distilled water or alcohol just to get the soap residue or hard water minerals out of the phone before the water dries and leaves 'em on like concrete.

+1 on the "let it dry" first before powering it up!

RJ

[HudsonHawk]

Had that happen to an old Mac notebook when I worked at Pizza Hut. The admin accidently nocked a bottle of water over onto a notebook that was acting as a server for the entire department (don't ask). She had the presense of mind to immediately unplug it and pull the battery. I dismantled the whole machine on a work bench and let it dry for 4 days. Then went over all the electrical components with a magnifying glass and small pick to remove residue. Put it all back together and it powered right back up.

[MadMerv]

Throw it away!

[Radio-Active]

Actually, My mom had just renewed her contract and got a new phone about a month before when her two year old grand daughter fell in the pool. My mom dived into the pool with her phone in her pocket and saved the baby. My dad dried out the phone for 5 days and it came back to life normally. It does work as long as you don't try to restart the phone while it's wet.

That granddaughter is in 2nd grade now.

[ray_sir_6]

Isn't "don't turn on any electrical equipment while wet" common sense? Of course, everyone knows that "common sense" is not very COMMON!

My wife had our daughter "wash" her cell phone in the bathtub, and my wife was smart enough to turn it on and try to call me to see if it still worked. She has learned now, and had to buy a new phone.

[MadMerv]

Isn't "don't turn on any electrical equipment while wet" common sense? Of course, everyone knows that "common sense" is not very COMMON!

My wife had our daughter "wash" her cell phone in the bathtub, and my wife was smart enough to turn it on and try to call me to see if it still worked. She has learned now, and had to buy a new phone.

but...but...if it went thru the dryer too, wouldn't it be ok?