Tips for Dealing With Water Damage Before You Come to iPhoneMedix
Your phone got wet. HELP!
Make plans to visit iPhoneMedix, Abilene’s premier cell phone repair store, but in the meantime here are a few things you can do to help improve your phone’s chances of survival… and no, it doesn’t involve rice.
- TURN THE PHONE OFF IMMEDIATELY. If your phone is still on and working… no, you didn’t get lucky. Your phone is still at risk of frying–the water will eventually reach the circuit board and cause the device to suffer electrical damage IF the phone is on. If your phone is not working immediately after getting wet, DO NOT try to turn on and DO NOT plug it in.
- Remove the case–for obvious reasons, a case may be trapping water and prevent drying
- Remove battery if possible. Depending on your model of smart phone, you may have a battery that is easily accessible and removable. If you aren’t sure, let the professionals remove it.
- Keep the phone still, and lay flat…. and leave it alone!
The key is to let the phone dry. The water alone doesn’t cause the damage, it’s the water + electricity, which is why it’s important to turn the phone off immediately. If you can avoid an electrical short, and let the phone dry completely (up to 48 hours at room air), there’s a good chance your phone will be ok. Either way, you need to bring your phone to us.
Some special considerations.
- DO NOT put your phone on rice. Studies show they do not dry your phone any quicker than open air, and you risk rice getting stuck in crucial parts of your device.
- If you dropped your phone in the ocean, salt water is corrosive. Once you have powered the phone off and removed battery, rinse the phone with regular water and lay flat to dry. Same rule applies if your phone fell into a soiled toilet or a pot of soup
Bottom line, turn the phone off and bring it iPhoneMedix. But we realize these accidents often happen on vacation or after hours. We hope these tips help you preserve your phone until you can get it to us!
