lifehacker.com— A Washington Post reporter who accidentally dropped his Blackberry in the toilet was able to retrieve it and dry it out to working order again: by leaving it turned off in a bowl of uncooked rice.
Jun 18, 2007View in Crawl 4
A couple of my friends dropped their RZRs into the toilet, and they salvaged them by putting the phones into a sealed plastic container with those moisture absorbing packets that come in a shoe box (about 20 of them) for 48 hours, and it did the trick.
Just last week I got a bunch of old 35mm film (going back away from digital...), put it in a tupperware box in the fridge. The warm summer air cooled down and condensed all over the films.I remembered the rice in the salt shaker trick, poured some rice in the tupperware box and presto! Nice and dry!We use these "old housewife tricks" far too seldomly and rely on industrial stuff like dessicant instead... oh well.
MacGyver Tip #2: To escape from a Soviet mental institution and free a diplomat who needs political asylum, disguise yourself as a doctor, sneak into the chemistry lab and mix up some explosives using what you find there. To create a distraction, find some chemicals that create smoke when combined, hide them underneath a food tray, and when the smoke starts to flow out the guards won't notice you sneaking past them to the cells where the diplomat is being held hostage. Break in using the key you stole from the guard you knocked out (don't use a gun, ever!), and then use the explosives to blow a hole in the window. Jump outside with the diplomat and into the ambulance your female partner has parked outside. Hit the gas and get out before the guards can catch up to you, and escape across the nearest international border.
This is horrible advice. The proper DIY procedure for an accidental dunk is to immediately remove power (don't turn off - remove battery/power cord) then flush with de-ionized water, distilled water or a high concentration of isopropyl alcohol. These three commonly available items will flush out any salts or minerals that were left by the accidental exposure.At that point, if you feel it is necessary to hasten the drying process, you can put the item under a light bulb or leave it in your car on a hot summer day. If you have a toaster oven that is capable of operating about 100 degrees, that would work too. Certainly putting a dripping item into a container of rice WILL re-contaminate it.
Years ago I had a Kyocera 6035 phone which ran the Palm OS. A Pepsi had spilled all over and into it. After that, the phone would not turn on and did not work at all.I removed the battery and ran the phone under the sink for about 2 minutes to wash away all of the syrup and sugar. I then put it into the oven. My oven was gas powered and had a pilot light. This is important as it keeps the inside of the oven slightly warm and very dry. After three days, I took the phone out of the oven, inserted the battery and voila! The phone was completely and thoroughly dry and worked perfectly.
pwnedpdsJun 19, 2007
A couple of my friends dropped their RZRs into the toilet, and they salvaged them by putting the phones into a sealed plastic container with those moisture absorbing packets that come in a shoe box (about 20 of them) for 48 hours, and it did the trick.
0ceanicJun 19, 2007
Desiccants - Do Not Eat
buglordJun 19, 2007
Just last week I got a bunch of old 35mm film (going back away from digital...), put it in a tupperware box in the fridge. The warm summer air cooled down and condensed all over the films.I remembered the rice in the salt shaker trick, poured some rice in the tupperware box and presto! Nice and dry!We use these "old housewife tricks" far too seldomly and rely on industrial stuff like dessicant instead... oh well.
psychoticclownJun 19, 2007
Not the most passionate person about hygiene, I reckon. The 5-second-rule (to him) is probably the infinity-rule. Disgusting.
lcarsdeveloperJun 19, 2007
MacGyver Tip #2: To escape from a Soviet mental institution and free a diplomat who needs political asylum, disguise yourself as a doctor, sneak into the chemistry lab and mix up some explosives using what you find there. To create a distraction, find some chemicals that create smoke when combined, hide them underneath a food tray, and when the smoke starts to flow out the guards won't notice you sneaking past them to the cells where the diplomat is being held hostage. Break in using the key you stole from the guard you knocked out (don't use a gun, ever!), and then use the explosives to blow a hole in the window. Jump outside with the diplomat and into the ambulance your female partner has parked outside. Hit the gas and get out before the guards can catch up to you, and escape across the nearest international border.
bluhatJun 19, 2007
Ummmm....I tried this. Anyone know how to get rice out of a keyboard?
stevemisJun 19, 2007
This is horrible advice. The proper DIY procedure for an accidental dunk is to immediately remove power (don't turn off - remove battery/power cord) then flush with de-ionized water, distilled water or a high concentration of isopropyl alcohol. These three commonly available items will flush out any salts or minerals that were left by the accidental exposure.At that point, if you feel it is necessary to hasten the drying process, you can put the item under a light bulb or leave it in your car on a hot summer day. If you have a toaster oven that is capable of operating about 100 degrees, that would work too. Certainly putting a dripping item into a container of rice WILL re-contaminate it.
sikesJul 15, 2007
Years ago I had a Kyocera 6035 phone which ran the Palm OS. A Pepsi had spilled all over and into it. After that, the phone would not turn on and did not work at all.I removed the battery and ran the phone under the sink for about 2 minutes to wash away all of the syrup and sugar. I then put it into the oven. My oven was gas powered and had a pilot light. This is important as it keeps the inside of the oven slightly warm and very dry. After three days, I took the phone out of the oven, inserted the battery and voila! The phone was completely and thoroughly dry and worked perfectly.