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Absolutely Awesome tip to Fix Your Cellphone soaked in water

washingtonpost.com — This is a brilliant tip...fix your costly cellphone which you have mistakingly soaked in water..you need to go to the kitchen to do that...yes...you heard it right

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  • ispeakasian, on 03/27/2008, -0/+57Perfect! I have sixty 50lb bags of rice sittin in my basement. Horray for being Asian.
    • mattewood, on 03/27/2008, -9/+2You mean Asians are more prone to drop their Crackberry's in the toilet?

      :P
    • shrewduser, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3rice is an interesting one, but what i found worked flawlessly was simply sticking the thing as close to an air conditioner as you can get it, the cold dry air does wonders, and it also beads the water, then alternate with room temperature every hour or so (which also moves the water about again allowing the cold dry air to do its trick again), in a couple of hours you should have a working mobile.
    • rompom7, on 03/27/2008, -0/+7The best way is to displace the water with something that evaporates quickly, like methylated spirits or rubbing alcohol. Just dunk it in a container of it couple of times (make sure the battery is out -- I'm not exactly sure if denatured alcohol is a decent conductor and could short the circuitry, but just to be on the safe side). Leave to dry, or speed things up with a hair drier.

      A friend of mine did this with his laptop after he spilled coffee all through it, cleaned it up really well.
      • drdepoy, on 03/27/2008, -0/+5alcohol is by far the best thing you can do for a phone dropped in the water. The problem is not water itself, but impurities in the water that allow it to conduct electricity. Once the water have evaporated (or absorbed) it leaves traces of these minerals that can still conduct electricity - in fact rice would probably be a really bad idea because of all the sticky rice residue it could leave.

        The last time i dropped my phone in the water I used 99% isopropyl and PCB cleaner to dry it out. Also i have gotten into the habit of covering the "water detection" sticker with a piece of electrical tape.
    • rebrad, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Does this work on the iPhone?
      • foxtrot25m, on 03/27/2008, -1/+0probably works on most phones but not mine becaue it went half way thought the washing machine cycle. :( boooo
        • astrotrain, on 03/27/2008, -1/+1Next time check your pockets before washing.... duh.
      • donkeySays, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2If you are using iRice, yes.
    • OwdenBowden, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2DIGG THE TIP

      You still cannot bypass the water detection features that will change color inside the unit - in the event you go to return it or seek service.
    • themastersb, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1I bet you really mean being a weaboo.
    • DIAF, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1You dont need rice. What a waste. and if you still plan to eat it, who would eat rice that absorbed toilet water??
      A dehumidifier is the best option.
      I dropped my phone into a deep puddle, left it on top of a dehumidifier and it worked in a few hours.
  • ichchappycat, on 03/27/2008, -1/+12My stepdad put his Nokia in the oven at 250 Fahrenheit... Melted it into a pretty cool "art piece" as I like to call it actually...
    • wallyslittlebro, on 03/27/2008, -0/+0I have an iPOD I've baked 3 times. I use 100 degrees for 10 hours. Still works but the click wheel keeps shrinking each time and now has this bulls eye thing going on.
      • Markpdotcom, on 03/27/2008, -0/+4Photos or you're full of *****...
  • jflowers45, on 03/27/2008, -5/+2Dugg for an awesome pic!
  • Mohdoo, on 03/27/2008, -0/+29People reading this could prevent a lottttt of facebook groups...
  • Camelcarcass, on 03/27/2008, -6/+8Obscure ending, dumb story, could have simply said, leave soaked phone in rice, rice eat moisture
    • PeaceMaker8, on 03/27/2008, -4/+1Yeah; It could have been just mechanical & 100% surface deep, but I don't have a problem with creativity. Your negative attitude has no benefits - for anyone - including yourself. Cheer up! (Please)
    • mattvander, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1hell yes! my thoughts exactly!
  • patch6, on 03/27/2008, -1/+9More reliable to remove the battery, then disassemble the device to bake the logic board at 125 celsius for 2 hours to remove the moisture (a common procedure for BGA installation).

    Can't include the plastic case.
    • Valleye, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3I just removed the battery and left it on the grill of my 20" crt over night, come back tomorrow drop in the battery and I was back in business.
  • ClubVIP, on 03/27/2008, -2/+17I just put my phone in the bath to try this out, I'm now heading to the shop to buy a new phone.
    • Camelcarcass, on 03/27/2008, -3/+1Maybe you could tell us what brand and shop you use as well?
  • pcsperson, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3I always wondered if this was true, glad to see it in print
  • tetsuwan, on 03/27/2008, -0/+7Straight water usually isn't a killer. Just disassemble the phone and let it dry for a couple of days (I've done that and it works). Saline water, otoh ... I managed to get my phone working after dropping it in the sea, but the display broke half a year later and it was generally glitchy.
    • JMSantos, on 03/27/2008, -1/+2Yea, 6 months is a pretty strong case for causality...
      • tetsuwan, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1all I can say is that it worked perfectly before the accident and not so well after it. If salt crystallizes in a device, it will continue to absorb water and mess up the electronics.
  • Celeron, on 03/27/2008, -0/+13Rice, what can't it do?
    • b0rna, on 03/27/2008, -1/+1Lose weight for you? Ahh theres one!
    • JMSantos, on 03/27/2008, -0/+5Suspend 13 japanese acrobats at 1200 feet with a single grain.
  • stuartcow, on 03/27/2008, -7/+2Ugh, that is so stupid. Just stick it in the freezer, it drys it out super fast and the cooling of the freezer actually makes it run a little bit faster. Less heat = better performance.
    • Coven, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2Until you take it out of the freezer and the device returns to normal operating temperatures. If you want the better performance you kind of have to leave it in the freezer.
    • ArmandoM, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2I keep and use all my electronic devices in the freezer. I'm sitting in there now typing this on my computer.
  • mattewood, on 03/27/2008, -4/+9Lame story.
  • djwk1928, on 03/27/2008, -0/+20You got a date and you wear a waist bag? Dugg for that story.. incredible!
    • ispellkonfusion, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1I'm assuming a waist bag is a fanny pack in guy speak. If so, I totally agree. I wouldn't be seen with a man who has a fanny pack.
  • GalacticRerun, on 03/27/2008, -2/+20Jeez, I didn't ask for your life story, just gimme the tips on drying the phone.
  • davincid, on 03/27/2008, -5/+5err.. anyone else have issue with the view point that the 'toilet water was clean'. Never thought of toilet water as clean. For the second date? How about he cooks a lovely rice dish?
    • confusednazgul, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3I'm pretty sure he just meant that no feces or urine was visible in the toilet when the phone took a dive.
  • WafflesID, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3Hmmm. It doesn't sound like it fixed anything, or that the rice had anything to do with...anything. Sounds likely that it would have done the exact same thing just on a table for a few days.
  • UncleCrapper, on 03/27/2008, -0/+26"This is a brilliant tip...fix your costly cellphone which you have mistakingly soaked in water..you need to go to the kitchen to do that...yes...you heard it right..."

    Oh my god! The kitchen? I need to go to the kitchen to fix my phone? Unbelievable! Incredible! Of all the rooms in the house I need to go to the kitchen to accomplish this clever fix for a water logged Blackberry. A place just brimming with various chemicals, utensils and a large working area. Imagine that.
  • jenshik, on 03/27/2008, -4/+2I recently had a very nice mp3 player go through the wash. I left it in my hot water cupboard for a few days then opened it up and resoldered the battery wires on to the PCB inside and presto. It goes, battery is a little worse for wear capacity-wise but it works and that's the main thing.
    This article is kinda pointless IMHO.
  • thelimopit, on 03/27/2008, -0/+6I managed to drop my phone in the toilet and it was fine. I've just realised there's no point in me saying this.

    Actually, a few years back I'd just got a lovely brand new phone and I went to a music festival. I let my mate take a look at it, he threw it back to me and it somersaulted gracefully straight into my glass of nice cool, crisp beer. I took the battery out and left it to dry for a bit, and apart from some marking on the screen it was absolutely fine.
    • krets, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3I hope you beat the crap out of your mate for throwing your brand new phone at you.
  • thenewguy023, on 03/27/2008, -2/+2A great solution to the toilet phone is to open it, (if you can) and spray some PJ1 cleaner inside http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-cleaning-po ... it will blast out all the minerals from the water and demoisturize the circuits. I have brought back cameras, phones and rc gear with this stuff with a 100% success rate even after 24hours in underwater in one case.
    • urthbuoy, on 03/27/2008, -1/+1WD40 works in that manner: displaces water and is non-conductive so won't short out the electronics. Haven't tried PJ1 so I can't vouch for that.
  • thenewguy023, on 03/27/2008, -2/+1Make that PJ1 link
    http://tinyurl.com/39kvlb
  • Kasot, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3I put mine in the oven (50C), and it was going fine until my brother decided to have pizza.
    Then I got a new cell.
  • hwood, on 03/27/2008, -0/+6When I dropped my Palm Pilot in the toilet, I removed the batteries then soaked it in isopropyl alcohol. After, that I let it air dry and it worked fine. I think the alcohol helps with the drying.
  • benplaut, on 03/27/2008, -6/+1Why not stick it in the microwave for a few mins?
  • bluechips23, on 03/27/2008, -0/+4Pics or it didn't happen!


    I meant about the date, not about the crackberry buried under rice.
  • fluxboxuk, on 03/27/2008, -1/+2Dude, u dont deserve the second date, if all your witty dinner conversation is as boring as that story she'll be using the bread knife to slit her wrists within the first 20 mins !
  • Hosalabad, on 03/27/2008, -0/+3A better tip is to place the device sans battery and cover on top of a powered on CRT or Television. Dries faster and more completely.
  • Goat689, on 03/27/2008, -2/+4BURIED for the fact that this story was released over half a year ago....and was on digg
    • Hobbers10, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Maybe not every mother ***** saw it on dig a year ago. Stop crying about ***** like that bitch.
  • kb7735, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Friends jumping or being thrown in pools with phones, left out in rain, etc. I've taken them, opened them up a bit, and popped them in an electric oven at 130 for a couple minutes, then turned the oven off and let it cool down slowly - to totally dry it out. Just take out battery a bit sooner as it gets real hot, but the components on the phone will be totally dried out. Always worked flawlessly for me - it's when you don't do anything to the phone that it gets corroded. I've also done this with a camcorder.
  • hiro, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Good? Yes. Absolutely Awesome? No
  • Wander2000, on 03/27/2008, -0/+5I've sent 2 phones back to T-Mobile that have been run through the washing machine. Both were still under warranty. The trick is there is a little white 'pad' on the back - on most phones, around the battery, that turns red if it detects water; then the warranty is void.

    But fear not. Take a small single sided razor blade, scrape off the little red button, underneath is a metal 'pad'. Take some 'white-out', carefully place some of it on the pad, but not too much. Wait a while for it to dry. Then take some clear nail polish and carefully apply it.

    T-Mobile apparently just does a quick visual on them, and if the little pad isn't red - you are good to go!
  • etx313, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2Even better, Put it in a Tupperware dish with Damp-Rid from Home Depot. It pulls the moisture out of the air faster. You can find it in the paint isle.
  • Hobbers10, on 03/27/2008, -1/+1My wife dropped her iphone in the ***** and did the rice thing and it works fine now. It still smells like *****, but it works
  • illogic, on 03/27/2008, -0/+0yea i put my phone through a full wash cycle, and took it out and did the rice thing. It worked the second i put it back together, i left it in there for two days. It had a watermark on the screen though. I recently replaced it cause i dropped it. :| clumsy.
  • jimjoke, on 03/27/2008, -1/+1Oh those Asians and their rice.
  • frosted, on 03/27/2008, -1/+0And here I was drying it in the microwave all these years..
  • astrotrain, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Rice also works great for a heating pad.... take an old sock (w/o holes) fill with Rice, and microwave for about 3 mins. You have yourself a nice positionable heating pad good for any part of the body.
  • Treoinmypocket, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2Uh - DIgg needs a "No ***** Sherlock!" category.

    Both rice and salt absorb moisture. Ever notice rice in the salt-shaker at a restaurant? This is why - to keep the salt from sticking together.

    People have been putting their waterlogged watches in salt or rice for over 100 years.

  • alittleroy101, on 03/27/2008, -0/+2Who diggs this *****?
  • tararua, on 03/27/2008, -0/+0We had a phone about six months or so ago that fell into the kitchen sink and frizzled. We packed it into a container of rice for two days and the phone worked perfectly after that. This method works like a treat.
  • MaceSoul, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Am I the only one who thinks that toilets never have "clean" water in them? Really, you're going to stick that thing up against your mouth now? In other news, who can't shake out 10 pounds of silica gel out of shoe boxes in their closet?
  • christophen, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1What I have done in the past is to take my phone apart and soak the electronics in at least 90% alcohol. The alcohol displaces the water without damaging the device because it evaporates.
  • jurujen, on 03/27/2008, -1/+0Actually, thats an urban myth that rice dries things out. It stems from the common practice of putting rice in your sugar bowl or salt shaker.In reality the rice just helps to break up the lumps, not keep it dry. Rice does not have that much absorption capability when granulated.

    So what really fixed the Blackberry was the same thing that fixes most wet electronic devices, just leaving them somewhere dry for long enough before switching them back on.

    To actually achieve a drying effect he would have needed to use a much finer and softer grained food, or some other chemical substance like the silica crystals you get in shoe boxes.
  • waldo686, on 03/27/2008, -0/+1Hasn't anyone heard of the Refridgerator trick?

    disassemble phone, place in fridge for 2 days minimum, reassemble, viola working phone!

    worked for my phone that went through the washing machine
  • RaiderWolf, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1When this happened to my phone, I just let it dry over night and BAM! Back in business. No rice, tools or anything.
  • schnibitz, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2Throw it in a freezer. Worked for me.
  • stratmancj, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1story seems a bit fishy ... the guy has a date and he wears a fanny pack?
  • DrSarcasm, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1Hmmm...Author drops his cell in the toilet?

    Guess he was TALKIN' "*****"??? Thank you, I'm here all week!
  • SheilaNoya, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2Forget the damn phone. I thought the dumbest part of the story was that he was going to drive 2 hours to meet his "date" and then all they were going to do is go to a movie. If someone expects me to make a 4 hour round trip, it had better be for something a hell of lot better than just going to see a movie.
  • megascott, on 03/28/2008, -0/+0I thought the idea was to soak it so you had an excuse to get a newer better one? Why on earth would you even want to try this.
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