Cell Phone went through the wash - HELP!!!

Ivy-Girl · by **Ivy-Girl** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:18 pm

Ack!

One of our family phones went through the wash today. Cold cycle (not that it would make a difference) but I found it when I put the clothes in the dryer. It had sat all day as I put it on this morning before work and it's just been found now. :shock:

Anyone had any luck reviving a phone from such a situation?

We took the battery out and it's now in a container of rice. Anything else we can do? How long to leave it in the rice - 24 hours? 48 hours?

Do I have any reason to be hopeful this will make a difference?

jonah'smama · by **jonah'smama** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:22 pm

I had a phone get wet once, and when we took it in the guy took the back off the phone and showed us a sticker in the battery compartment. It is supposed to be red?? but when it gets wet turns black?? and if it has, the phone is fried. Not sure if yours would be the same or not.

Not encouraging, sorry :-(

SamanthaMV · by **SamanthaMV** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:37 pm

I dropped mine in the toilet last week (a public one to boot) I took the battery out and left it out for 5 days. It's good as new now.

Mind you, mine only sat in the toilet long enough for me to have an internal conversation with myself

" do I flush and hope it doesn't go down and then retrieve it? Am I really going to put my hand in there. I should do it now, the longer it sits in the water the worse it'll be right? ok... here goes.... nope can't do it. ok sam, suck it up, it is afterall just your pee right... it could be worse.. thank god I don't have my period... or worse. i'm really glad I didn't eat that leftover indian right before we got to the library. it is a library, maybe their toilets are cleaner here? that's ridiculous. just reach in .. . come on. if you don't do it now you will HAVE to buy a new phone, and lord knows you don't have the cash for that. allllthoughhhh that new iphone does look pretty sweet.... crap"

I would leave it out for at least a week and hope for the best!
good luck

Ivy-Girl · by **Ivy-Girl** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:57 pm

SamanthaMV wrote:I dropped mine in the toilet last week (a public one to boot) I took the battery out and left it out for 5 days. It's good as new now.

Mind you, mine only sat in the toilet long enough for me to have an internal conversation with myself

" do I flush and hope it doesn't go down and then retrieve it? Am I really going to put my hand in there. I should do it now, the longer it sits in the water the worse it'll be right? ok... here goes.... nope can't do it. ok sam, suck it up, it is afterall just your pee right... it could be worse.. thank god I don't have my period... or worse. i'm really glad I didn't eat that leftover indian right before we got to the library. it is a library, maybe their toilets are cleaner here? that's ridiculous. just reach in .. . come on. if you don't do it now you will HAVE to buy a new phone, and lord knows you don't have the cash for that. allllthoughhhh that new iphone does look pretty sweet.... crap"

I would leave it out for at least a week and hope for the best!
good luck

D&J&L's_Mommy · by **D&J&L's_Mommy** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 6:17 pm

I have heard that if you put wet electronics in a container of rice for 5 days they will dry out better than just leaving it to dry naturally.

bartsmom · by **bartsmom** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 6:44 pm

Ditto the rice - I have had more than one cell phone rep tell me to do this. It worked with my ds' ipod touch as well.

equilibrium · by **equilibrium** on Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:40 pm

The rice can work! We have done it.

ts2 · by **ts2** on Sat Sep 11, 2010 5:18 am

don't even try to turn it on for 5 days....I did, and really fried my phone!

donbrown51 · by **donbrown51** on Sat Sep 11, 2010 11:28 am

The rice trick has worked for me too. Good luck!

teddyandwinniesmom · by **teddyandwinniesmom** on Sat Sep 11, 2010 11:29 am

If all else fails, WD 40 can help. ( WD stands for water displacement) Remove phone from water, do not turn it on. Remove battery and Sim card, Spray all surfaces of phone with WD 40 ( Do not spray battery or Sim card!!) Let dry completely . This can take up to 2 days. Reassemble phone.
Good Luck!

Duckie · by **Duckie** on Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:19 pm

Just take it all apart, including keypad if you can take it off and the face plate. Put it in an open container of rice in a warm room with little moisture, leave it for at least 5-7 days before trying to turn it on. Those little litnus strips in the back of phones are only for warranty purposes, if you even take it in the bathroom when you have a shower it will change colour even if the phone still works, so if it has changed colour, it might not mean your phone is fried, just means you can't take it in on warranty.

by **Guest** on Sun Sep 12, 2010 3:19 pm

SamanthaMV wrote:I dropped mine in the toilet last week (a public one to boot) I took the battery out and left it out for 5 days. It's good as new now.

Mind you, mine only sat in the toilet long enough for me to have an internal conversation with myself

" do I flush and hope it doesn't go down and then retrieve it? Am I really going to put my hand in there. I should do it now, the longer it sits in the water the worse it'll be right? ok... here goes.... nope can't do it. ok sam, suck it up, it is afterall just your pee right... it could be worse.. thank god I don't have my period... or worse. i'm really glad I didn't eat that leftover indian right before we got to the library. it is a library, maybe their toilets are cleaner here? that's ridiculous. just reach in .. . come on. if you don't do it now you will HAVE to buy a new phone, and lord knows you don't have the cash for that. allllthoughhhh that new iphone does look pretty sweet.... crap"

I would leave it out for at least a week and hope for the best!
good luck