Liquid Damage: Every phone owner’s worst nightmare. While there is no guarantee that anything will save your phone and/or your data, there are some steps that you can take to improve your odds.
After pulling your device out of the pool, the washing machine, your morning cup of coffee, or (Yikes!) the toilet, there are actions that you should take immediately to increase the possibility of saving your device.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TURN ON OR PLUG IN YOUR DEVICE! Many people feel the urge to see if their device is still working. This is the worst thing you can do. It is the electricity in the device that is likely to cause the most damage. Water acts as a conductor for electricity and connects metal parts of the phone that should be kept apart. Worst case scenario, the motherboard (the brain of the phone) will short out. This will render your device useless, and all your data could be lost forever.
Do: Leave the device powered off. If possible, remove the battery to ensure that the device is indeed powered off. Now is when patience will prove to be a virtue.
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There is a theory that placing your device in rice will suck the moisture right out and voila! Good as new! While we appreciate rice for its amazing contribution to Sushi, WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THE “BAG OF RICE” TRICK. There are a number of reasons why. Not only do the tiny grains of rice threaten to get stuck in any small cavities present on the device (charging port, headphone jack, speakers, etc.), but the fine starchy powder can actually cause build up inside the device and can contribute to, not help prevent, corrosion. Finally, rice can take DAYS to absorb the moisture from the inner workings of your phone. That is WAY LONGER than it will take for the harmful corrosion to form.
We also recommend that you avoid the use of hairdryers, heat guns, and the like. While, in concept, a hairdryer might seem like a brilliant idea, it is more likely to do damage than good. There are a lot of delicate parts in your phone, and the heat supplied by a hairdryer, even in the lowest setting, can melt, warp, or destroy some essential components inside your gadget. Also, lithium-ion battery + heat… not a good idea AT ALL (cough, cough… Samsung Note 7).