If you find your festive self in a bit of mischief this St. Patrick’s Day and your smartphone ends up in a pint (or pitcher) of beer, worry not.
Best Buy’s Geek Squad Agents have seen all types of tech shenanigans, and they have some handy tips for drying out your liquid-logged device. Consider the advice below so you can get back to enjoying your green beer, taking your orange-bearded selfies and dancing to your favorite Celtic tunes.
So if your gadget took a swim. . .
Do: Dry it out.
- Power down. First thing, turn off the device.
- Remove stuff. Take out SD cards and SIM cards, and remove headphones if attached.
- Dry the outside. Use a clean cloth or paper towel to remove any surface water.
- A quick rinse (maybe). If the device was dropped in salt water, rinsing it in fresh water would be a smart first option because it helps with avoiding corrosion.
- Circulating air. This is probably your best option. Put your device on a wire rack in front of a fan and let the air speed evaporation.
- Use silica gel. Silica gel packets can be found at your local craft store near the flower-and-leaf-drying section. Sandwich your wet device between two packets and place everything in a small airtight container, seal it, and store in a cool, dry place overnight.
- Use instant rice. Submerging your smartphone in instant rice can help draw out moisture.
Don’t: Take shortcuts
- Never turn it on until it’s completely dry. Sure it is tempting to turn on your smartphone to “see if it works,” after drying it out after an hour or two, but if it’s not completely dried out, you could cause more damage.
- Never use heat. Don’t use a hair dryer on “hot” or lay your device in the sun to dry it out. Applying heat won’t necessarily dry out a gadget – only moving the air will. If you choose to use a hair dryer, use it on the “cool” setting. If you leave it out in the sun to dry, you run the risk of causing further damage to the gadget.
Geek Squad is here to help, 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-GEEKSQUAD (from a dry phone) or check out Geek Squad’s online support. Just select Chat with an Agent and a live Agent will begin a chat session with you. And before next year, be sure to check out our Geek Squad Protection plans!