iPad in the swimming pool? There is hope
It sounded like a good idea to bring your iPad to the neighborhood pool. Until, however, you dropped it in the water. Now it seems like a terrible idea. Try not to panic. You might be able to save that iPad. It’s true: Water certainly isn’t the friend of technology. Even so it needn’t be their end, either. If you take appropriate steps swiftly, you may well be in a position to save your waterlogged tablet, smart phone or iPod.
Saving drowned technology
After you fish your device out of the water, do one thing first: Make sure its power is off. If a battery is fueling your gadget, immediately yank that battery out. If your device does not feature a removable battery, be sure it is turned off. You might think it’s the water that causes gadgets to go haywire. It’s not. The electrical shorts water causes is what scrambles your devices. Whatever you do, do not to switch the power back on to see what damage has been done. By doing this, you’ll only make things worse.
Other steps
Your next step should be to open up as many air holes as possible in the device. What this means is removing SIM cards, back covers, SD cards and ear hole port coverings. The more openings you create, the more air will rush through your device. Secondly, vacuum out as much moisture as possible from your smartphone, tablet or iPod. Your ideal tool for this job is a vacuum which has a small nozzle. The more thorough you are here, the better. Finally, drop your device inside a bowl of something that will dry it. Many people recommend dry white rice. And this works, but Gizmodo comes up with something it says is even better—a bowl of dry Rice Krispies breakfast cereal. After 48 hours of drying time, turn your device back on. If you’re lucky, it might pop back to life.
Keeping it dry
Better than rescuing a gadget from a water grave, though, is keeping it dry from the beginning. The best way to do this? Leave the cell phones, tablets and readers in a dry place when you’re at the pool or preparing to take a bath. Yes, you might want to read that latest spy thriller on your tablet while you’re sitting in the spa. But we wouldn’t recommend it. You could also purchase one of the numerous waterproof cases designed for electronic toys. The New York Times recently took a peek at some options, including Liquipel, LifeProof and Joy Factory Rain Ballet. Each will work. Nevertheless, it might make more sense to keep the gadgets away from water.
