You can save waterlogged smart phones, tablets

You had no idea that your smartphone was perched so precariously on the edge of your bathtub. And you definitely didn’t think you might actually knock it over the side and into gallons of bubble bath and water. Yet you did. Now your cell phone is ruined, right? Maybe not. Yes, water is undoubtedly an enemy of your favorite gadgets. However, if you taking action immediately, you might be able to save even the most waterlogged of devices. Here’s how.

Saving drowned technology

After you fish your device out of the water, do 1 thing first: Make certain its power is off. If a battery is fueling your gadget, immediately yank that battery out. If your device does not feature a battery, ensure it is switched off. You may think it is 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 occured. By doing this, you’ll only make things worse.

Other steps

Your next step will be to open up as many air holes as possible in your device. This means removing SIM cards, back covers, SD cards and ear hole port coverings. The greater number of openings you create, the more air will pass through the device. Secondly, vacuum out as much moisture as you can from your cell phone, 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 in a bowl of something that will dry it. Lots of people recommend dry white rice. And this works, but Gizmodo comes up with a little 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’s going to pop to life.

Keeping it dry

Of course, the easiest method to protect your devices from the water is to keep them dry to start with. This can be accomplished by investing in waterproof covers. There are plenty of of them out there. In a recent story, the New York Times reviewed three options, LifeProof, Joy Factory Rain Ballet and Liquipel. All have their good and bad points, but each ought to keep your device dry if disaster should strike. But our best advice? Resist the urge to bring your electronic gadgets to the pool or the side of the tub. Why have risk?