This post is part of my partnership with the
US Cellular Blogger Brigade Ambassador Program.
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Kerplunk!
That dreaded sound I’ve unfortunately experienced at least a dozen times. A few swear words fly from mouth as my heart drops from chest, and I start hyperventilating
My hand moves so quickly, that my brain barely has time to register my hand is plunging into toilet water to rescue my drowning cellphone.
Don’t judge me.
You’d do the same thing … admit it.
Just like me, you’d reach into about any body of water to retrieve that valuable device that holds your entire life in its digital little body.
After so many kerplunks we’ve become experts at salvaging our water-logged phones.
Because I will not allow one drop of water to steal my 2,000 photos, including that perfectly snapped selfie or the video of my youngest riding his bike for the first time.
According to a recent U.S. Cellular survey, 65 percent of people would rather live without TV than without their smartphone.
So how do you ensure you phone is safe after it takes the plunge?
Well, here are a few things we’ve learned.
Cat-like reflexes are helpful.
Once you’ve fished it out of the watery depths, quickly remove the cover and take out the battery. My iPhone 6s, doesn’t have a removable battery, so I just power off the device right away to prevent a possible short circuit.
Remove any accessories.
Take off any cases or covers, and remove all memory cards, headsets or other accessories. Take out the SIM card and carefully dry it off with a soft towel or cloth. The SIM card may retain data even if the waterlogged phone itself is damaged.
Wipe down the smartphone.
Carefully wipe the phone with a clean, soft towel or cloth. Try to avoid getting water into the phone’s cracks, indentations, ports or other openings. If water is trapped in a crevice, use a can of compressed air to blow it out, taking care not to blow the water further inside the phone.
Use a fan, not a hairdryer.
A fan can blow air across the phone’s openings to help dry it out, so keep it blowing for at least a few hours.
Take the phone to your wireless carrier.
If these methods don’t effectively fix the phone, don’t despair. Sometimes it can be fixed even when home remedies haven’t worked. Be honest about what happened and walk an associate or technician through the steps that were already taken to try and fix it.
What NOT to do:
Panic.
Frantically press buttons, because this could push liquid further into the device.
Don’t use heat. It may be tempting to use a hair dryer, microwave or oven to dry off the phone, but the heat can quickly warp the phone’s circuits and melt its delicate internal components.
It’s always helpful to have a backup plan.
First and foremost before the phone gets wet, make sure important data, photos and contacts are backed up. If the phone is not recoverable, at least your important information and memories are saved.
Be prepared by stocking up on products that have been proven to work. Solutions like the Bheestie Bag or Dry-All are specifically designed to dry out wet mobile devices. These products can often prevent lingering moisture that can do further damage to the phone.
We hoard desiccant packets for this specific reason…and because my son’s shoes are sweaty and smelly, but that’s a different problem. These handy silica gel packets that come with orders of shoes, electronics or other products, are miracle workers. You can pour their contents into a container with an airtight seal. When a wet phone needs rescuing, place it in the container and the desiccant can help absorb the water.
You may want to consider insuring your device.
U.S. Cellular offers Device Protection+, which not only replaces a water-damaged phone, but also comes with tools to backup your data and protects against Malware.
Hopefully with these tips and tricks that KERPLUNK won’t be so terrifying anymore.
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Disclaimer: Through the rest of the year I’ll be sharing some more of My BETTER MOMENTS as a US Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade Ambassador. All opinions are my own and an honest view of my story as a US Cellular customer.