Surviving the doodoo death drop (or, what to do with a wet cell phone)
Ranked #8,422 in Education, #192,917 overall | Donates to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
From the life of cell phones, another deep, dark secret REVEALED!
Will my brain pop like popcorn? Are they cloning my phone? Is my battery going to explode? Was my PDA "Frankenstein-ed"? Maybe. All these mysteries revealed (VIOLA!)
In this episode we will explore the solutions, debunk the myths and get down to the soggy bottom of what to do if your wireless device takes a death drop into the doodoo can.
Brought to you by your friends at GreenBeans Rewards
(Photograph by J. Muckle/Studio D. Ilustrations by Gabriel Silveira)
Help! I dropped my phone in the toilet bowl!
What do I do when my cell phone gets wet?
Just as in any emergency situation, you need to act quickly and think on your feet.While you stare down into the bowl contemplating the task of sticking your hand into a puddle of pee or worse...(hey at least it's your own, we hope....) you'll run a mental ticker of the millions of germs you will encounter as you reach down to rescue your lifeline, your best friend, heck, your whole family is in there!
Well, it's the SIM card really that really counts, or a memory card if it's not GSM but that's not the first thing you worry about. No the first thing you've got to do is: Get it the heck OUT OF THE WATER!!!!!
Toilet Tale Tweets
Don't feel bad. It happens to Tweverybody.
Aaaaah! PLUNK. Lift. Ewweee. Crap.
Okay, now that you've fished it out, DRY IT OFF! Paper towels, toilet paper, monogrammed towels...anything that's absorbent will do!
Don't just stand there: DO SOMETHING!
Take apart as much of it as you can!
REMOVE ALL JACKS, PLUGS, CHARGERS, USB'S, AND POWER SOURCES.
Why? Many circuits may survive getting wet, but have a better chance if they're not attached to a power source. So...Get that battery out of there!
Ideally on a very absorbent surface, remove the battery door (if you have one) and take out the battery. Take out the SIM card and/or memory card out of the phone. If there's a stylus remove it. Pat everything dry. Let as much air as possible flow NATURALLY through the phone.
DON'T: Put it in the microwave; don't use a blowdryer nor a flamethrower
DO: Put it in the OVEN?????!!!
Here at GreenBeans Headquarters, we have not yet tried the following method, nor do we want you to go and try it. But if you do, and if it works/doesn't at least we can thank/blame these guys:
Do you have a bun in the oven?
If you put in the microwave, this might happen...
WARNING: Not for the fainthearted! (Just in time for Halloween!)
Okay, maybe that won't REALLY happen, but THIS will!
Do NOT TRY THIS AT (your own) HOME!
If you've already put it in the microwave, you might need a new one:
Sorry. We should have been here sooner.
Sharp R-230KK 800-Watt 4/5-Cubic-Foot Compact Microwave, Black
The Carousel Sharp Microwave features Auto-Touch c more...0 points
Sharp R-305KS 1-Cubic-Foot 1100-Watt Microwave Oven, Stainless
Sharp R-305KS 1100 Watts Stainless Silver Microwav more...0 points
Or you could just eat out...
Recession Buster Coupons!!!
Myth #1: Confirm, debunk or deny!
Read on to find out the TRUTH...
Shameless Plug
Well, we do have to keep the lights on around here...
Everybody's tightening their belts these days and hunting for bargains. At GreenBeans Rewards we're happy to oblige.
For less than half the price of a new one, you can get a perfectly working, recharged and renewed OEM replacement or back-up battery for your cell phone right now!
Even better, you will get GreenBeans back on everything you buy, and you can spend them or send them to a really great cause. As a matter of fact, we give you 100 GreenBeans just for signing up.
With over 10 years of proven quality and reliability in the wholesale wireless market, GreenBeans brings the best wireless bargains directly to you!
New products added every day, phones and other goodies coming soon, so check back often!
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Rice is nice, but a bit slow.
No, minute rice will not work faster.
Now you have to dry your phone out in the most non-invasive non-traumatizing way possible.
There are some blogs and how to's that mention using rubbing alcohol, due to it's dehydrating properties, but that would be a bad idea. There are numerous adhesives holding your phone together, and alcohol will work to dissolve these. Not to mention it IS a liquid. If you want to rub a cottonball of it over the outside of your phone to disinfect, that's okay, but don't drip it inside.
The most widely recommended and easily accessible solution, is rice.
How to use it: Fill a large Tupperware or Ziploc bag of DRY, uncooked rice, and tuck your phone, battery,etc. deep down under. Seal, sucking out as much air as possible, and wait three days.
Why it's good: Cheap, handy, absorbent. (Tasty!)
Why it's not: Dusty. Slow-acting. Passive moisture absorption.
Even better: wrap the uncovered Tupperware of rice & phone carcass in a Ziploc bag. Create a seal over the top of the Tupperware and using your vacuum hose, suck out the air. Keep sucking until you think your vacuum has had enough. Cover and wait a day or so.
Preposterous you say?? Here's some articles that recommend using rice to dry your cell phone
- Popular Mechanics
- Even if a wet cellphone seems dead, there's a good chance it can be resuscitated as long as you act fast. This is a DIY moment: Your phone's warranty probably doesn't cover water damage.
- Dry out your soaked gadgets in rice - Cell Phones - Lifehacker
- A Washington Post reporter who accidentally dropped his Blackberry in the toilet was able to retrieve it and dry it out to working order again: by leaving it turned off in a bowl of uncooked rice. Reader Chris writes in to say:
- Use Rice to Dry your Wet Cell Phone!!
- I have done this recently and it worked!! I dried the phone as instructed in the following...
The Nicest Rice
Are you a smarty pants? Oh yeah? Prove it!
For every answer you get right, someone hungry gets to eat.
It's good stuff folks. Give it a whirl!
- FreeRice
- Give free rice to hungry people by playing a simple game that increases your knowledge.
Myth #2: Confirm, Debunk or Deny!
Read on to find out the TRUTH...
DO NOT EAT!
We always knew there was a higher purpose for those silly little silica packets.
You know... those little packets that come in every box from vitamins to Birkenstock's? Yep, you can use 'em to dry out your cell phone!
Why? For the same reason that rice is recommended, using the same method described for the rice. It is a desiccant and highly absorbent. Now if you're wishing you'd saved all those pesky little packets, let not your heart be troubled, that's a perfectly good reason to buy some new handbags and shoes. After all, it pays to be prepared.
If that's not in the budget (swear jar), then here's some things that work just the same way:
- flower drying kit (the sand)
- cat litter crystals
- damp rid
If you know of any others, feel free to chime in!
Now to stock up on...silica packets?
Ahhh, vacuum, how do I love thee...
You suck!
Pet hair. Cheerios. Ants. Lint. Cell Phones covered in rice. Pennies (sometimes)...I could spend the next half hour extolling the virtues of the vacuum cleaner. I have been through a lot of them. Maybe for my next lens...I have even had the Rainbow (anyone see that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond?)
Presently, I am the proud owner of the Dyson Animal (Rawr) and boy does it suck! I highly recommend it, especially if you have a pet. It is worth every penny, and eventually I will suck up enough of them to offset the cost. But I digress.
My point is that, your most powerful weapon in your arsenal against water damage is your vacuum. Not only will it pull moisture out, but the flow of air will help the drying process.
No rice? No silica? No problem.
- Put all your soggy phone paraphernalia in a plastic bag (airtight is ideal)
- Shield your vacuum hose with a dishrag or other porous material that is strong enough to resist an assault of wireless devices, thus creating a filter so you do not accidentally suck up the very device you are trying to save.
- Wrap the opening of the bag tight around the vacuum hose.
- Turn that baby on and SUCK!
- Stop. Is there water in the plastic bag? Good, that means it's working.
- Dry off the inside and do it again.
- Repeat until there is no evidence of water on the inside of the bag.
- Let the phone sit for at least 2 days, repeating the process if necessary.
- Pray. (This is recommended for ALL approaches!)
100% of the money generated from our lenses go to great causes!
Cancer sucks.
This lens goes to:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. LLS's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the
Myth #3: Confirm, Debunk or Deny
Read on to find out the TRUTH...
BTW: You can buy a copy of this compelling painting by Karsten Stier, just click the pic to see the Artist's page)
Shamless Plug
Facebook: the friendly frontier
Finally, a Facebook fanpage for GreenBeans fanatics! Flease flee a fan (sorry, got carried away with the alliteration...)
click on the pic!
It's brandy-new, but don't be fooled: we'll be posting the latest insider deals, contests and news exclusively for our facebook fans!
Express yourself! Have a great "green" link, video or photo? Want to share you love of GreenBeans? Go ahead, post it on our wall and let the comments fly!
PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS...Itty bitty living space.
Your little SIM card holds a lot of stuff!
First things first. Do not save items to your phone. Instead, choose the option of "save to SIM card" (or memory card, USB device, etc.). Every phone is different, so please check your users guide on how to do this.
If you already have a ton of stuff saved to your phone, you will, most likely, have to go through each item and save it to the SIM, but, similar to a computer, you will now have a back-up drive.
Some carriers do offer the option of backing up your info to their servers, for a fee. It's a good option, but not a guarantee (see: The T-mobile debacle of October '09)
To learn more about this artist, click the pic
The bad news If your phone is damaged, odds are the schtuff saved to your phone is gone baby, gone. Yes, you MAY be able to bring it to a repair technician who MAY be able to retrieve some info, but there's no guarantee, and it'll cost you whether it works or not.
The good news: Your SIM card is very resilient. There's an excellent chance that it will survive the potty drop. In the event that your phone takes a swim, your grandma's 80th bash and fluffy's sooooo cute stretch will remain undisturbed.
Anyone you know? Put up your own, at least you know they'll be here...just in case!
Oh no, now I've really lost it!
Have you?
If you'd like to see more by this artist, click on the pic!
What's the most valuable piece of information you've ever lost? Photos, vids, your mind?! Chime in!
I say...
What others are saying...
Myth #4: Confirm, Debunk or Deny
tune in next time find out the Truth...
I predict that there will be more to come.....
What IS the truth to Myth #4? What if I dropped it saltwater? What if there is OTHER stuff in my phone? What if I don't have a SIM OR memory card? What the heck is GSM anyway?
Ahhh.....I see you waiting at the edge of your seat for the next installment in this episode....I see you compelled to seek out the first episode (lens) of "The Secret Life of Cell Phones" and then (after noticing the marked improvement of my lens-making skills as displayed in this second installment) with groggy curiousity explore From Poop to Recycled Condoms: The Top 5 weird and gross recycled products... then wait with baited breath for the next episode to be published....
If this is any EMERGENCY, scroll over this amazing piece of artwork:
Isn't Escher amazing??!!
I knew you'd come here. Here you go:
Take it out, dry it off, remove all power sources, vacuum it out, let it sit at least 48hrs, pray.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Beautiful_GreenBeans predicts:
I see...oh forget it, my fingertips are numb. What do YOU see? >
Beautiful_GreenBeans predicts:
Yes! So soft and natural...with little Greenbeans girls & guys embroidered on the front!
Knitting_Wit predicts:
Amazing sweaters, scarves and hat/glove sets! Made from all natural organic fabrics!
So Fancy Schmancy...
Truth is, I have no idea what I'm doing. Without Trekkiemelissa, thefluffanutta and crew at Squid U, I couldn't be <b>bold.</b> I couldn't <i>emphasis.</i> I'd be borderless, image-less and link-less. You go girl, fluff, and friends; muchos gracias :)
Maybe you've noticed, or maybe you haven't, but there's some pretty cool tricks going on in this lens. Want to learn how to do them? Start here:
Hello there! Still a bit green around here so...please rate this lens, and if you loved it, don't forget to favorite it & maybe
Whaddaya think? How can I make it better? Do you have a good recipe for cell phone infused rice?
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BizGuides
Mar 2, 2011 @ 6:14 pm | delete
- Close the Lid!
Oh Yea, Buy insurance! Just like your car and life!
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KarenTBTEN
Aug 6, 2010 @ 12:10 am | delete
- My netbook, Snookums, (who is gratefully too large to fit in a pocket or commode) is so glad your cellphone survived its fall. Snookums wants to make a small gesture to help the cellphones of the world -- who are, after all, smaller and more vulnerable than it is. We have this lens featured on "My Acer Netbook (Snookums)"
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GrowWear
Jul 4, 2010 @ 10:28 pm | delete
- Whew! Staying away from the toilet while using the phone is a must!! :D
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Beautiful_GreenBeans
Jul 5, 2010 @ 10:32 am | delete
- Smart girl!! Sadly, this is still an epidemic across our country and... all over the world. But hopefully, as we bring more awareness to this problem, our children's children will never know the dangers of the.."Potty Call"!!
PS So glad you made it through, this was a bit of a mouthful...just a wee bit more than 55 words.. ;)
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GonnaFly
Nov 15, 2009 @ 1:06 am | delete
- Very entertaining lens!
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