Tuesday, August 18, 2009

What Do When Your Favorite Electronic Device Gets Wet

Have you ever spilled a glass of water on your camera? Dropped your cell phone in the toilet? Left your laptop bag on your front porch in the rain overnight? Okay, so the last one might be a bit specific, but I actually did that a few weeks ago. What some do not know is, even if you completely submerge a device, there is still a good chance you rescue it from becoming a rather expensive paperweight.

Here are the basic steps to follow if you ever get one of your favorite companions wetter than you should have:

1.) Immediately unplug and/or remove the battery of the device. If the water is in there and the device is on, you can ruin beyond repair right then. If it has "extras," for example a laptop, remove the cord from both the device and the wall, remove any drives or cables you can.

2.) Gently remove as much of the liquid as possible. If there is standing liquid gently dump it out. Be careful not to shake the device, but rather tip it, such that you do not spread the liquid around.

3.) Carefully blot away even more liquid with a lint free cloth. If you don't have one, you can use a towel just pay attention and try not to get any lint inside of the device.

4.) Blow-dry any excess liquid out. Be sure to use a low, cool setting or you could damage the device. You could also use canned air.

5.) LEAVE IT ALONE! I know it may be hard, but, depending on the size of your device, you should not mess with it for at least 24-hours after this. If it is something larger, like a laptop, I would leave it for 2-3 days just to be safe. In some cases, you probably could turn it back on sooner, but if you do, and it is not dry yet, you could fry your little guy.

These are just suggestions and some devices may just be fried past any recovery, but in most cases, follow these steps and you will not lose an expensive toy to H2O!

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