Fridays are laundry day at our house. When I got home from the Y last Friday, I tossed my clothes in the laundry basket and hopped in the shower.
Later, when I turned on the washer and started throwing in clothes, I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t taken my cell phone out of the pocket of my work-out capris! Peering in, I saw the phone loose but submerged. When I snatched it out, it already had all sorts of funny symbols on the screen, and I said my allowed yearly bad word. 🙂
I’d heard of people putting a wet cell phone into a bowl of rice, so I quickly pulled off the back, pulled out the battery, patted all the parts as dry as possible, and covered them with rice.
I put everything back together 24 hours later, and my phone works perfectly! So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, give it a try . . . hopefully you’ll get the same happy results! ♥
PILLOWS A-LA-MODE 
Oh Katherine! I’m so glad that you were able to revive your wet phone. My son’s phone got wet while we were in New York and his friend told him to do the same thing. Within a couple of hours his phone was working fine. I was amazed! Thanks for sharing. See you in a few days. Love and Hugs, Tamara
Yay! My previous phone got wet in NY, too! But I didn’t have any home remedies available at my conference, so I ended up getting a new one at a Verizon down the street the next day. It was probably a good thing, though . . . it was so old that the nice young men at the phone store couldn’t help snickering when they saw it! 🙂 I’m glad your son had good luck with his! And can’t wait to see you Saturday at the Barn Sale! It sounds like so much fun! 🙂
The rice trick is great! Too bad 2 phones in a row I DIDN’T know that trick! At least they were cheapies!!
Maybe next time, Christina! 🙂 Of course it helps if it happens when you’re at home and have rice handy, so I was lucky there! 🙂
Weird and cool at the same time! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Hopefully you’ll never have to use it . . . but still good to know! 🙂
I hope I don’t either but if I do I’ll know what to do because you gave me the tip! 🙂
Amazing! Good to know this works but sorry about your mishap.
Luckily, my cell phone is just a convenience and not a critical part of my work or life . . . in fact, I didn’t miss a single call or text during that 24 hours! 🙂
Brilliant:) Thanks for sharing, I will remember the trick:)
You’re very welcome! It was one of those things I hoped I’d never need to try, but I’m glad I did! 🙂
Just like the commercial on tv 🙂 Was not sure if it would work, so it is good to know that it does. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Ginny! You never know! 🙂
Katherine, as always you post the best and they’re helpful. Thanks so much for this. I’ll definitely share it. Blessings, Mtetar
You’re welcome, Mtetar! It might come in handy someday! 🙂
I’m so pleased the rice trick worked for you.
Thank you! I felt really lucky, too! 🙂
Top Tip!
Thank you! 🙂
That’s such a clever thing to do. I shall remember that for future disasters. x
That made me think of a new acronym for CPR . . . Cell Phone Rice! 🙂
Good to know! I’ve knocked one in the swimming pool and one in the toilet. The first one would have been salvageable with the rice trick…..the second one- not so much:)
I agree! 🙂 But when I read up on “the rice trick,” it sounds like phones falling in toilets is pretty common, so you’re in good company! 🙂
Oh! good, nice to know that this trick really works Katherine! thank you so much for posting about it in case it happens! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Ingrid! 🙂
Good for you! …This method doesn’t always work and it can be so frustrating. So glad things worked out for you. 🙂
I know . . . I felt VERY lucky! No one wants an unexpected expense like that . . . unless, I guess, someone has been dying for an updated phone and needs an excuse to get one! 🙂
happy for you…was worth the try!
Definitely! Especially since I had a water accident with my last one less than a year ago . . . with not-so-lucky results! 🙂
So glad you were able to save the phone! I’ve successfully used the rice trick in the past 😉
Yay! I love hearing things like that! 🙂
I used the rice trick for my sons ipod! It worked too!!
That’s good to know! I kept the rice (in a non-food container) just in case I need it again someday! 🙂
Wow! That’s amazing! Reminds of the time my sister ran her cell phone through the washer AND dryer and somehow, it still worked. Wish I had tried the rice trick on my laptop, which had a vase of water spilled on it. Totally fried the hard-drive and I lost everything. 😦 Live and learn!
Wow . . . that must have been SOME phone! 🙂 And my heart dropped when I read about your laptop. I can only imagine how frustrating that was. I have an auto-backup on mine (with Kenetic D) now since all my “real job” work is on it, too, so that gives me peace of mind. But all those photos and emails and creative things would be just as sad to lose!
Thanks for sharing this adventure with us. I’ve heard of the rice trick before but its always better to hear from another persons actual experience that it has worked. This is firmly in my memory bank now.
You’re very welcome! It’s always good to have a bag of tricks for life’s little surprises, isn’t it! 🙂
Yeah rice is great, also putting the phone in your hot press (I don’t know if you have those where you are, everyone has one in Ireland! – it’s where the water heater lives, and has shelves to put clothes). Rice is also great for keeping salt from sticking together, just put a few grains in your salt cellar!
Wow . . . you’re full of great ideas! Thank you, Sarah! 🙂
You’re welcome!
What a terrific idea, I must tell my friend who dropped hers in the bath!
From what I read, the sooner you act the better . . . but it’s sure worth a try even if it’s been awhile! 🙂
We have used this trick/remedy so many times that we have a dedicated baggie of rice in the cupboard marked Electronic Rice just for this purpose. We put the cell phone/iPod into the baggie, submerged completely in rice, and seal it up for 24 hours … works beautifully.
Perfect! I put the rice back in a jar away from the food storage (so no one would try to eat it!) . . . but your baggie idea is even better!
I have had to save my phone a few times this way and it has worked great each time! Like Jane, I have a “dedicated baggie of rice.” With 3 daughters at home it’s been used a few times! ~Laurie
I’m definitely doing that! And I can see that your house is FULL of cell phones, so I’m glad you’ve had good luck with your baggie of rice, too! 🙂
I’m so glad you salvaged your phone! This same exact thing “happened” to me a few years ago, but I didn’t know about the rice trick yet. Great to know it works, because I’m positive it’ll happen again sometime! Thanks for the laugh about the yearly allowed bad word. 🙂 Like the tree falling in the forest, if no one heard it, did it really make a sound? If no one heard your word, did you really say it? Lol!
You’re right . . . it’ll probably happen again and we’ll all know what to do! And the “yearly bad word” is kind of a family joke, coming from my dad. His usually occurred while wallpapering and was something really awful like “horsefeathers.” 🙂
I’d heard of this before, but it’s nice to know from someone who’s actually tried it, that it works!
Hopefully you won’t need it, but if so, you can give it a go! 🙂
WOWZA! Great tip that I shall pass to my dear friend who frequently parts ways with her mobile (cell) down the ladies. The falling down water that she insists on drinking once a month ensures the local mobile phone shop stays in business! x
Maybe you can give her a bag of rice for a gift! 🙂
Oh, wow! I’m going to have to remember this! What a great tip!
It may come in handy some day! But then maybe you’ll be more *responsible* than I was! 🙂
Oh no, I’ve run a few phones through the wash in my day. 🙂
I’ve tried that one often. For some reason I haven’t been as lucky. One phone had a cup of coffee for breakfast in bed followed by a few sips of water in the rush to get it dry. The next one tried to help clean out the tub. Maybe it was the bounce that did it in more than the little bit of water. Because I always have tissue in all my pockets now, all clothes need to be checked before the laundry. Tissue is awful in the washer and dryer. Darn leaky eye. Glad the rice worked for you. Phones are expensive.
Awww . . . that’s too bad about your phones! And I always forget tissues in my pockets, too . . . you’re right, they’re a mess! I need to be more mindful during chores and not be thinking about work or my sewing and crafting projects. Someday! 🙂
You hit the nail on the head there. We are too busy being creative to be mindful enough. Even retired, I still let myself get distracted by too many things at once. I’m not holding my breath for someday. 😀
TFS!
🙂
Q – Oh yea, that trick has been used by most of the “kids” in our family. LOL!
I’m SO glad I’d heard of it . . . and that it worked for you, too!!! 🙂
so glad the rice worked!! I’ll def keep that trick in mind!
For sure! I’ve heard SO many people tell me it worked for them, too! 🙂