Water-damaged phones are a common issue for many smartphone users. Water damage can happen in a few ways: a sudden spill, unexpected rain, or a device falling in by accident.
When this happens, internal parts can corrode or short-circuit. This can cause serious damage. A common suggestion is to put the phone in rice. This idea comes from rice’s ability to soak up moisture.
This article gives you a clear guide to saving your water-damaged phone.
How Long Should You Keep Your Phone in Rice?
When your phone has been exposed to water, one of the most common quick fixes people suggest is placing it in rice.
This method is well-known for saving water-damaged phones. But how long should you leave your device in rice? Rice can absorb moisture, but there are important factors to consider. These can greatly affect how well your phone survives.
Let’s break this down further for a better understanding.
1. Recommended Timeframe
If you use rice in your drying process, follow the recommended timeframe. This helps you get the best results.
- Airtight Container: To make the rice method work, put your phone in an airtight container filled with rice. This traps moisture inside the container. It also increases the chances of absorption.
- 24-48 Hours: The most widely accepted timeframe is to leave your phone in rice for at least 24–48 hours. In this window, rice can soak up a lot of moisture. This is true, especially if the phone gets wet. But, keep in mind that this method isn’t perfect and doesn’t ensure all moisture is gone.
- Check Often: Make sure to check the phone now and then. This way, you can see if the rice is still soaking up moisture. If you see that the rice has become damp, it’s time to take the phone out and dry it further using another method.
2. Why Longer is Not Always Better
Leaving a phone in rice for a long time doesn’t always help. Many believe it does, but that’s not true.
- Overexposure to Rice: Keeping your phone in rice for too long can be detrimental. While rice can absorb moisture, it does not reach all parts of the device. Long exposure can cause rice particles to get stuck in ports and buttons. This can lead to more damage.
- Rice’s Limited Effectiveness: Rice is not an optimal drying agent. It can absorb some moisture, but it can’t reach the phone’s internal parts which may still be wet. If you leave it in rice for too long, you might miss the opportunity to address more critical drying issues.
- Act Fast: To save your phone, act quickly and use the right drying methods. If you drop your phone in water, the faster you dry it, the better the chances of survival. Take the phone out of water right away. Turn it off and put it in a dry place, like rice. This is much better than waiting several days in rice for it to dry.
Does Putting Your Phone in Rice Really Work?
Many think rice is the best way to dry a wet phone. However, research shows it’s not effective.
TekDry’s study showed that rice can’t absorb water quickly enough to matter. In fact, leaving your phone in an open, dry, ventilated area may work just as well, if not better. Rice can absorb moisture, but it takes too long to work. By then, water can damage the internal circuits.
If you’ve ever tried the moisture absorber trick, you might have noticed it doesn’t always work.
So, while rice is a common go-to, it’s not necessarily the best choice.
Why People Recommend Rice
- Easily available in every household
- Absorbs some moisture
- Simple to use with no special equipment
Why Rice May Not Be the Best Option
- Slow absorption rate – Takes longer than other drying agents
- Rice particles may enter ports – Can clog charging ports and speakers
- Not scientifically proven to work faster than air-drying.
The Way To Put Your Phone In Rice:
In the above image, we explain to you the proper way in which you should put your phone in rice. Generally, most people put their phone in rice for two or three days without opening it.
After that they charge the phone suddenly due to a short-circuit their phone may be damaged. So you need to confirm first that all the parts of your phone like the battery, cover, SIM, memory card, etc are open. Thereafter, you can put your phone in the rice to make it dry.
What to Do Immediately After Water Damage
1. Step-by-Step Guide to Saving Your Phone
- Turn Off the Phone Immediately – Prevents short-circuiting.
- Remove Any Accessories – Take out the SIM card, memory card, and case.
- Wipe Excess Water – Use a soft cloth to remove visible moisture.
- Avoid Pressing Any Buttons – This can push water deeper inside.
- Use a Vacuum Cleaner (Optional) – Can help remove trapped moisture.
- Place in a Drying Agent – Instead of rice, consider silica gel packets.
- Wait at Least 24 Hours Before Turning It On – Ensures all moisture is gone.
2. Additional Tips to Improve Drying Efficiency
- Use a fan – Increases airflow and speeds up drying.
- Remove the battery (if possible) – Some models allow battery removal, preventing internal damage.
- Keep the phone upright – Helps moisture drain out faster.
What NOT to Do
- Do not use a hairdryer – Heat can damage internal components.
- Do not put it in the microwave – Can destroy the phone completely.
- Do not shake the phone – Can spread water further inside.
- Do not plug it in immediately – Can cause a short circuit.
Things You Can Do At Home When Your Phone Is Dropped Into The Water
This is like a first-aid treatment for your phone when your phone is dropped into the water. Then quickly you need to do a few of these things so the chances of the recovery of your phone may increase.
Actions To Take To Dry Your Phone At Home:
1. Take out your phone from the water quickly
It is the most important step you must have to take otherwise your phone will be permanently damaged. You need to put your phone out of the water as fast as possible. Because the more water acquired by your phone, the more chances that your phone cannot be salvaged.
There are different chances of your phone or making realive on different types of water. If your mobile is dropped in clean water Then the chances are higher to be recovered.
When your phone is dropped in heavy water like salty water, in ponds, rivers, etc… Small dust particles along with water that is not completely removed may rust your phone also.
2. Remove your phone battery
The very first step after picking up your phone from the water is to remove your phone’s battery. If you don’t remove your phone’s battery then the chances of short-circuit are high. That’s why this is the essential and very first step to do.
Right now many phones are coming with inbuilt batteries so it’s not possible for everyone to remove those phones’ batteries. But in this case, you need to do one thing simply switch off your phone at the same time.
And make sure you can open some of your phone’s parts. After that, you can simply put your phone covered with rice.
3. Remove Sims, memory cards:
Water can spoil your memory card and SIM. So to prevent this loss you should need to remove all external things like memory cards, and sims. After removing all these essential things you should properly dry them and ensure before using that these things are fully dried.
4. Dry Your Phone With A Tissue, Clothes Or Towel
After drying your phone in rice you need to do is first of all you should clean your phone with tissue paper, clothes, and a towel. And make sure that the corrosion does not appear inside your phone. Otherwise, if the corrosion occurs inside your phone it will likely cause short and long-term damage.
5. Use Water Dryer For Drying Your Phone
A water dryer is a good option if you have it at home. After the process of putting your phone in dry rice, you should at least one time dry your phone with a water dryer. Drying your phone in rice leaves small particles and sometimes a little bit of moisture remains in your phone. So that the water dryer can completely remove all the dust particles and moisture from your phone.
6. Use A Desiccant/absorbent Material, Silika Gel Packets, etc… To Further Dry Your Phone
All these processes can remove More than 90% of water from your phone. If you follow all the above steps or processes in the right way then you need not worry. Even if you don’t want to take any chances then you can go with further steps like using some absorbent materials Like silica gel packets etc putting them in your phone for one or two days.
If you think that drying your cell phone with a towel or cloth, shaking it, and using a vacuum is not enough, then your next move should be using a desiccant or an absorbent material.
A desiccant is a material that can be used as a drying agent. A desiccant attracts and absorbs the water present in its surroundings.
Silica gel packets absorb and hold water vapor that you can put 5 to 10 packets in your phone battery area and cover it with your phone cover for two days after that your phone is completely dried.
Precautions You Should Take And Not To Do The Steps
If you want your phone live after splashing with water Then there are a few steps that you can not do at home:
1. Do not charge your phone
If your phone was dropped in water and if you are not aware of these above steps and you put your wet phone in charging. This may permanently damage your phone. Due to short circuits, your phone life span is reduced and maybe your phone suddenly stopped working.
2. Do not Try to dry your phone on fire
If your phone is splashed with water then do not heat it on flames or fire. I have seen many cases of people using fire to dry their phones but this is not a good option. Due to this, many times some portions may be melted by fire. Or if your battery is in contact with fire then the battery may blast or maybe melt due to overheating. So, Clearly avoid this step.
Steps After Drying Your Phone:
Step 1. After All this, you can switch on your phone. If it’s working then pretty well otherwise keep your phone in your nearby shop.
Step 2. Make use of your phone until your mobile’s battery doesn’t gonna down.
Step 3. Then charge your mobile. If all things going well…
Congrats Your phone is all done at home.
Best Alternatives to Rice for Drying a Phone
1. Silica Gel Packets
- Absorbs moisture much faster than rice
- Commonly found in shoeboxes and electronic packaging
- Store your phone in an airtight bag with silica gel for best results
2. Uncooked Oats
- Similar to rice but slightly more effective in moisture absorption
- Easier to clean compared to rice particles
- Needs to be sealed in an airtight container for the best results
3. Cat Litter (Non-Clumping, Silica-Based)
- Silica-based cat litter is designed to absorb moisture quickly
- More effective than rice due to its high absorbency
- Ensure it is non-clumping to prevent a mess
4. Open Air Drying
- Placing your phone in a dry, ventilated area can work as well as rice
- Best used in combination with airflow from a fan
- Avoid direct sunlight or excessive heat
5. Using a Dehumidifier
- If available, place your phone in a room with a dehumidifier
- Removes moisture from the air, accelerating the drying process
- A highly effective method if combined with silica gel or open-air drying
6. Synthetic Desiccants (Like DampRid or Dry-All)
- Commercial desiccants absorb moisture more effectively than household items
- Designed for electronics and can prevent internal corrosion
- Available in electronics stores and online
7. Vacuum Sealing with a Moisture Absorber
- Sealing your phone in a vacuum bag with a drying agent maximizes efficiency
- Prevents outside moisture from interfering with the drying process
- This can be done using a household vacuum sealer with silica gel or a synthetic desiccant
Conclusion:
So how long should I keep my phone on right? Leaving your wet phone in rice for 24 to 36 hours is more than sufficient for completely drying it.
If you have further suggestions then you can comment below if your suggestion is right then we can mention your suggestion in our post.
