What to do if your phone falls into the toilet?

What to do if something bad happens to your constant companion: your phone falls into the toilet? How to minimize unpleasant consequences. In this article we will tell you how to act to save your phone from moisture and unpleasant odors.

Your first actions

First of all, get ready for quick decisive action. If you manage to grab the device from the water in the first seconds, it is likely that the electronics will not even notice the extreme situation and will work as usual. Therefore, forget about disgust, do not run in search of gloves, but simply grab the device and take it out of the water. If a person drops the device into water, there is no need to try to press anything or check if the calls are working: such actions are the best way to permanently destroy the device.

If your mobile phone survives and even continues to work, turn it off immediately. Remove the battery, all memory cards and SIM cards. Now the most important thing is to find out how to dry your phone! Toilet paper is at hand - tear off a piece and wipe all removed parts from moisture and dirt. You don’t have to worry about them: when the plug-in devices dry well, they will be ready for use. Now dry as much as possible: blot away any visible drops, try to push the folded paper into all the cracks so that it absorbs as much liquid as possible. Only after this proceed to hand washing and other sanitary and hygienic procedures.

Important!

Do not try to push absorbent material into small holes using pins or toothpicks, but be very careful.

If someone drops a smartphone in the sea, a bowl of syrup or other solution, carefully wash it under running water. It is better to expose the electronic device to additional moisture than to allow crystals to form. Dried sugar can tightly stick the buttons together, and you will not be able to press them. Salt is a more insidious enemy. The phone will work normally for some time, but at this time the caustic grains will begin to destroy contacts and microcircuits, after which the device will not be able to be brought back to life in any workshop.

Try to carefully disassemble the phone. Unscrew the screws, separate the parts that can be removed. To be able to reassemble the gadget, place the parts on the table in the order in which they were removed. Remember where everything was attached, and if you can draw quickly, make sketches for memory. If you can’t figure it out, turn the phone with the buttons facing down and press them. Press until moisture comes out. When disassembling, wipe the exposed areas very carefully. After this, put the phone to dry in a warm, but not hot place for a day.

Drying aids you can use:

• Set the hair dryer so that a stream of warm air blows on the phone from a distance of about 10 cm. Set the power to minimum and dry for about an hour and a half.
• Wrap the phone parts in light cloth or gauze and place it in substances that absorb moisture well: cat litter, uncooked rice, hydrogel.

The phone fell into the toilet - how to remove the smell?

The phone is dry, you installed the battery, inserted all the cards and excitedly press the power button. What a blessing, the device works, you even received a bunch of SMS about unanswered calls. Everything would be fine, but the disgusting smell ingrained itself into all the details. Such a smartphone is only suitable for use in crowded transport: as soon as you take it out, empty space immediately appears around. The information on the cards is intact, and if the device is not of great value, there is a good reason to replace the outdated gadget.

What to do when your phone is dear to you and you don’t want to change it? You can try to remove the unpleasant odor. The arsenal of means to combat it is quite extensive.

1. Microfiber cloth. If you lost it or the phone didn't come with such an accessory, buy a napkin at a home improvement store.
2. A bag made of well-ventilated fabric. You can sew or use old socks and tights.
3. A polyethylene bag with a sealed closure.
4. Ground coffee.
5. Newspapers on loose paper.
6. Activated carbon.
7. Baking soda.

First, wipe down all exterior surfaces with microfiber. Sometimes a good cleaning of the case will solve the problem completely. If the smell remains, put about 150 g of coffee or activated carbon in a fabric bag. Place the phone in one corner of a large sealed bag, and a bag with an odor absorber in the other; there should be an air gap between these items. Close the bag and leave for several hours. Check the result - if the smell has not completely disappeared, keep it on longer. Another way: wrap your smartphone in newspapers and wait a day. Use only presses on loose paper; glossy editions will not give the desired effect.

Advice

Instead of coffee, you can take an open packet of baking soda and put it in a bag with your phone. Place the box so that the soda does not spill out and small particles do not get inside the gadget.

Don’t forget to clean the case too; most often the main aroma comes from it. Wash the case with soap or vinegar. If the smell remains, you will have to buy new “clothes” for your gadget.

Important!

This method is only suitable for cases, lanyards and other accessories; electronics cannot be cleaned with liquid products.

Don't try to mask the scent with perfume or other fragrances. This combination of aromas has lethal force: if previously people simply turned their noses away from your phone, then after such treatment they will begin to run away.

If the phone falls into the toilet and does not turn on

You dried your phone, but it doesn’t turn on. What to do in this case? First, turn off the headset, remove the memory card, leave one SIM card and try to turn it on again. Does not work? Check the battery - it may be damaged or not charged. Connect the charger and see how your smartphone reacts.

Advice

Before inserting the battery, make sure it is not oxidized. Do not use a damaged power source; this may damage the phone.

The hardest part to remove is water from under the screen. Simple models can still survive such an adventure, but it will take a very long time to dry the phone. In touchscreen smartphones, in such cases the screen often has to be replaced. The cost of repairs will be high, and you need to consider whether it might make sense to just buy a new gadget.

If all measures do not help, the phone must be sent to a specialized service for repair.Be sure to contact a technician if your mobile phone turns on, but some functions have failed or are not working correctly. You especially need to hurry if you dropped the device into salt water or another chemical solution. Even if it seems to you that everything is normal, show your smartphone to a specialist to check: is there any damage left?

What to do if you don’t know how to disassemble and assemble electronic devices and decide to take your phone to a specialized workshop? First of all, find out how much you will have to pay for repairs. Please note that the warranty period will be very short, and there is no confidence that the smartphone will work for a long time after bathing. Do not rush to leave your electronic device at the service center; think about what is more profitable: buying a new mobile phone or repairing an old one.

What can't you do?

Even if you don’t need the phone itself or the information on it, don’t flush the toilet. Not only will you have to spend money on a new smartphone, you will also have to pay a plumber to remove the blockage. And if the device slips into a common sewer riser and gets stuck there, several floors can be flooded with sewage. The amount you will have to pay will be very impressive. It is easier to remove the device using a scoop, net, tongs or other device and throw it in the trash.

What to do if the phone itself slipped deep into the flush pipe or you accidentally pressed the button on the drain tank? Do not try to remove the gadget yourself using improvised means. You may push it further or damage the pipes. The consequences, as in the previous case, are blockage, flooding of the lower floors and a tidy sum to compensate for the damage. Why do you need this expenditure of nerves and money?

When it is impossible to get the phone out of the toilet on your own, you need to invite a plumber. Until the specialist removes the mobile phone, you will not be able to use the toilet; just in case, maintain good relations with your neighbors. It is not always possible to revive an electronic device that has been in water for several hours, but the information on the storage devices and SIM card should be preserved.

Phones fall into toilets, puddles, seas and many other places where they can get wet. It’s okay if someone drops a smartphone and the only consequences are the smell; it’s worse if the device stops working. Often a gadget can be saved, but why take the risk? Let it sit in your bag while you take a shower or admire the sunset on the seashore. There is no need to answer the call right away if you are running to the subway in the pouring rain. Nothing will happen in half an hour, a nuclear war will not start because of your silence, and you will still have time to save the world.