Back pockets and bathroom shelves make this one of the most common ways a phone gets wet. The rescue is the same as for any dunking, with one extra job: cleaning it properly afterwards.
The first minute
- Get it out at once. Every second counts for more than hesitation does. Wash your hands afterwards.
- Switch it off. Hold the power button and shut it down, even if it seems to be working.
- Remove the case and the SIM tray. Cases hold a surprising amount of water.
- Dry the outside with paper towel or a cloth you can wash.
- Shake out the ports. Hold the phone with the charging port down and tap it gently against your palm.
Should you rinse it?
If the bowl held clean water and the phone is water resistant, rinsing is optional. If the water was not clean, or it contained cleaning chemicals such as bleach or a toilet block, a quick rinse is the better choice for a water-resistant phone. Chemicals and residue left on the seals and in the grilles do more harm than a few seconds of clean water. Hold it briefly under a gentle stream from the tap, then dry it.
If the phone has no water resistance rating, do not rinse it. Wipe it thoroughly with a damp cloth.
Disinfect it safely
Do this once the outside is dry and while the phone is still off.
- Use a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe, or a soft cloth lightly moistened with it. Apple and Samsung both list this as safe for the outer surfaces of their phones.
- Wipe the screen, back, edges and buttons. Avoid pushing liquid into the ports and grilles.
- Let it air-dry for a minute. Alcohol evaporates quickly.
- Wash the case separately in warm soapy water and dry it fully before it goes back on.
Do not use
Bleach, hydrogen peroxide, household spray cleaners or anything abrasive. They strip the oil-resistant coating from the screen. Never submerge the phone in any cleaning liquid.
Drying
Stand the phone upright with the charging port down, in a room with moving air, ideally near a fan. Leave it off.
- Water-resistant phone, out within a few seconds: a few hours is usually enough.
- Longer than that, or no IP rating: leave it 24 to 48 hours.
Skip the rice and the hair dryer. Neither helps and both can cause harm. More detail in how long a phone takes to dry.
Switching back on
- Turn the phone on and check the screen, cameras and buttons.
- Play some music. If it sounds muffled, hold the speaker facing down and run the water eject sound for 60 seconds. Repeat if needed.
- Do not plug in a cable until you are sure the port is dry. If you see a liquid or moisture warning, unplug and wait longer. Wireless charging is fine in the meantime.
- Back up your data as soon as the phone is working. If corrosion appears later, you will be glad you did.
When to get help
Take the phone to a service centre if it will not turn on after two days of drying, the screen shows lines or patches, it gets warm while idle, or it stops charging. Tell the technician what it fell into. It affects how they clean it.