How to Save a Wet BlackBerry (or other Mobile Phone)

Copyright Nash Networks 2009

Starting with the bad news: If you get your phone thoroughly wet, especially if the spill is something other than water (coffee seems to be common for BlackBerrys), there’s a good chance that it will not be salvageable. More bad news is that drying a soaked phone can take days. Even more bad news is that warranties don’t cover water damage.

But, there’s still hope! Here’s some advice from the trenches:

How to save a wet BlackBerry after accidents with water

• Remove the battery as quickly as possible, dry it off and place it on absorbent paper or towel.
• Remove the SIM card, dry it gently and place it on absorbent paper or towel. (Remember, this contains your contacts!)
• Shake the phone gently to shake out most of the moisture, then use a towel or paper towel to dry further.
• Remove any parts of the case that come off easily, and dry between gaps, slots and crevices. This is important because phones are somewhat waterproof, so it’s difficult for any internal moisture to get out.
• While drying, keep turning the phone to get moisture out of any gaps.
• To remove residual moisture, you can vacuum, wipe with cleaning alcohol (some people soak the phone), use contact spray (electric contact cleaner) or compressed air (be sure to hold the can straight so that only air is sprayed out). These last three methods displace water.
• Now place the phone on absorbent paper in a dry place, in front of a heating duct or aircon, or in a bowl of uncooked rice or silica gel. The idea is to suck out any remaining moisture. A cool oven (comfortable enough to put your hand in) is also an option, but I wouldn't leave mine on overnight.
• Leave the phone there at least a day, preferably two or more, before you test it, and when you do, use the battery, NOT a charger. (If there's still moisture inside, mains power can do a lot of damage.)
• If it works, congratulate yourself and call someone to celebrate.
• If it still doesn’t work with the battery after a few days, try plugging it into the charger. If it works now, congratulate yourself and charge the battery for 24 hours. If that doesn’t help, all you need is a new battery.
• If, however, the phone doesn’t work with the charger, it’s time to say bye bye, BlackBerry - unless you’re an optimistic übergeek with a Torx screwdriver and lots of time on your hands.

How to save a wet BlackBerry after accidents with coffee, pop, slush and salt-water

The likelihood of resurrection after these kinds of spills is not very high – but it’s still worth a try.

• In all cases, first remove the battery, as quickly as possible.
• Rinse the phone thoroughly with distilled water. If you think the liquid has got deep inside, especially if it has been there a while, soak and rinse several times to try to remove all traces of the spill. In an emergency, rinsing with tap water is acceptable, and certainly better than doing nothing.
• After rinsing thoroughly, dry and test as described above.

Sources of information

121 BlackBerry tips

Wikihow: Save a wet cell phone

What to do if your BlackBerry gets wet