There are many different ways to get your cell phone wet. Dropping it in a puddle, falling into a swimming pool, accidentally putting it through the washing machine cycle –  and the infamous; toilet drop. While our mobiles remain inept at weathering the weather, we put together a few tricks you can use to try to save your precious device.

The first thing you need to do is to get your phone out of the water as fast as possible. The longer the phone stays submerged, the less likely you are to be calling people from it any time soon.

Avoid pressing any buttons. Resist the urge to see if it still works, be patient. Putting pressure on any buttons could shift the liquid quicker and further into the device.

Now it starts to get tricky – if you are able to, pull out the battery (sorry iPhone users). This will minimise the power to the device, and stop a possible short circuit. If you are an iPhone user, you can’t remove the battery – instead, you’re going to have to ignore the second tip, and press a button to see if the phone is still on; turn it off if it is. To turn an iPhone off, simply hold the top and front button at the same time for a few seconds.

If you have any attachments on your phone like a case, remove it now. Then remove your SIM card, SD cards, and make sure you leave any ports or holes open to help the ventilation.

Use a towel, or tissues to dry as much as you can from the exterior. Be careful – make sure you don’t push any more water into any of the openings in the phone. DO NOT use heat to dry it off, like a hairdryer. Although it may get rid of the moisture, the heat can also warp components inside the phone.

Now the final step is to bury your mobile in a bowl of dry rice. Yeah, I know it sounds weird but hear me out – rice is a desiccant material, which means it has hygroscopic properties that can attract and absorb moisture. You can also use silica gel packs, which come inside your new shoes’ box, and you had no idea what they were for.

Place your phone in an airtight container, like a Tupperware; submerge it completely in your choice of desiccant, and close the lid. Now you’re going to have to put a stop on your communication with the outside world, at least through your phone, for the next 24 to 48 hours, to make sure you give the desiccants enough time to drain out all the moisture.

After the extremely long day(s) of not having a cell phone, you can take it out of its little chamber, and put the battery back in if need be. It is recommended for you to completely replace the battery, but there have been cases of the same battery working after going for a swim. If yours doesn’t, replace the battery before replacing the phone.

 

Now you’re good to go – try switching your phone on and good luck!