It happens to the best of us.
Like 90% of 90s children, the first phone I had was a Nokia 3210. I had wanted it for an absolute age and felt like I was the last person in the world to actually get one. I remember my Mam made me wait until I was in sixth class, even though everyone else got them in fifth.
I adored that little phone and spent hours with my pals painting cheap cases with nail polish and customising ringtones.
And then I forgot to take it out of my pocket.
RIP in peace 3310
Unaware, my mother threw whatever item of clothing into the washer and as we heard a clunking sound from the machine, we all knew something major had happened. Despite leaving it in the hot press for days, the device was destroyed.
It happens to the best of us. I learned a hard lesson when I was 12 but that doesn’t make me immune to further heartbreak. The best thing I can do is just be prepared.
Many will tell you to put your phone in a bowl of rice if it’s wet but there are more accurate steps you can take to try save the device.
According to Buzzfeed, the best thing to do is to retrieve the phone immediately. If the device is powered off, wait until the phone is dry to turn it on. It will take TWO DAYS for the phone to be completely dried out.
If your phone is on (which let’s face it, it probably is), you need to take the risk of turning it off. Activating the screen in any way, including getting a notification could result in the device being short-circuited.
Remove any cover from the phone and shake to remove excess water in the ports. Dry off any external moisture. And while rice can be effective to retrieve moisture from the phone, the most effective thing would be to cover the phone with silica gel packets.
So there you have it.
Go forth, go free.
