Wet Computer or Phone? Avoid the Big Mistake People Make When This Happens

In this article (and the newly added video below) I want to talk about what to do about a wet computer or wet cell phone, and also what not to do if you get your electronics wet.



I was called recently by a client who'd had coffee spilled on their laptop, and since I was thinking about it, I figured I'd share some advice with you about what to do if this sort of thing happens that may just save the life of the laptop, cell phone, or other electronic device that gets wet.

First off, let me correct a common misconception: a lot of people think that electronics are instantly ruined by water, or any liquid, but this isn't necessarily the case. Technically, water by itself isn't always going directly hurt electronic devices if they get a little wet; the real damage is often actually done by electricity, rather than by the water itself.

As you probably know, computers and most electronics are in large part made up of circuits, which are built on circuit boards. If you don't really understand what a circuit board is, that's OK. Here's one way to think about it: a circuit board is like an irrigated field.

In a field that's been irrigated, you have channels that allow water to flow in a specific pattern throughout the field, designed to supply the crops with neither too much, nor too little water.

This is much like a circuit board, which has been designed to allow electricity to flow in a specific, regulated pattern throughout the board so it can perform whatever function the board has been designed for.

So if a circuit board (like one in a computer, or a cell phone, etc.) gets wet, it's not necessarily a problem; it's when it gets wet *and* it's plugged in or is connected to some source of electricity (like a battery in a laptop) is where the damage gets done.

Again, if we think of a circuit board as being like an irrigated field, having the circuit board get wet while it's turned on and connected to electricity is like going to a dam uphill from that field and blowing up the dam so a torrent of water blasts into the field.

It washes out the irrigation channels so the water flows in the wrong places, damaging the field and the plants growing in it. This is kind of like what happens when wet electronics are connected to a power source -- the electricity flows in the wrong amounts to the wrong places, damaging the electronics.

Now all that is assuming it's just water. Plain water isn't too damaging by itself, as I explained, but salt water (like ocean water) is highly corrosive by itself, and other liquids, like soda for example, also can damage electronics directly even without electricity.

I once saw a cell phone that had gotten soaked in the ocean accidentally by the owner. He showed it to me hoping I could fix it, but I popped off the back cover, and as I had suspected, the
entire inside was blue with corrosion, even though it hadn't even been 24 hours yet!

But as for regular spills, what do you do?

If something gets spilled on your electronics, the very first thing you should do is to immediately unplug it, and then after you've done that, unplug the battery if it's a laptop, cell phone, etc.

You should be very careful when you do this if there is a lot of water and the computer is plugged in, because you really don't want to get a shock. I've had a few nasty electrical shocks in my life, and believe me, they're no fun.

Once the device is unplugged and the battery is removed, if it was just water that got into it, it *may* be fine as long as you do your best to let it completely dry before plugging it in and trying to turn it on.

I just this weekend accidentally left my cell phone's wireless headset in the pocket of my shorts when I ran them through the washer, and didn't realize it until I'd emptied the washing machine and found the headset lying forlornly on the bottom!

Instead of plugging it in or trying to turn it on right away like a lot of people try to do, what I did was place it on top of my TV set, which gets pretty warm while it's on. I then left the headset there overnight to let it dry.

If the headset had been dripping wet I would have wrapped it in a towel first to let it get at least dry on the outside since I obviously don't want to be dripping water into my TV.

The idea is to get it as dry as possible with a towel or something similar, then put it somewhere warm and dry (but not hot) so it can completely dry out before you do anything else.

A hairdryer set on a low temperature setting can work pretty well, too, but usually to be sure something is completely dry, you should let it sit *at least* overnight.

Again, do NOT try to turn it on right after it gets wet -- this is the worst thing you can do!

Once it's fully dry, you can try turning it on and cross your fingers. If it was just water, you may be in luck. Chances are, some damage was done, but it may work OK, at least for a while.

Again, if the liquid was something other than plain water, it may damage the electronics even if you follow these steps, and you may be better off taking it to a technician.

Either way, you still have the best bet of at least getting important files off the computer if you follow the steps:

1) unplug everything including the battery
2) let it completely dry, leaving it for a day or more if needed
3) cross your fingers and try plugging it back in and turning it on

Of course, it always pays to back your files up regularly as I often like to mention. There are so many ways things can go wrong, you really don't want to take the risk of losing anything important.

Join my newsletter with the form below and get more tips like this, and learn more about my easy video lesson CDs and online how-to lessons for Windows PC or Apple Mac computers.

until later, take care, and enjoy,

Worth Godwin
Plain English Simplicity in a Complex Modern World

P.S. When I drink something near a computer, my own or when working on a client's, I always make sure I'm drinking out of a covered container like a water bottle, or a no-spill coffee mug. In either case, I always close the lid when I put it down.

Accidents happen sometimes, so it's best to be prepared and you can often avoid the worst with a little forethought and foreknowledge.