What if the phone falls into the toilet?
Content:
Many owners of gadgets and smartphones have turned into Siamese twins with their electronic devices and do not part with them even for a minute. What to do if a disaster happened to your regular companion: the phone fell into the toilet? It is no longer useless to check whether a pocket was fastened securely or how a mobile phone could come off the cord - misfortune happened, now we need to decide how to minimize unpleasant consequences. Well, if the incident occurred in the village or in the country: the apparatus will not quickly go to the bottom of the fetid slurry, if you pick it up with a shovel or a chopper, you can save a faithful friend. But this case will be a science for the future: there is no need to carry electronic devices everywhere, interlocutors can survive for some time without contacting you. If an unpleasant odor is absorbed into the case or there is a chance that moisture has also got into the cesspool inside the unit, proceed as if the phone fell into the toilet.
Your first steps
Set yourself up for quick decisive action first. If you manage to snatch the device out of the water in the first seconds, it is likely that the electronics will not even notice the extreme situation and will work in normal mode. Therefore, forget about fastidiousness, do not run in search of gloves, but just grab the device and get it out of the water. If a person drops the device into water, do not try to press something, check whether the calls work: such actions are the best way to permanently destroy the device.
If the mobile phone has survived and even continues to work, immediately turn it off. Remove the battery, all memory cards and SIM cards. Toilet paper at your fingertips - tear off a piece and wipe off any removed parts from moisture and dirt. You don’t have to worry about them: when the plug-in devices dry out well, they will be ready to go. Now dry everything that is possible: blot visible drops, try to push the folded paper into all the slots so that it draws in as much liquid as possible. Only then proceed to washing your hands and other hygiene procedures.
Important!
Do not try to push the absorbent material into small holes with pins or toothpicks, be very careful.
If someone drops a smartphone in the sea, a bowl of syrup, or another solution, gently wash it under running water. It is better to expose the electronic device to additional moisture than to allow crystals to form. Dried sugar can firmly glue the buttons, and you will not be able to press them. Salt is a more insidious enemy. For some time, the phone will work fine, and caustic grains at this time will destroy contacts and microcircuits, after which the device will not be able to bring to life in any workshop.
Try to carefully disassemble the phone. Loosen the screws, separate the parts that can be removed. To be able to reassemble the gadget, place the details on the table in the order in which they were removed. Remember where everything was attached, and if you can draw quickly, make sketches for memory. If it cannot be disassembled, turn the phone with the buttons down and push them. Press until moisture is released. When disassembling, wipe the exposed area very carefully. After that, put the phone to dry in a warm, but not hot place for a day.
You can use auxiliary means for drying:
- Install a hairdryer so that a stream of warm air blows the phone from a distance of about 10 cm. Set the minimum power and dry for about an hour and a half.
- Wrap the phone’s parts in a light cloth or gauze and put it in substances that absorb moisture well: cat litter, undigested rice, hydrogel.
The phone fell into the toilet - how to remove the smell?
The phone has dried up, you have installed the battery, inserted all the cards and with excitement press the power button. What happiness, the device works, you even got a bunch of SMS about unanswered calls. All would be well, but the disgusting smell ingrained in all the details. Such a smartphone is suitable for use only in crowded vehicles: as soon as you get it out, an empty space immediately forms around. The information on the cards is intact, and if the device is not of great value, a good reason has appeared to replace the outdated gadget.
What to do when the phone is dear to you and it is undesirable to change it? You can try to remove the unpleasant amber. The arsenal of tools to deal with it is quite extensive.
- Microfiber cloth. If you lost it or if your phone didn’t have such an accessory, buy a napkin in a home goods store.
- A bag of well-ventilated fabric. You can sew or use old socks and tights.
- Bag made of polyethylene with a tight fastener.
- Ground coffee.
- Newspapers on loose paper.
- Activated carbon.
- Baking soda.
Wipe all exterior surfaces with microfiber first. Sometimes a good cleaning of the case helps to completely solve the problem. If the smell persists, put about 150 g of coffee or activated carbon in a cloth bag. Place the phone in one corner of the large sealed bag, and the bag with the odor absorber in the other, there should be an air gap between these objects. Close the bag and leave for several hours. Check the result - if the smell has not completely disappeared, keep it longer. Another way: wrap your smartphone with newspapers and wait a day. Use only the press on loose paper, glossy publications will not give the desired effect.
Tip
Instead of coffee, you can take an open pack of baking soda and put it in a bag along with the phone. Install the box so that the soda does not spill out and small particles do not fall into the gadget.
Do not forget to clean the cover, most often the main aroma comes from it. Wash the case with soap or vinegar. If the smell remains, you’ll have to buy new “clothes” for your gadget.
Important!
This method is only suitable for cases, laces, and other accessories; you cannot clean electronics with liquid products.
Do not attempt to disguise the amber with perfumes or other fragrances. This combination of aromas has destructive power: if earlier people simply turned their noses off your phone, then after such a treatment they will start to scatter.
If the phone falls into the toilet and does not turn on
You dried the phone, but it does not turn on. What to do in this case? First, turn off the headset, remove the memory card, leave one SIM card and try to turn it on again. Does not work? Check the battery - it may be damaged or not charged. Connect the charger, see how the smartphone responds.
Tip
Before inserting the battery, make sure that it is not oxidized. A damaged power source must not be used, as this may damage the phone.
The hardest thing is to remove water from under the screen. Simple models can still survive such an adventure, only it will take a long time to dry the phone. Touchscreen smartphones in such cases often have to replace the screen. The repair cost will be large, and you need to think, maybe it makes sense to just buy a new gadget.
If all measures have not helped, the phone must be returned for repair to a specialized service. Be sure to contact the wizard if the mobile phone turns on, but some functions have failed or do not work correctly. Especially you need to hurry if you drop the device into salt water or another chemical solution.Even if it seems to you that everything is normal, show the smartphone to a specialist to check: is there any damage left?
What to do if you do not know how to disassemble and assemble electronic devices and decide to return the phone to a specialized workshop? First of all, find out how much you will have to pay for repairs. Please note that the warranty period will be very short, and there is no certainty that the smartphone will work for a long time after bathing. Do not rush to leave the electronic device in the service center, think what is more profitable: buy a new mobile phone or repair an old one.
What can not be done?
Even if you do not need either the phone itself or the information on it, do not drain the toilet. Not only will you have to spend money on a new smartphone, you will also need to pay plumbing to eliminate the blockage. And if the device slips into a common sewer riser and gets stuck there, you can flood several floors with sewage. The amount you have to pay will be very impressive. Easier to pull out the device with a scoop, net, tongs or other device and throw it in the bin.
What should I do if the phone itself slid deep into the flush pipe or if you accidentally pressed a button on the drain tank? Do not try to remove the gadget yourself with the help of improvised means. You can push it further or damage the pipes. The consequences, as in the previous case, are blockage, flooding of the lower floors and a tidy sum for damages. Why do you need these costs of nerves and money?
When the phone cannot be taken out of the toilet yourself, you need to invite the plumber. Until the specialist removes the mobile phone, you will not be able to use the toilet, just in case, maintain good relations with your neighbors. It is not always possible to reanimate an electronic device that has been lying for several hours in water, but the information on the storage devices and the SIM card must be preserved.
Phones fall into toilets, puddles, seas and many other places where they can get wet. It’s okay if someone dropped the smartphone and the consequences are only the smell, worse if the device stops working. Often you can save a gadget, but why take the risk? Let him lie in his bag while you take a shower or enjoy the sunset on the seashore. You don’t need to answer the call right away if you are running towards the metro in the pouring rain. Nothing will happen in half an hour, a nuclear war because of your silence will not begin, and you still have time to save the world.