Does Putting Your Wet Phone In Uncooked Rice Actually Save Its Life?
Rice absorbs water so it makes perfect sense, right?
By John Lim
You've probably heard that the best way to prevent water damage to your phone is to put it into a container of rice, right?
The rice trick has endured over the years because it makes perfect sense - rice absorbs water and absorbing water is key to saving a wet phone
But does it actually work? According to tech site Gazelle.com, rice isn't the most effective among common household materials
Six common household materials were tested to see which could absorb the most water from a wet sponge in 24 hours. The items were, couscous (pearl), classic rolled oatmeal, instant oatmeal, silica gel (crystal kitty litter) and uncooked rice.
Dry, uncooked conventional rice was the worst of the six options tested. It absorbed the least water in 24 hours, losing out to silica gel, cat litter, couscous, instant oatmeal and classic oatmeal.
The tech site suggested focusing more on draining out as much water from the phone. Drying agents like rice should only be used to absorb the last few drops of moisture.
Focus on shaking, blowing, or vacuuming as much water out of the phone as you can before trying to dry out your device. You should only rely on drying agents such as silica gel or rice to absorb the last few drops of residual moisture.
Once you’ve gotten as much water as possible out, silica gel or uncooked rice may be helpful, but only if you use a large quantity. We’d suggest at least 4 cups, and a container that’s at least 1-2 quarts. Leaving your phone in the open air, (perhaps with a fan for better air circulation) works just as well.
Another tech website The Verge experimented with the rice trick as well. While the wet iPhone they used managed to boot up successfully, it became sluggish and unresponsive a few weeks later.
"Twenty-four hours after I placed my phone into the box of rice, I pulled it out, charged it up, and hit the power button. I was stunned: the screen lit up, and asked me to re-enter my Apple ID. I did, and the entire system booted up flawlessly: the camera worked, as did the microphone and the speaker. Under the screen, I could see pockets of moisture; eventually, most of them evaporated," said Zelenko from The Verge.
theverge.com
"But two weeks later, my phone became sluggish, unresponsive. Then, one evening, it stopped receiving a signal entirely, the word "Searching…" permanently tattooed in the upper left corner of the screen," Zelenko added.
theverge.com
Ultimately, the rice trick may help in the short term, but once a phone gets wet corrosion can begin, leading to malfunctions at some point in the future
Some third parties will claim they can repair water-damaged phones. While they may initially appear successful, their repairs may be short-lived too.
If you've drowned your phone and there's no getting it back, your best bet would be to purchase a new phone!
Don't sigh just yet! Remember that your drowned device is probably still worth some good money, so trade that wet phone in and use the cash to pay for a new one. Just remember to be very careful next time, ok?