Does drying out a mobile phone in rice work?

Until we find a way of waterproofing all of our mobile phones, this age old solution is something of a mixed bag.


Asked by: Richard O'Neill, Glasgow

Yes it does, especially if you put the phone and the rice into a sealed plastic bag. But while the rice will draw out the moisture, that doesn’t necessarily mean your phone will work properly afterwards. The water may already have fused the phone’s circuits or left behind traces of minerals that corrode the electronics. Also, rice may get stuck in the headphone socket.

Soaking the phone in pure alcohol may be a better bet. The alcohol drives water out and removes any mineral deposits. But pure alcohol is highly flammable and must be treated with the utmost care.

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