If your cell phone fell into the water and is wet, is it enough to soak it in uncooked rice for a few hours or days? Can you use a hair dryer to dry it? What should be done to dry the wet and really remove the moisture so that there is no temporary or permanent damage in the future?
Unfortunately, many people believe that a wet cell phone can be dried simply by putting it in a bag full of rice or dry grains in order for them to absorb the moisture in the equipment. They assume that it will look good that way. Or maybe they think that using a hair dryer can blow out the water or vaporize it. This is a worse idea than the previous one..
Disassemble and "chemical" alcohol bath
If your cell phone falls into the water, you must act fast. The first thing you should do is turn it off, remove the battery (if it has a removable battery), shake it and dry it externally with a dry cloth to remove as much water as possible. The second emergency step is to immediately take it to a technician to have it completely disassembled and given what is known as a complete "chemical bath." This bath basically consists of cleaning the electronic board and components using isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol), because this substance is highly hygroscopic or absorbs moisture . Some also use methyl alcohol ( methanol ) to remove the water. In any case, the idea of this procedure is to remove moisture from the equipment and prevent the water from corroding terminals and electronic components, a fatal situation for the device.
This chemical bath is not a guarantee that the cell phone will look good. The faster it has been done after the phone has fallen into the water, the more likely it will be good. The longer time passes, the more likely it is that the water or moisture has got too deep into one or more components and the cell phone will not turn on or show temporary or permanent damage in the future..
Avoid future corrosion and damage
Putting your cell phone in uncooked rice is a bad idea. Although the beads can absorb moisture, the process will be slow, especially if the cell phone is not completely disassembled. Even completely disassembled, the process will take a while. As that happens the water can go deeper and deeper and eventually corrode contacts and components. The cell phone can turn on and function normally, but do not be surprised if in the future it suddenly turns off and does not turn on again , the screen shows colorful parts or stripes, the phone freezes or is slow for no apparent reason, etc. More than a software glitch , this will basically mean that the corrosion has done its job and there will be nothing to do in that case.
Sudden death, or why a cell phone suddenly turns off and does not turn on again
How to make a «home reballing» or «reflow» to a cell phone
Why your device does NOT turn on and how to fix it