Our smartphones are around all the time no matter what to stay connected to our friends, colleagues and family. But as much as we like to keep our beloved devices safe, it’s possible that they might end up getting drenched due to rains or any various other factors ranging from a push on the street that lands them in the puddle to getting pushed into a swimming pool at a party while your phone is in your pocket.

If you ever end up in such a situation, here is what you need to do first to prevent further damage.

What to do immediately after your phone gets wet?

The first thing to do is to recover your phone and get it out of the water as soon as possible. The more time it will stay in the water, a larger quantity of water will seep in and increase the damage. Now, if your phone has a removable battery, don’t even consider switching it off, directly remove the battery. If the battery is non-removable, switch-off the phone carefully. You need to shut down the internal circuit to prevent short-circuiting the device, which can damage the electrical components of the phone.

After removing the battery or just switching it off, remove all other things that can be such as sim cards, memory cards, and protective cases. Wipe the phone with a clean towel making sure no water gets into the ports of the phone further. Don’t spread the water as it may push water into an opening of the phone.

Also read: How to unlock your Android smartphone with a broken screen?

How to dry your phone?

There are several ways you can take the water out of your smartphone. We’ve listed four of the most effective ones below.

• Vacuum cleaner: You can also use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the water. Just make sure it doesn’t damage anything or spread water while taking it out.
• Uncooked rice: Place the phone in a bowl or bag full of absorbent material for 24 to 48 hours. There are plenty of such materials in the market such as uncooked rice — the most common way to absorb moisture from a smartphone.
• Silica gel: You can also use silica gel packets instead of rice. We know silica gel packets for their superb water absorbing capacity. Seal the phone with silica gel packets in a bag and keep it for 2-4 days.
• Cat litter: Yes, you can use crystal cat litter as well to dry out your phone. Don’t use any other clay-based or other types of cat litter. Use only crystal cat litter as it is a silica-based litter.

Keep your phone in any of these absorbents for 2-4 days. Don’t switch on your device no matter what. Once you take it out of absorbent, leave it in the open air to dry for 24 hours and then try switching it on. If it doesn’t, try charging it. If the phone doesn’t switch on even after charging it for a while, take it to a professional repair shop. If the phone turns on, check its speaker and screen to make sure it is fine.

These steps will hopefully restore your device and get it back to life. Let us know which one of these methods will you use or have used and if you have better ideas to dry your device in the comments below.

Also read: What is Fast Charging? 5 common fast charging techs explained