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Don't use rice for wet phones.

The news nowadays are busy with those phone tips, and this time around, I would share one of them right over here for you to see.

And this means that you shouldn't use rice to dry a wet phone.

I mean, imagine. You were having a busy time on your phone, then you suddenly slipped and that precious phone of yours suddenly drops into water. Uh-oh! You began panicking, grabbed the phone away from the water, and when you feel like you wanna save its battery (or rather, those precious data you stored inside), you rush to the kitchen to find the box of uncooked rice for you to use—

Wait!

Are you really sure you can use that?

Because, I know it sounds old to know, but this has been going on for years. That old wives tale of placing your wet phone in a bowl full of uncooked rice to dry, it doesn't seem to work anymore, because tech companies has just announced that you don't have to do that anymore.

Why?

I know, you seemed pretty curious right now.

But here's why you shouldn't use rice to dry a phone:

1) It can damage the phone even more than you expect to be.
And I'm not talking about the water inside.
Rice starch, one that is found on uncooked rice, can seep into the nooks and crannies of your phone and can slowly damage electrical components in it. Not to mention the dust on the rice, and even worse, rice grains can get into the headphone jack or charger port, and might break whatever was inside. Yeah, too much to explain, but at least that's one reason.

2) It doesn't give the phone a chance to get dry with air.
Rice grains has minimal space inside. It can slowly grab the moisture inside, but that doesn't mean that it'll go completely away. And what's worse, slow drying time means that the phone will soon get a bit rusty inside, which is bad news, if you want your phone to last longer.

3) Rice can get moldy.
This also applies to phones. When absorbing all that water away, rice can get wet in return and will soon get moldy, which is also bad news for the phone.

I guess that's all I can say about this. But hey, don't panic just yet. There's alternative solutions for that wet phone problem of yours.

Here's what you should do:

1) Use silica gel packets.
Also called moisture absorber packets, it's used mostly to absorb moisture inside each of its individual beads inside a cloth or paper packaging. It's mostly found in newly brought shoes, medicine bottles, or leather goods, but you can also buy them online.
Dry your phone first with a towel, then shove the damp phone inside a Ziploc bag filled with several silica gel packets. Allow it to sit for a few days to absorb all the remaining moisture inside.

2) Instant rice
Basically some dehydrated rice can do wonders as well to a wet phone, if you happen to have brought it from your local supermarket or grocery store. Simply shove your wet phone into a packet of those and let it dry for several hours.

3) Air dry
It can be very tedious and can get longer to wait, but that'll help if you prefer. Go dry your phone first with a towel, then use some cotton to dry the inside plugs. Allow it to dry for a few days in a cool, breezy environment. But it's always sure to turn off the phone first...

4) Check the damages.
A damp phone can indicate whether it reaches the water damage level. If you have an iPhone, be sure to check the water indicator mark on the SIM card slot and checking the inside. A red mark indicates a damp phone or detected water damage.
Another sign is a foggy camera or a suspicious watery smell inside a phone.

5) Repair the phone if it's not functional anymore.
After you dry your phone with the first three steps above, turn it on and check if the phone is still working as normal as possible. If it glitches, shows odd behaviors, or it doesn't turn on as you intend to, call your local phone repair service, or take the phone with you and visit a phone repair shop nearby. Be sure to prepare for any repair costs.

I think that's it.

Well, I hope this helped you, and let me remind you that it's the number one rule for phones: never drop your device in water.

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