People love to swim and play in the water, but their cellphones don't. If your Nokia Neuron has taken a swim or gone through the washing machine, you may be able to salvage it if you act quickly. In the short term, water can cause the phone to short circuit, frying the electrical components. In the long term, exposure to water can corrode the metal components inside the phone. To save your Neuron, you need to remove the water as soon as possible without causing further damage.
Instructions
1. Turn off your Neuron if it is still powered on.
2. Insert your fingernail into the groove on the bottom edge of the back battery cover and remove it. Lift the battery from the top and remove it from the phone.
3. Rinse the phone with fresh water if you dropped it in salt water. When salt water dries, it can leave behind salt crystals. The crystals attract moisture from the air and can cause further corrosion.
4. Dry off the Neuron and battery using paper towels. Paper towels wick moisture away more quickly than cloth towels. Try to get the towels into the cracks and crevices of the phone, such as the areas between buttons, around the screen and inside the charging jack.
5. Fill a plastic freezer bag about half full of dried rice or silica gel packets. You can purchase large silica gel packets at hardware stores, or use the smaller packets included with electronic devices.
6. Place the phone and the battery in the bag and seal. Make sure the phone and battery are completely covered. The dried rice or silica gel acts as a desiccant, drawing moisture from the air and causing the water inside to evaporate.
7. Remove the Neuron from the bag after 24 hours and wrap it in a paper towel. Place the phone face-down on a flat surface, and leave it for one hour.
8. Check the paper towel for signs of moisture. If you don't find any water stains, flip the phone over and check it again after another hour. If you find water stains or the paper towel is damp, return the phone to the bag for another 24 hours. If you don't find any signs of water, it is safe to reassemble the phone and turn it on.
Tags: paper towel, dried rice, dried rice silica, find water, find water stains