A few days ago I knocked my Galaxy S3 Smartphone into the toilet. This blog describes the steps I then took to try and save the phone. Remember time is of essence and you need to perform these steps ASAP!

First off the standard disclaimer – perform the steps at your own risk. They worked for me but they may not necessarily work for you (as it will depend upon your phone and how much water managed to get inside you phone). 

After quickly retrieving the phone from the water I removed the outer case and then the battery cover to take out the battery. You need to remove the battery source ASAP and don’t worry about properly shutting down the phone. Once the battery is out also remove the SIM card.

I then dried off any water that I could see. Try not to shake or tilt the phone as this may cause the water to seep further into the phone. NOTE: Some people actually recommend that you shake the phone to help remove the water so I’ll leave it up to you as to whether you shake it or not.

I then placed the phone inside a snap lock bag full of uncooked rice. The rice is used to help soak up  any residual water. Leave the phone in the bag at least 36 hours – the longer the better and it will depend upon how much water seeped into your phone. I left my phone in for approx. 44 hours but the actual temperature outside was a hot 40 degrees celsius which also helped dry the phone out.

After 36 hours or longer remove the phone and examine it for any remaining water in all its nooks and crannys. If you can’t see any remaining water insert the battery (leave the SIM card out for the time being) and turn it on. If luck is on your side it should hopefully turn on all ok. If you hear any weird noises or see anything else out of the ordinary turn off the phone immediately and seek help from a professional.

If it doesn’t turn on return the phone to the rice bag for 12 or more hours and try again. If still no luck plug in your battery charger and / or go and see a professional repairer.

A video of me turning the phone back on again is viewable at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CMZlcewqY&feature=youtu.be

Things not to do include:

• putting your phone in a microwave.
• using a hairdryer or other heat source to dry out the phone.
• leaving the battery in the phone while drying it out.

If you have any questions please leave them below.