Home / Education / Water Damage Guide / Restoring Water Damaged Electronics

Restoring Water Damaged Electronics

If water gets inside your cell phone, computer, or any electronic device, there is hope for restoration. Remove the device from the water as quickly as possible and turn off the power. Next, remove the battery or power source, as damage may occur if power is present while wet with water.

Water Removal

The next step is to remove all the water and other debris left by the moisture from the electronic equipment. Any minerals, chemicals, dirt, and moisture must be completely removed from the electronic circuitry before it is powered up and tested. Remove the case, keyboard, switches, and covers as carefully as you can to allow further cleaning and drying. Check each component to determine if it has been affected by water seepage. You may want to use a precision screwdriver to remove pieces such as the circuit boards and seperate them for drying, cleaning and water removal. Even clean tap water may contain damaging minerals and chemicals, so it is best to use pure, distilled water to wash and rinse all the parts clean. Other liquids, like alcohol, can chemically remove any remaining water as well, but can damage plastic or other materials in the process. If you have a cleaning fluid, make sure it is not corrosive to the hardware. If you use a cleaner, spray and wipe the damp areas gently.

Drying

Drying should be done patiently and completely. Warm, dry air from a small heater or even the warm air vented from a running computer will help speed up the drying time. Covering the wet equipment with Silica dehydrating beads or dry rice is helpful as well.

Damage

Once your electronics are completely dry, carefully reassemble everything and power up the equipment. In most cases, your electronic equipment will function perfectly. Keys and switches may stick or operate intermittently, but now they won't short out and cause further damage. Working out any minor bugs will be far less costly than what could have happened.