Many will have experienced the sinking feeling of seeing their mobile phone slip into the sink, toilet or accidentally put in the wash.
Now a Huddersfield scientist may have just come up with the answer to fix it.
Huddersfield University student Claire Boakes has carried out lab-based tests to find the best way to fix a soggy mobile phone.
Claire, of Golcar, says the secret is something many of us throw away – the tiny bags of moisture-absorbing silica gel that are part of the packaging for shoes, handbags or electronic items.
She dubbed the gel a “free mobile phone first aid kit.”
But rice was the second best option.
Claire said: “A supply of free silica gel packs could be stored away until needed.
“The silica gel was dried out before use and it would be recommended to empty the packs and dry out the gel before use.
“In the absence of a supply of silica gel the phone should be left to dry out on a sunny window ledge or placed in an airtight container with either flaked or basmati rice.”
Claire, a mum-of-two, had a career as a beauty therapist before deciding to study for a BSc degree in food, nutrition and health at the university. Her goal is to become a science teacher.
She began to work with chemistry lecturer Dr Jeremy Hopwood who manages the university’s secondary school and sixth form outreach programme.
Dr Hopwood experienced disaster himself when he dropped his phone into the toilet while helping his four-year-old daughter.
“I only hesitated slightly before retrieving the phone,” he said. “I wiped it dry and then did all the things you shouldn’t do, such as turn it on.”
Later he dried it on a warm window sill and the phone works again – but with a new battery.
But the incident meant that Dr Hopwood began to investigate the best ways to dry a mobile and realised that this would make an ideal research project for Claire who was working with him during the placement year part of her degree.
A survey has shown that 31% of mobile phone users have experienced water damage – with 47% of them confessing to dropping the gadgets into the toilet.
There are special drying-out products on the market, costing up to £15 a pack, but Claire has looked at inexpensive ways.
She says silica granules must be dry and the battery should be removed from the phone before it’s applied.
Flaked rice soaked up 78% of moisture and basmati rice soaked up 73% of it.
However, she warns against using a hairdryer which might force water into the phone and cause even greater damage.
The research was carried out on old mobile phones and Claire submerged them for 30 seconds, shook them and removed the battery before applying her tests.
Dr Hopwood cautions against drying the gel in an oven while still in its paper pouch which would catch fire, but it could be left on a window to dry.
“If you have dry silica gel then that’s great,” he said. “Otherwise rice is a very good alternative and is readily found in the home.”
Wondering what the top ten methods of drying a soggy mobile phone are? Check them out in our gallery below
