When you drop your phone in water, it feels like your world is about to end. Everything we have is on our phones. Our contacts, our photos, our conversations. Not to mention, all the money you spent on your new phone is suddenly gone to waste. Of course, that is, unless you have a waterproof phone. But for many of us, we don‘t, so what are you going to do when you drop your phone in water? Don‘t freak out just yet, you may be able to fix it without having to buy a new one. Here are some helpful tips to get your phone back into working shape.

Take It out of Water ASAP

You may be in shock, but this is the moment where you‘re going to have to think fast. Remove your phone out of the water as soon as possible. This will prevent any further water damage from occurring. The longer your device is submerged in water, the less of chance it has to survive. Remove your phone from the water and make sure you turn it off. Once you turn it off, remove the battery and lay it flat out on a paper towel.

Do Not Shake Your Phone

You may think that shaking your phone will help it to remove the water, but it doesn‘t. In fact, all you do is push the water deeper into your device, specifically in areas which really don‘t handle water well. Do not blow into your phone either – you don‘t want your phone to have any extra heat applied to it, this will cause further damage.

Remove Exterior Moisture

Yes, you cannot remove all the water on your own, but you should be trying to remove as much of the exterior moisture as possible from your phone. With a paper towel, dry off all the exterior moisture, making sure you wipe down the battery, SIM card and SD card. However, what‘s important is that you don‘t shake these parts while drying them. It‘s best if you dab or tap them dry while they‘re laying flat on a surface. Like we said, too much movement will create even more water damage to your phone.

Disassemble Your Phone

Like we said earlier, you need to take apart your phone. Remove everything that‘s removable. This includes your cell phone case, the battery, SIM card and SD card. Lay all of these pieces flat on a paper towel.  If you have experience, you can also disassemble other parts of the phone, however, if not, removing the basics is an important and crucial step.

Suction out the Water

By using a vacuum cleaner, you‘ll be able to remove water from areas which a paper towel cannot. Of course, don‘t blow anything into the phone, however, sucking out water is perfectly fine and recommended. The vacuum cleaner is able to remove water without causing damage to your phone.

 Leave It in a Bowl of Rice

Many of us thought that this was a myth, however, with time it proved itself to actually work! Rice absorbs humidity in the air which makes the environment drier, thus, helps to dry out your device. If you don‘t have rice you can also use silica gel packs, however, rice is a little easier to get, easier to clean and safer, especially if you have small children or animals living with you.

Give it Time

We know, this part will be the hardest thing to do. Leaving a damaged phone unattended isn‘t an easy thing to you. You want to shake it and play around with it, trying to fix it, but the best thing to do is to leave it. You need to give your phone at least a full two or three days to dry itself out. If you try to turn it on too early, you can create further damage. To dry out your phone, leave it on the counter either on a paper towel or in a bowl of rice or silica gels. You want to leave it in an environment that‘ll ease the drying process.

Try these tips out to save your phone! If not, then the next step is to take it to a repair shop.