I guess I could have added to the helpfulness of my post by mentioning that I’ve fixed a few watterlogged phones before. When I was in wireless sales, I’d get lots of customers who broke their phones in one way or another. More often than not, they’d submit to any possibility that didn’t involve them spending money. Bear in mind I wasn’t certified as any sort of phone technician. I used to be a PC repair dude, but that’s only so applicable. But then again, what’s the harm in trying to fix a phone that’s already dead, anyway?
On several occcasions, the user-caused damage was a dunk in water. Or being left in the rain. Or other variations on the theme. I was always able to resuscitate them, so I think you may want to give it a shot. Here’s what I found to work the best.
Take the phone apart. There are too many variations between phone models for me to tell you how to do it. Try a mobile resource like http://www.howardforums.com for some phone-specific info. A lot of phones (Nokias, Kyoceras, and Sony Ericssons to name a few) require a small Torx driver to open the housing (T6 is common). Disassemble it as much as you think is necessary, paying special attention to how everything goes together.
Once apart, use some electronics cleaner on the circuitry. I always used a spray that appeared to be mostly made from denatured alcohol. It doesn’t do any good to get it on the plastic parts, so to reduce the chance of messing up the phone’s finish, I’d avoid soaking the housing. The cleaner will remove the mineral deposits, and the alcohol therein will mix with the water in the phone and drive it off.
Let it air dry thoroughly. Overnight should be good. And a hair dryer set at a moderate setting will help drive the moisture out of the crevices.
Put the thing back together, and hope it works. You may likely need a new battery, but they’re not all that expensive. In fact, the battery may be the only problem you currently have. But I, personally, wouldn’t bother buying a battery until I’ve tried to fix the phone. If you want to try a different battery out without buying one, just go into a US Cellular store and say your phone isn’t working. (Don’t say anythign about the toilet) Tell them you think the battery has failed and see if they can test it with a known good part.
Normally, I’d attach a disclaimer to advice like this. But your phone’s already broken, so who the hell cares? Give it a try, since you’ve got nothign to lose. Then let us know how it turns out.