# Rice is the panacea for wet electronics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794 "2009-08-18T00:24:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/41 "2009-08-19T17:40:25Z")
The problem is the same in both cases, though: Saltwater is pretty corrosive (significantly more so than fresh water). Neither gears nor circuit traces work well when they’ve been rusted away. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/42 "2009-08-19T17:56:38Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Well, yes, but I thought that was obvious enough to leave out. I could have extended the entire experimental instructions out to a paragraph if I wanted to be thorough. Humor. It is a difficult concept. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/43 "2009-08-19T18:41:58Z")
The most extreme example of this I’ve done was a Macintosh laptop that had a full large whatever dumped all over it at a Starbucks. I got the panicked call, told them to pull the battery immediately and had them bring it right over. Took it all apart and ran the various bits through a dishwasher, then spent several hours with compressed air and a hair drier getting it completely dry. Put it together, and it’s working today. Not quite as much luck with the laptop that had a bottle of nail polish remover on the keyboard. The computer worked, but the keyboard was a wreck. I advise parents to purchase the cheapest laptop possible for their teens, as they will inevitably break their first one. It’s like a first car, which should be a beater, as they are going to have some accident with it as part of the learning process. ---
**Author:** ![Kraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e57/32.png) [@Kraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kraneous)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/44 "2013-06-28T04:54:40Z")
After reading this post to figure out how to dry my phone out with rice, I read the post saying that they should make a phone that can be dropped in water and realize that 4 years after it was said here they have finally done it. check it out [HERE.](http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s4-active/4505-6452_7-35783536.html) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/45 "2013-06-28T04:59:04Z")
> [@Kraneous](#): > > After reading this post to figure out how to dry my phone out with rice, I read the post saying that they should make a phone that can be dropped in water and realize that 4 years after it was said here they have finally done it. check it out [HERE.](http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s4-active/4505-6452_7-35783536.html) Reported as spam. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/46 "2013-06-28T08:42:21Z")
I was just checking that this was the old thread I thought it was. It’s a good thing the original Spam was removed, but beowulff’s quote contains the original Spam with active link. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vegetable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Space\_Vegetable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vegetable)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/47 "2013-06-28T09:17:18Z")
How is it spam? It’s a link to a news article on a new waterproof phone. Seems on topic to me. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/48 "2013-06-28T09:37:12Z")
> [@Space\_Vegetable](#): > > How is it spam? It’s a link to a news article on a new waterproof phone. Seems on topic to me. I concur with **Space Vegetable** , it does seem to be ‘on topic’, and ‘new information’, to boot. Well, new information to _ **me** _, at least. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/49 "2013-06-28T09:51:21Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Reported as spam. > [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I was just checking that this was the old thread I thought it was. It’s a good thing the original Spam was removed, but beowulff’s quote contains the original Spam with active link. > [@Space\_Vegetable](#): > > How is it spam? It’s a link to a news article on a new waterproof phone. Seems on topic to me. I opened the post again and unbanned the poster. We acted in haste. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/50 "2013-06-28T11:27:10Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I opened the post again and unbanned the poster. _ **We acted in haste.** _ > > **samclem** , moderator (bolding mine) In all fairness, the post did seem kind of ‘spammy’ (commercial?), seeing as how [waterproof phones](http://www.prlog.org/10255764-the-sonim-xp3-enduro-the-first-waterproof-mobile-phone-ever.html) have been on the market for quite a number of years now. 😉 Still, it _ **was** _ ‘new information’. The post linked to the first waterproof _‘smart phone’_. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/51 "2013-06-28T13:46:51Z")
This is a very timely zombie. See today’s [Zits](http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/zits/s-1346032). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794/52 "2013-06-28T14:03:25Z")
My cellphone was in the pocket of some pants which got washed in a washing machine. I took the battery out and baked the phone and battery in an oven at low temperature (140F? 170F?) for 12 hours. Now it’s as good as it was before. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-is-the-panacea-for-wet-electronics/506794.md?page=2)