Damp Gadget? Try rice to dry it out.

No matter how careful you are, at some point a gadget you own will get damp. I’m not talking about the old dunk in the sink or a puddle, but just a little misted. Or you did dunk it and you want to get the last of the evil water out.

Back in my lab days we had this stuff called “dri-a-rite” that you heated up in an oven for a while (driving off all the water) then put it in special desiccation jars and sealed them up. If we needed to dry something out (usually samples) in they would go and extra moisture would be pulled out. Since I’m not in a lab any more my access to dri-a-rite and desiccation jars is limited, but I do have the next best thing:

plastic containers and dry rice

Yep. It’s the truth. If you have a slightly en-dampened gadget, just fill a plastic container with dry rice, put your gadget in there with it, and seal the lid. You don’t have to bury the gadget in rice (you don’t want rice to get into the device), just sitting on top is enough for most things.

How long does it take? At least over night, probably closer to 24 hours, to give the rice a chance to draw the moisture out.

And yes, I’ve done it and yes it works.

For devices that have a battery door, open it (open side up) to let the air get in there to make the air damp so the rice…

Fine you get the idea.

Oh and if you’re still doubting that this works…check out the photo credit for a real example with an iPod!