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Has rice revived any of your water-damaged electronics?

I Don't Like

I Don't Like

Member
Dec 11, 2017
14,918
My dumb ass left my AirPods in my gym shorts which went for a wash. One didn't make it into the dryer because it got stuck in the washing machine - the other got the full experience.

After leaving them in rice overnight, the one that only got a wash was revived! The other still didn't work so I assumed going through dryer killed it. Decided to leave it in rice for another night just in case and - holy shit - it was also revived!

Rice, bitches. Primary food for billions of people and brings electronics back to life. What a fucking grain.

Anyone else have success?
 
BDS

BDS

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,845
Dropping a powered off device in water doesn't damage it. Running a current through a wet device (such as by turning it on) is what damages it. The rice helps to dry out the device and get all the water out so that it can power on without short circuiting.
 
GK86

GK86

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,768
I'm Latino, so I give my electronics sprite and vapor rub to make them all better.
 
AegonSnake

AegonSnake

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,566
it worked for two phones. Samsung S3 and a nokia phone that survived a week buried in snow.

it didnt save my wife's iphone 6.

Moral of the story. fuck apple.
 
signal

signal

Member
Oct 28, 2017
40,199
Isn't this just a meme. Wouldn't rice always soften itself from ambient moisture if it were that good at absorbing it from the air.
 
deadman322

deadman322

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,396
it saved my samsung galaxy s4 but a bit of rice got stuck in the micro sd slot and when i tried to get it out i bent part of the mechanism that held the sd card in place.
 
onpoint

onpoint

Neon Deity Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
14,966
716
Yes. Literally put my work phone through the washer AND dryer once and it came out pretty much donezo.

Rice bags for a few days and it came back to life.

The screen wasn't quite the same but it worked and I could use it. Was a miracle.
 
I am a Bird

I am a Bird

Member
Oct 31, 2017
7,238
yes it was a friends phone. He dropped it in the toilet and the race kept revived the phone and he pulled the contacts off. Mind you this was a razor phone, and not a smart phone.
 
BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,890
It's a myth.

You could just leave it near a fan, that'd work better.

What you don't want to do is turn the thing on when it's wet. Turn it off as quick as possible/remove the battery. Good luck with iPhones on the latter lol
 
ConanEd

ConanEd

Alt account
Banned
Dec 27, 2018
1,033
Yeah 2 phones and a bluetooth earphone. You have to turn it off ASAP.
 
jelly

jelly

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
33,841
No, the rice would at least need to make contact with the innards of the electronics to even take away moisture but water damage is water damage, you may be lucky or screwed and need a repair. The rice does nothing from the outside so opening the device you could dry it better without rice or letting it dry out are you first options.
 
signal

signal

Member
Oct 28, 2017
40,199
Moppeh said:
Could be wrong but wouldn't the moisture be way more concentrated when it is physically inside a phone and in a closed off bag?
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Probably but I don't think rice is that great of a desiccant to use. I guess if you had no source of warm dry air to pass over a device for a while it might be better than ambient air, particularly if you live somewhere super humid?

Anyway maybe there is a study someone could link but I doubt uncooked rice is that much more effective than ambient air. Or even some other substitute like oatmeal.
 
BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,890
signal said:
Probably but I don't think rice is that great of a desiccant to use. I guess if you had no source of warm dry air to pass over a device for a while it might be better than ambient air, particularly if you live somewhere super humid?

Anyway maybe there is a study someone could link but I doubt uncooked rice is that much more effective than ambient air. Or even some other substitute like oatmeal.
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Exactly. The myth is too ingrained (lol) in society now. So there's no stopping it now.
 
C.Mongler

C.Mongler

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
3,881
Washington, DC
The rice "trick" works just as well as leaving it on a counter-top, in cat litter, or a bowl of dry Frosted Flakes. It's just drying out. And it does nothing to remove water residue, which can eventually cause corrosion if not cleaned.
 
Maligna

Maligna

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,815
Canada
Dropped my phone in water and afterwards the speaker wouldn't work. Rice either fixed it, or it would have been fine on its own after a while. I don't really have a way of knowing.
 

Deleted member 2625

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,596
BLEEN said:
It's a myth.

You could just leave it near a fan, that'd work better.

What you don't want to do is turn the thing on when it's wet. Turn it off as quick as possible/remove the battery. Good luck with iPhones on the latter lol
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah this is right. Rice is a very mild desiccant. You'd really want something like silica gel. But the habit and myth of making people wait for their stuff to dry out has beneficial effects anyways.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,870
Edmonton
If you shut off your device immediately and left it alone for a couple of days I don't think it would matter what you put it in. Since most people use rice, rice obviously works.

But hey, rice is cheap and if it makes people feel better.
 
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