Update to original post:
Most phones are starting to be completely encased now, without removable sim cards, SD cards,or batteries which complicates your options. The 'rice' option seems to have fallen out of favor with some 'techies'. I recently got my Galaxy Note 5 completely wet while doing th 2017 St. Clair River Float Down. It was 8 hours before I could get to a bag of rice. Even if the bag of rice was available sooner my understanding from the linked articles is that the rice would have been of little use on a 'sealed' phone. Additionally, rice became lodged in the stylus and USB ports where it was very difficult to get out. Needless to say my phone was useless when all was said and done. The success of using rice in the past may have just been a case off dumb luck. Please take the original post with a grain of salt and cross reference it to the links provided:
- https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Electronics_Water_Damage
- https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Don%27t_Put_Your_Device_in_Rice._Here%27s_Why...
- for Galaxy Note 5: https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Electronics_Water_Damage
Original post (8-8-2008)
Fast action is imperative in this situation. Get the phone out quickly. This is no time to be squeamish. The longer it is there, the more likely that water will penetrate. Corrosion moves fast. So first thing (after fishing it out of the toilet, which I won't get into), remove the battery. Pat it dry and set it aside. Pat the phone dry, too. Also, remove the sim card, if your phone has one. Sim cards are found on T-Mobile and AT&T (Cingular) phones. Other major carriers do not have them. Immerse in a container of uncooked rice overnight. You could also use an airtight bag with silica packs. Those are the things that protect goods from moisture. Silica sucks up moisture. You probably could find silica packs at camera stores. Third idea: Use a hair dryer. Or set it on the computer or TV set top box. Low heat shouldn't hurt the phone. But do not heat the battery. Depending on the nature of the water involved (toilet, salt, river, lake), it's might have stuff in it that could settle on fine circuitry. Tolerances on circuit boards are tiny; contaminants can cause huge problems. You might displace the contaminants with distilled water or alcohol. I'd prefer the latter, since it evaporates quickly and cleanly. And it displaces water. Hardware stores have denatured alcohol, which is used to clean electronic parts. Be sure it is denatured with methanol. If you buy rubbing alcohol, be sure it is 91 percent. The lower the percentage, the more water is used as filler. ...My guy used his phone after drying it overnight. But I'd go longer—maybe three days. You want to be sure. source
