Smartphones are a major part of our lives, and accidents that lead to accidental water damage are among the primary issues that users face. To this end, accidents caused by water damage are the most frequent problem users experience. A man can drop his phone in a sink, spill a beverage on it, or get caught in the rain, but, regardless, moisture can do severe damage to delicate electronic parts.
The method of application using rice has been one of the most widespread home remedies over the years. As the story goes, wet phones can be saved by putting them in uncooked rice to wring out the water in the phone.
Nevertheless, does this method work? Is it a myth that will not die? This paper will detail how the rice method came to be and will analyze scientific research and experts' reviews on the same, outline the dangers of the rice method, and provide a superior method for rescuing a phone sunk in water.
The Origins of the Rice Method
The concept of rice as an aid in repairing wet electronic devices is probably due to the natural property of rice to absorb water. Rice has also been used in most cultures to preserve salt or spices by having a few grains in storage containers so that they would not get wet. This homemade trick slowly spread into the field of electronics, and people believed that rice would also remove internal moisture in electronics.
The myth was magnified by the use of the internet. YouTube tutorials, social media posts, and tech forums all made the rice technique a reliable recommendation to anyone with a wet phone. It goes without saying that it is popular: rice is affordable, can be found in nearly any single home, and does not demand technical skill.
What Happens When Water Enters a Phone?
It is more effective to ask how the problem of water damage is so grave by examining the construction of smartphones.
Internal Vulnerabilities
- Motherboard and circuits: The Circuit board of the phone is saturated with fragile electrical circuits. A slight drop in water will bring short-circuiting.
- Battery: Lithium-ion batteries are prone to being destroyed by moisture or damaged forever.
- Display and touchscreen: Water may creep into the layers of the display, making it turn discolored, or even become insensitive to touch or shut down forever.
- Speakers and microphones: These are particularly prone to damage as the sound produced by them is usually muffled or distorted from the original.
- Port charges and connectors: Metal connectors, even with a small amount of moisture, cannot be charged or data exchanged.
The Role of Corrosion
The threat of a short circuit is not the sole cause of water damage; however, corrosion due to it may happen over a certain period of time. The corrosion occurs when there is a reaction between water (particularly salt or dirty water) and metals within the phone. A phone might seem to function properly even when it has been dry cleaned; however, corrosion could be concealed and lead to its breaking down a few days/weeks after.
The Rice Method Explained
The rice technique presupposes the placement of a moist phone inside a bag or a bowl of uncooked rice. Rice will serve to draw water out of the air and the device itself, thus the theory.
This would appear to be logical at first. Rice does take on the water of the environment when it is stored, and that is why, occasionally, it is kept in salt containers. However, the question is, is rice strong enough to wring water out of a smartphone inside a well-sealed container in a safe period?
Scientific Studies on Rice vs. Other Drying Methods
A series of experiments has been performed in order to test the rice method ,and the positive outcome is that rice is one of the least effective.
Gazelle Experiment (2014)
Gazelle, an established electronic reseller, attempted various drying techniques by placing devices in water and manning in various substances, such as rice, silica gel, oatmeal, or outside. After 24 hours:
- The greatest moisture was removed by the use of the silica gel.
- Rice had a very marginal impact, as it only improved slightly over not covering the phone at all in the open air.
Professional and TekDry Drying Systems
The myth about rice has been tested by TekDry, a firm that focuses on selling water-removal machines. In their research they conducted, they found out that rice not only offers no protection but also creates an illusion of protection to those using it. Controlled heat and vacuum machines were far more reliable and much faster in online systems with the use of professionals.
Consumer Reports (2015)
Rice was also compared with others in Consumer Reports. Their conclusion: rice did not hasten the drying process and was a complete waste when compared to silica gel packets.