We all know that water and electronics do not mix, but the fact is that many people end up letting these sensitive items come into contact with water no matter how careful they are. Most people have dropped something into the sink or the bath tub that did not belong there, but dropping a cell phone into one of these is a nightmare, especially for those of us who have our social lives strapped to them. If you kill our phone, you do away with all those contacts, since most of us do not have rolodexes anymore.

Having one of the new cell phones that are on the market today brings a lot of perks to the table, such as being able to save pictures, music, numerous ring tones, the ability to watch videos, surf the internet, check e-mail, and a number of other things, but all this can be completely done away with if the phone becomes soaked with water. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to save your phone should this happen.

If the phone is connected to its A/C adapter and plugged into the wall, unplug it before reaching into the water to fish it out. Do not reach into the water while the phone is still plugged in, but try to get it out of the water before 30 seconds, but 20, if possible. After retrieving it from the water, remove the battery, SIM card (if your phone has one), and set them aside. Dry off the exterior of the phone and its components with whatever is handy.

Put the phone in a bowl of uncooked rice and leave it there overnight to dry. The rice will pull the moisture out of the phone. If you can stand to, leave it there a day or two until you are sure that no moisture remains in it. Trying to turn the phone on prematurely will do exactly what you are trying to prevent.

You should also be aware that there is a water damage indication sticker on the inside of the phone located around the battery pack and deeper into the phone on the circuit board. These are in most cell phones these days to stop consumers from making false warranty claims and stating that their phone is defective, when actually, it was water damaged. Water damage is not covered under most cell phone warranties.