Title: My Phone Took a Swim—and Took My Sanity With It
Gasp! I dunked my phone in the pool. Not a splash. Not a drop. Not even full-on, head-first dive into the chlorinated deep end. I sat on the edge of the pool in the shade. I can't get all the way in the pool when I have an IV port attached. And I wear a sun shirt because - skin cancer. I should be as water adverse as the cell phone. But it was hot, so I slipped in waist deep and immediately realized what I had done. And with a grim kind of finality, it's the worst: the odds of resurrection were slim to none. To paraphrase Blade Runner, "I was stupid, and my phone died."
Yes, I know—new phones claim to be water resistant. But be warned: pool water and seawater are the stuff of electronics' nightmares. With little hope of recovery, and a healthy fear of repair shop disappointment, I decided to move on.
A replacement was in order.
Rather than get locked into a long-term contract, I’ve been buying used or refurbished phones for a few cycles now. I like Back Market and Ebay for resources. They also buy old kit that will be new to someone else. It’s a bit like buying a car—once it leaves the lot, or the Verizon store, it’s used anyway. So why not let someone else take the depreciation hit? We look forward to and are incredibly happy to get last year's model at a huge discount, when it's time to change handsets. It's new to us. I am looking forward to the model that maps rooms with a kind of radar in a few years when it's time to switch again, it would be a powerful help for showing apartments to say exactly how big a floor plan is for clients. "Size Checked by Lidar"
But, back to my wet phone and no lemonade trauma, here's the kicker: the few phoneless days ahead stretch before me like Lawrence of Arabia crossing the desert. How will I survive? No GPS, no music on demand, no absentminded scrolling while waiting in line. There won't even be a glass of Lemonade in Cairo at the end.
In a desperate attempt at digital triage, I shuffled through my drawers and produced:
- A generic no name tablet that’s somehow still alive,
- A 12-year-old Samsung tied to a carrier I haven’t used in a decade,
- And an elegantly designed if ill-fated Nokia Windows phone that's now little more than a Bricked paperweight.
"I ain't got time to bleed"
I got up early today, fired up the dodgy old tablet, and started loading apps like I was prepping for the apocalypse. Like Jesse Ventura in Predator, I said, "I ain't got time to bleed." I got to work with the gear I have to put my digital life back together. I wrote most of this post on the tablet and listened to my morning guided meditation with headphones. If I’m lucky, maybe the soaked phone will dry out enough for me to salvage some data and app logins. Since the phone was on while it was wet the internet teachings put my chances of recovery below 40% and a long-term recovery below 20%.
But if not? Maybe that’s a sign.
Perhaps it’s time to streamline the new phone, keep it lean, and put my social media and productivity apps on the tablet instead. A little app diet never hurt anyone—and it might just help curb the doomscrolling habit I’ve been meaning to break.
Phones are tools. But my android is a full-on Borg implanted extension.
So, for now, I’m navigating life with a wifi only interface and a meager free-with-purchase tablet. If nothing else, it's a good reminder: Back-up handsets baby!
If you dunk your phone in the pool, the key is to act immediately to minimize internal water damage — every second matters. Here’s what to do:
1. Get it out of the water immediately.
- Even a few seconds can make a difference.
2. Turn it off right away (if it’s still on).
- If it’s frozen or unresponsive, force it off — don’t press buttons randomly.
- Do NOT plug it in or try to charge it.
3. Remove accessories and SIM/SD cards.
- Take off any case.
- Pull out the SIM card tray so moisture can escape.
4. Dry the exterior quickly.
- Use a soft towel or cloth — avoid shaking the phone hard (this can push water deeper).
5. Avoid heat sources.
- Don’t use a hair dryer on high heat, microwave it, or put it in the oven — extreme heat warps parts and can cause short circuits.
6. Use gentle airflow.
- If you have a small fan or cool hair dryer setting, blow air across the ports.
7. Desiccant method (better than rice).
- If possible, place the phone in a sealed bag or container with silica gel packets or another drying agent. My husband laughs at me, but I keep all those little packs that come in powders and pill bottles for just this situation.
- If you don’t have silica, uncooked rice is a last resort — it’s less effective and can leave dust inside.
8. Leave it powered off for at least 24–48 hours.
- The longer it’s off, the more chance it must dry before powering back on.
9. Consider professional cleaning.
Water from pools contains chlorine/minerals that corrode electronics quickly — a repair shop with ultrasonic cleaning can help stop corrosion before it kills the phone completely. Keep in mind a used replacement phone is around $180. There is no point in spending too much on a wet phone that may not be recovered.
- Even if it turns on fine, corrosion can still cause failure days or weeks later.
