How rice can resurrect your cell phone and four other natural fixes for common tech problems

For every convenience electronic devices bring us, there is an equal and opposite frustration. Flashlights go dim right as the power shuts off; the romantic date-night DVD has a fatal scratch; the smart phone fails to connect right when we need directions most.

The most common ways electronic devices are damaged is when their owners drop them or get them wet, according to Aaron Cooper, marketing director for Worth Ave Group, which insures personal electronics like smart phones and laptops against lost, theft or damage.

While warranties cover manufacturing defects, they won’t cover scratched or broken screens or the damage that results from submerging a phone in water (including toilet water, a surprisingly common problem, according to Cooper — and one that Worth Ave Group is proud to insure against). When it comes to claims, he said, “theft, cracked screens, and liquid damage — that covers just about everything.”

For those who didn’t buy an insurance policy for that submerged, cracked, no-longer-functioning mobile phone, try these tips for repairing common damage to electronic devices without using harsh chemicals or expensive products — or paying a dime!

Save wet electronics

We learned in Electronics 101 to never mix water and electricity. Never. Unfortunately, accidents happen — like you jumping into the lake to retrieve a lost oar and your cell phone coming with you.

If you ever find that you have to deal with a wet device, don’t just abandon it. Instead, try the following method to repair the water damage:

1. Do not turn it on.
2. Take it apart as much as you can. Take out the battery, the memory card, and whatever else can be easily disassembled. (Just make sure you can put it back together.)
3. Store the parts in an air-tight container covered with either dry rice, silica gel packets, or clean kitty litter. These will absorb the moisture from your electronics device, leaving it water-free.
4. If no rice, silica packets, or kitty litter are available, try using a vacuum to suck the water out. Do NOT blow-dry the parts — that will only force the water farther in and cause more damage.

Clear up scratched LCD screens

LCD screens, typically found on laptops and televisions, are susceptible to scratches that can really degrade the quality of the screen’s performance.

Rather than replacing a screen (or worse, replacing the whole machine), fix the scratch with one of these basic tools: a pencil eraser or petroleum jelly

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Tags: air tight container, getty images, phone, screen, silica gel packets, water

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