when cell phones go swimming

Totally random cell phone advice for busy parents in our crazy world!

Last week on a hot and humid day, we headed for one of the awesome wading pools through the Minneapolis Park System. As hard as it is to provide opportunities for kids to be active when it's 20 below zero, it can be challenging when it's 95 degrees too! M dumped her bag of pool toys into the water, and I was hanging up towels. I heard a yell, "Mom! You're cell phone is in the pool!"

Sure enough. I jumped in and dialed my husband– it worked-briefly. Its an odd feeling to be without a cell phone, which I use for personal and business use. How will I coordinate dinner-time with my husband, will clients be able to reach me?

Luckily I have a chatty kid, and we were swinging next to a little girl and her dad. M announced, "Mommy's cell phone went swimming!" As luck would have it, Dad was a cell phone engineer who had brought his phone back from two rounds in the washing machine. Here's his advice...

Rescuing a water-logged cell phone...

Turn it off right away. Remove the battery. Gently dry outside and any obvious water. Do not take it apart. Put the phone in a baggie with dry rice. Squeeze out all the air and LEAVE IT for 4-5 days. (Do not turn it on...) Do the same in a separate baggie with the battery. 

I turned mine on after that time and it worked well. Of course if you have a fancy phone with a memory card, you don't have to worry about losing all your data!

Keep old phones and chargers in a baggie in your junk drawer

Keep old phones handy. How to wait 4 days until the rice sucked all the moisture out of the phones? My husband had an old phone that was less than 5 years old. We called Verizon and they set me up right away. I just turned on my old phone and didn't lose any data, but I'm keeping this new phone!

Feel free to call me on my new phone! 1-888-848-6802 and check availability for my talk tonight 6/29. I have 2 spots left! Parent worksh0p on Taking Anxiety and Conflict Off the Menu: increasing variety and nutrition.

Roseville Caribou, 7-8:30 pm, 15 attendees max so lots of time for personal questions...

Anyone have any cell-phone disaster stories they want to share? Kids toss it in the toilet?