{"id":39621,"date":"2025-06-02T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=39621"},"modified":"2025-06-03T06:30:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T06:30:27","slug":"debunking-5-myths-about-when-your-devices-get-wet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/debunking-5-myths-about-when-your-devices-get-wet\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunking 5 myths about when your devices get wet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rachel Plotnick<\/a>, Indiana University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly everyone has encountered the unthinkable: Your smartphone landed in the toilet. Or you forgot to take off your smartwatch before jumping into the pool. Or maybe you meant to take those earbuds out of your pocket before running the laundry. What now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internet forums are chock-full of advice to dry out that drenched device, but problematic myths about liquid protection and repair make it hard for consumers to separate fact from fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a researcher who studies how technologies play a part<\/a> in people\u2019s everyday practices and experiences. My new book, \u201cLicense to Spill: Where Dry Devices Meet Liquid Lives<\/a>,\u201d explores the wet-dry boundary in how people perceive and treat their electronic devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five common myths about getting devices wet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 1: My device turned back on! It\u2019s fine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s a relief to see your technology rise from the dead, what you can\u2019t see are subtle processes occurring inside, like corrosion<\/a>. The breakdown of your device\u2019s metal parts due to moisture often happens over time, in a period that can take place days, weeks or months after the offending incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why even humidity from moist climates or your steamy shower can make a long-term impact, despite the fact that everything booted up right away after a splash or dunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 2: My \u2018waterproof\u2019 device can tolerate any kind of wetness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cwaterproof\u201d is a controversial one \u2013 so controversial, in fact, that the Federal Trade Commission has strict rules<\/a> about using the term in advertising, once even banning it<\/a> from ad copy selling wristwatches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the vagueness of the term, it\u2019s better to examine different water resistance standards, such as ingress protection, or IP, ratings<\/a> and MIL-SPEC<\/a>, or ISO<\/a> in the case of watches, and to read the fine print about what those standards actually cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 3: My device has a great IP rating, so it\u2019s been tested under real-world conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies often advertise IP ratings<\/a> as a way to entice consumers to purchase their products, but it\u2019s important to know that these ratings are based on contact with fresh water. If you\u2019re worried about Jacuzzi suds or that tipped-over can of beer, there\u2019s no guarantee that a manufacturer has tested your device in these \u2013 often sticky \u2013 situations, and an IP rating won\u2019t account for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 4: I\u2019ve got some rice in the kitchen. I can fix this myself!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s natural to panic and seek out the quickest household solution when a spill or dunk happens, and a cup of rice is still a commonly sought-out<\/a> option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the rice hack doesn\u2019t work very well<\/a>, and rice particles can enter the device to cause even further damage. Aside from bringing your device to a professional repairer, you\u2019re better off immediately powering down your product, removing its battery and plug if you can, and letting all the components dry over a day or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth 5: Well, this device is broken, but I\u2019ve got a warranty to replace it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While you\u2019re pulling your product from its watery grave, you might find relief in the fact that it came with a warranty. Not so fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most traditional consumer technology limited warranties don\u2019t cover liquid damage. These days, you usually need to purchase an add-on warranty, often called Accidental Damage from Handling<\/a>. Beware, though: Even those policies may limit how many wetness \u201cincidents\u201d or \u201cevents\u201d you\u2019re allowed per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping it realistic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Water resistance features on devices like laptops, tablets, smartphones and smartwatches have recently improved, but the deck is still often stacked against consumers who must wade through the hype of advertising claims, mystifying classification systems and penalizing policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical for manufacturers to think carefully and ethically about how their products are designed, marketed and serviced. In terms of design, water resistance is no longer a niche feature meant solely for industrial workers or outdoor adventurers. While it\u2019s unrealistic to expect a device that\u2019s designed to resist every hazard, it\u2019s also unreasonable to ask consumers to tiptoe around the products that provide them with access to critical resources and social support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important for manufacturers to avoid promising consumers the Moon. Samsung Australia, for instance, paid AU$14 million in penalties<\/a> for exaggerating its phones\u2019 protection for swimming. It\u2019s certainly fun to watch commercials with Lil Wayne spraying a smartphone with champagne<\/a> or see him dunk it in a fish tank, but if manufacturers are advising against these practices, then they shouldn\u2019t be romanticizing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, it\u2019s probably common sense that your phone shouldn\u2019t take a bath in champagne. Yet life is constantly happening around \u2013 and with \u2013 our devices, from the shower and the kitchen to the gym and the beach. This means that fairer policies around repair, like those promoted by the right-to-repair<\/a> movement, and warranties should stop treating consumers like they\u2019re \u201cbad\u201d users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, we\u2019re each just one splash away from crying over spilled milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Plotnick<\/a>, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, Indiana University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rachel Plotnick, Indiana University Nearly everyone has encountered the unthinkable: Your smartphone landed in the toilet. Or you forgot to take off your smartwatch before jumping into the pool. Or maybe you meant to take those earbuds out of your pocket before running the laundry. What now? Internet forums are chock-full of advice to dry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":39622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,291,825,25,28,8],"tags":[16486,885,891,886,860,8606,487,255,12340],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39621"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39621"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39623,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39621\/revisions\/39623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}