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How long does it take to dry a smartphone?
(programming.dev)
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this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2025
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One of these days I’m going to either run an experiment or look up material characteristics of dry rice.
I was under the impression that rice is very capable of absorbing water and that the sheer mass of rice and the fact that you can change it out is an advantage over the paper towel. However because rice becomes soft and sticky during the process it’s inadvisable.
As I understand it, the rice dies absorb the water - but it leaves behind a bunch of dust that will become sticky over time, potentially causing damage down the road
Numerous tests have been done about this already. Nearly every tech related blog site has a version of this test somewhere in their archive if you look for it.
The conclusion is always the same, rice is no more effective than just leaving the device sitting on a counter in open air. Having a fan blowing on the device is more effective. The best option is putting it in a container with desiccant gel packets, ideally unused packets. This is what those water damage bags sold at some stores are, they are filled with desiccant beads.
Of course physically opening the device to dry and clean it internally is the most effective, but not something most users can do.
Rice doesn't become soft and sticky unless you heat it while it's absorbing water
My family used rice for ages mixed in salt to keep it from clumping. It barely makes a difference. During sustained humid conditions the salt will clump, but the rice never softens or goes sticky.