What to Do After Dropping an iPhone in the Toilet

There's really no way to put this delicately: some of us use the iPhone on the toilet, and we, er, take a certain risk when we do that.

I have dropped all sorts of electronics in the toilet in the name of science (and by accident, of course), so here are a few things to keep in mind if you make the tragic mistake of dropping your iPhone in the toilet.

Turn It Off. The iPhone will often work after it has been dropped in a toilet, but that doesn't mean that it's going to keep working. It takes a while for things to short out due to the water and "contaminants" (I'll leave that part up to your imagination).

Turn the iPhone off by holding the button on top and then swiping the power off button. Do this immediately.

Get It In Some Rice. Most of us have heard of the rice trick for water-damaged electronics by now, and it really works, as rice sucks the water out of stuff. What you'll do is clean off any obvious water on the iPhone as well as the aforementioned contaminants and completely cover the device in rice. Leave it there for 48 hours. Don't try to use it at all during this time, and especially don't try to charge it.

Clean It. Hopefully, you dropped your iPhone in a relatively clean toilet, but even relatively speaking, that's pretty gross. You can clean the iPhone off with a clean microfiber cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Don't use too much.

You can also use a q-tip and some of the alcohol to clean off the iPhone's docking port. This is important, as a dirty connector could conduct poorly, preventing your iPhone from charging or correctly transferring data to and from a computer.

Try To Turn It On. Hold the top button. If you're lucky, the iPhone will power on, but don't jump for joy yet. There might be software glitches and issues down the line, but you've done all you can for now. If the iPhone doesn't work or if you notice problems later, you can always take it to an iPhone repair company or to Apple. Be somewhat honest. Mention that it was "water-damaged" and leave it at that. Apple will be able to tell that water got into the iPhone, so it makes no sense to lie, and you might luck out and get a low-cost or free repair.

Have any other tips or questions about dropping an iPhone in a toilet? Post in the comments section below.