Have you ever dropped your earphones in the water? Or left your headphones in your clothes when putting them in the washing machine? Or spilled a drink on them? If yes, then you pretty much know how frustrating it can be to lose your brand new gadget because of a little carelessness.
It's become such an important daily life gadget for each of us that an immediate solution or replacement is necessary. So the question is, what should you do in such circumstances? To help you figure out how to fix water damaged headphones, here are some tips for you to know what you should do and what you should not.
How To Fix Water Damaged Headphones
If you've spoiled your headphones with water, first and foremost, you need to keep calm. Please do not rush into testing it with your phone or drying it with an electric appliance. Instead, you need to follow these simple steps:
1. As soon as you get hold of your headphones, you need to make sure to remove any detachable parts of the earbuds, like the foam covering that is usually made up of silicone. Place these pieces aside on a dry towel so that it soaks up any moisture in them.
After removing the tips, the main machinery of the headphones is found in the body of the headphone that needs to be protected. This is called the driver. For this purpose, you must quickly move towards the next step.
2. Now comes the tricky part. Very carefully, you need to open the earphones to expose the internal parts, the machinery of this device. You need to be very gentle in this process to prevent the pieces from flying away when opening the device with force.
With the recent headphones in the market, you require no screwdriver to open up any screws or nuts. Rather, you can use a simple knife or any sharp tool to snap open the headphones' outer covering to uncovering the inner components of the headphones. Place the outer covering of the headphones on the towel to dry up alongside the silicon tips.
3. Now, in a little container, add some distilled water, also known as deionized water. Distilled water is important because, unlike regular water, due to its non-conducting properties, it does not affect the electronic functioning of the gadgets. Similarly, it also prevents any corrosion to the material.
Now take the damaged parts of the earphones and place them inside the distilled water. Shake this water to try to replace all the regular water inside the headphones with a larger concentration of distilled water.
4. Now, take out the headphone drivers and make sure to hold them tightly between your fingers, have a strong hold on all its components, and shake them vigorously. Be careful of the smaller pieces inside as they can easily fall out, making the device of no use anymore.
You can continue doing this for some time to ensure the removal of any kind of water droplets still inside. The shaking process is the safest process of removing the moisture without damaging the interior of the device.
5. After using the shaking technique to remove the water, you can now blow air using your mouth to dry up any remaining moisture in the driver. Removing maximum water particles from the interior is essential before putting the device back together; hence make sure to spend sufficient time on this step.
At this point, you may use an air dryer but make sure to use it from a certain distance. Since it has higher power, it can cause displacement of the smaller pieces of the device. Similarly, strong airflow can also cause some smaller pieces of plastic to heat up.
6. Use a dry towel to press the inner components of the earbuds with a strong patting technique. Similarly, continue this technique all around the device and on the outer surface as well. This ensures that the device is completely dry before reassembling the components.
7. Now comes the most crucial step of the procedure. Go to your kitchen and find a bag of uncooked rice. Insert your earphones into the rice bowl, making sure the rice completely covers the device. The rice works its desiccant properties to soak up all the moisture in the device.
Let the headphones rest in the bag of rice for a good time before you reassemble them to use again. At Least for 48 hours, the device needs to stay in the rice for a sufficient moisture absorption time.
What Not To Do With Water Damaged Headphones
1. Do not attempt to use your headphones wet. These are made up of electronic components that have circuits. When made to function, as usual, this will result in a short circuit inside your headphones due to the moisture inside, and your device will be gone for good.
2. Be careful when drying your headphones. Initially, stay away from any electrical appliances and try using only a towel or air blown using your mouth. This is because the hot air from the dryer can cause certain components of your earphones to warm up quickly and cause damage more easily. Similarly, with the greater airflow, it can also cause smaller pieces to fall around.
3. In case you really feel the need to utilize an electric appliance for the drying process, you can use the dryer at a farther distance from the device. You can also reduce the airspeed setting or turn the temperature to cool to prevent any damage to the device's interior plastic or rubber components.
Other than dryers, you should never use other electrical appliances like an oven or microwave as well. This can not only damage your electrical appliances but can be dangerous for you as well.
4. If you have Apple Headphones, you should not try to open them. Apple designs their earphones in such a way that the pieces are strongly glued together. Opening up this device with force will damage the interior components of the headphones for good.
Instead, you can go to a nearby Apple store outlet to claim a warranty or ask for a replacement. They can help you with your problem based on the recent policy they have. However, if you try to open the earphones, the store will not allow any replacement or warranty benefit.
Related Guides: Cleaning Headphones | Buying Headphones | Fixing Wires
Conclusion
Of Course, no one would spoil their headphones with water on purpose. But at the end of the day, It's a mistake, and mistakes can always happen. Hence, keeping in mind these basic tips and tricks can help you save your favourite pair of earphones and prevent you from wasting your money and time.