Wet cell phones, part two

Editor's note: On Call runs every two weeks and alternates between answering your questions and discussing hot button issues for cell phone users.

In my last column, I offered advice to a reader who accidentally dropped her cell into her toilet. I made some suggestions for bringing the phone back to life, but I also asked readers for tips of their own. Fortunately, you responded in force, and my in-box was deluged with advice that ranged from the obvious to the completely oddball. I'm eager to offer you the most noteworthy tips here.

Another way to "dry" a wet cell phone is to set it on a dehumidifier. It pulls the water out and has worked three times for me.
--Kathy

I was told that if you put the wet phone in the refrigerator for a couple of days, it draws out the moisture.
--Stacey

You can "force out" the water by using centrifugal force. I dropped my phone in the toilet once and immediately taped it to my ceiling fan and turned the fan on low. Just don't turn the fan on high or you may end up with some unexpected damage.
--Chris

Use a t6 screwdriver and take apart your phone. Use contact cleaner (RadioShack) and a toothbrush and clean the entire thing. (Warning: do not allow contact cleaner to come into contact with the keypad, only use soap and water for that.) Moisture creates corrosion between resistors and close parts inside the phone. Once this is complete, use compressed air to dry the phone of contact cleaner. Put it back together, and it should work flawlessly.
--Theastronomer

After rinsing with distilled water, remove as much water as possible using any of the steps mentioned by others, centrifugal force, drying on a window shelf in the sun, in an oven on low with the door open (be careful it doesn't get much over 140 degrees Fahrenheit), and so on. After a day or so, install the battery and the handset should be as good as new.
--Bumpern

I've heard that putting your cell phone in a bag of kitty litter works very well.
--Dee

Set the phone where a cool air conditioner vent will blow on it for a day or two. The air from the a/c unit will draw moisture from the phone.
--Jim

You can try putting the phone over the vent of a cable box, a television, or a computer monitor. The low heat should gently dry the phone.
--Tyler

I have had good luck using a crock pot on the "low" setting on many things. Shake out the excess water first, and the gentle heat will evaporates the remaining moisture.
--Kanatasteve

Though I exercising suggested caution when using alcohol to dry a phone, reader Heath promised me that method works quite well and is perfectly safe.

My wife has also dropped her phone in water. But I can assure you, alcohol will help dry the phone out quicker, and the phone worked great afterwards. The alcohol displaces the water and then evaporates quickly, leaving the phone completely dry in less time. I took the phone outside and poured the alcohol all over it, shook the excess out, then let it sit out for about eight hours. I put the battery and card back in, and it booted just fine.
--Heath