It's not difficult to end up with water in your smartphone charging port. You could be cooking, running, or even showering, and if your phone is nearby, there's always a risk. So, what do you do when you realize you've gotten water in your USB port? Check out these dos and don'ts below to ensure your phone recovers safely.

How to Dry Your USB Charging Port: 3 Things to Try

Make sure you follow these tips to figure out how to remove moisture in a charging port.

1. Put Your Phone in Front of a Fan, or Leave it to Dry Naturally

If you want to speed up the drying process of your phone's USB port, we recommend placing it in front of a fan or even near an open window (if you're sure it won't rain!). However, you should avoid heat lamps and heaters, as this could raise your phone's temperature to an unsafe level, melt the exterior, or cause other heat-related issues.

However, if you don't have a fan and are uncomfortable placing your phone near a window, you can always leave it to air out for a few hours, preferably in a dry, warm environment like an airing cupboard. But don't put your phone in direct sunlight, as this can also cause overheating.

2. Listen to Your Phone's Warning or Advice Messages

If your phone detects moisture in its USB port, it will likely alert you. So, if you get an alert of this nature, do not ignore it!

The USB error message you see can vary depending on the issue and manufacturer. However, they're usually variants of "Unplug charger" or "Liquid or debris detected" and shouldn't be ignored.

3. Place Your Phone in Rice Overnight

Placing your phone in rice can help remove moisture, but this isn't a sure thing.

Because rice is water-absorbant, it can help draw out the water from your phone when it gets wet. It is best to do this overnight, as it can take some time, but it certainly is a tried and true method.

However, placing your phone in rice can cause problems. For instance, some rice grains may become lodged in your phone's charging or AUX port. What's more, if the rice you're using is moldy or produces mold while your wet phone is laid within it, you may do more harm than good. Mold can cause hardware damage, possibly making things worse if you've already got a wet charging port.

Additionally, a wet USB port often isn't a severe issue and can often be resolved by leaving your phone out to dry or placing it in front of a fan. But if it is taking some time for your phone's moisture warning message to go away, the rice method is always a reliable choice on short notice.

Along with the methods you can try to dry out your phone's USB port, there are also things that you should always avoid to not cause additional problems.

How to Get Moisture Out of Your Phone Port: 3 Things to Avoid When Your USB Port Is Wet

Here are the most important things to avoid when you have moisture in your phone's USB port.

1. Do Not Charge Your Phone

The most important thing to always avoid when your USB port is wet is charging your phone. Most smartphone warning messages will tell you not to charge your phone when moisture is in the USB port, and it is crucial to listen to this advice for two key reasons.

Firstly, connecting your phone to an electrical power source is extremely dangerous when there is moisture in the connection port, so make sure your phone's moisture warning has stopped showing before you connect your phone to a power source. On top of this, bringing your charger into contact with water can break the charger itself, so even if it's on low battery, you'll need to let it sit and dry before recharging.

2. Do Not Blow Into Your Smartphone USB Port

When water is in your USB port, one of your first instincts might be to blow into it to dry it out. However, this is not recommended as it is ineffective, and the concentrated force of your breath may push the water further into the USB port. So, make sure you use one of the suggested methods above instead.

3. Do Not Shake Your Phone

We can guarantee you one thing: shaking your phone will not get rid of moisture! This may be tempting, especially if you're panicking about permanently breaking your USB port, but it isn't effective.

The best way to dry a wet USB port is using a steady flow of cool air, as suggested above. So avoid tiring yourself out by shaking your phone, as it most likely won't help much.

Now You Know How to Dry Your Phone Port

Getting moisture in your USB port is all too easy to do, but it doesn't need to be a severe or expensive issue if you follow these quick and easy tips. The best form of prevention is to avoid letting water get anywhere near your phone, but these are the next best option if the inevitable happens.