Troubleshooting Water Damage in Bluetooth Headsets

Bluetooth headsets are one of the most commonly damaged electronic pieces and for good reasons: they are very frequently left in a pocket when clothes goe to the washing machine. Fixing them is often easy though.

• The first step to repair your bluetooth headset is to get it dry. You should do this right away, as the more time passes the bigger likelyhood that the device will suffer permanent damage.
• To do this, simply shake the device to remove excess water.
• Then you will need to open it. Most bluetooth headsets can be opened without tools by removing their cover with a flat screwdriver or even a fingernail edge.
• Next, fill a glass with de-ionized (also called distilled) water and place the device in it. Don't worry, distilled water won't cause any damage. Distilled water is non-conducting and non-corrosive, so it will almost certainly not cause any problem with the device. Shake the device under water to get water remains in it mixed with the distilled water. Remove the device from the distilled water and shake it to get is as dry as possible.
• Blow into the device to remove as much water as possible. Even better use a compressed air can to get it dry.
• Fill a new, clean glass with more distilled water and soak the device again. Let it stand there for a few hours. This will dilute any remains of soap and, more importantly, salts diluted in the water that got into the device when it got wet initially. While distilled water is not harmful to electronics, tap water is since it contains salts that make it conductive and potentially corrosive. Removing these salts and any other impurity in the water is crucial.
• Finally, you have to get the device dry. Perfectly dry. Shake excess water again and then blow into the device (avoid spitting into it while blowing, if any spit gets into the device, it's back to new distilled water). Compressed air is again preferred, though be careful not to blow too strongly into the device. Some headsets can get damaged by too strong an air stream. Then, get the device even drier by putting it into a ziplock bag with rice or, even better, an unused pack of silica gel (you can get that from any large shipping company such as UPS).
• Seal the bag well and let it stand in the sun (but make sure it doesn't get too hot). Every few hours open the bag to remove excess moisture and replace the rice. Let it stand for a day or two. Once completely dry, you should be able to plug in the device to charge it. The battery will be most likely completely discharged (low currents through the dirty water do that) but after a few hours in the charger it should be back to working condition.