Your phone hit the water. The clock is now ticking. Every minute matters, because tap water and saltwater start to corrode the inside parts within hours. We offer fast, walk-in phone water damage repair with free assessment and professional ultrasonic cleaning. Premium-quality parts. Walk in right now, do not wait.
You are reading this with wet hands. We get it. Take a breath. The good news is that most phones can be saved if you act in the next 30 minutes. The bad news is that the longer you wait, the more parts go bad. We have rescued thousands of water-damaged phones since 2013, and the steps below will guide you on what to do right now.
Some phones look fine right after a dunk. Hours later they refuse to turn on. Other phones show damage right away. Here are the clear signs you need to bring your phone to us today.
You pull the phone out of the water. It seems off. You press the power button, nothing happens. This is the most common sign. Water has shorted out the inside parts. There is still hope, but only if you bring it in fast. The next few hours decide the outcome.
Water under the screen often shows as rainbow spots, faded color, vertical lines, or full black bars. The display layer is damaged. Touch may also stop working in spots. We replace the screen and clean the inside in one repair.
Trapped water makes the speaker sound like you are underwater. You may also hear a crackle when music plays. Water often dries out but leaves mineral build-up behind. We clean the speaker grilles and the speaker drivers as part of the job.
A wet charging port will not let your cable plug in cleanly. Your phone may flash a warning that says "liquid detected." Do not force the cable in. The metal pins can corrode in a few hours and leave the port dead for good.
A foggy front or back camera means water is trapped behind the lens. Photos look hazy. Sometimes you see streaks of mineral build-up on the inside of the glass. We open and dry the camera unit during the repair.
Many phones run for a few hours after a dunk. Then they shut off and never come back. This is corrosion eating the inside of the phone. Time has run out on the easy fix. The repair still works, but it costs more by then.
Phones get wet in many ways. The type of water and the time you wait both matter just as much as the splash itself.
The most common water damage story we see at our shop. The phone goes under for a few seconds. Most modern phones survive this if you act fast. The first 30 minutes are everything.
Sticky sweet drinks are worse than plain water. Sugar leaves a sticky film that conducts power across circuits. We see soda spills almost every week. A soda spill needs ultrasonic cleaning, not just drying.
This is the worst type of water damage we see. Salt eats metal fast. Even one minute in the ocean can corrode the inside of your phone. If your phone went in saltwater, drive straight to us right now. Do not stop to dry it. Do not wait.
Phones in gym clothes pockets get wet from sweat. The same goes for working in heavy rain or hot, humid weather. Water sneaks in through the speaker grilles and the charging port. The damage builds up slowly over weeks.
Phones forgotten in pants pockets and run through the washer come out dead in most cases. Shower steam is also a slow killer. We can save many but not all of these cases.
This page contains time-sensitive emergency guidance. If your phone is currently wet, stop reading and complete steps 1, 2, and 3 first. Then come back for the rest.
⏱️ This is the most important section on this page. The first half hour is the difference between a fixed phone and a dead phone. Do these steps in order, right now.
The internet is full of bad advice on water damage. These home tricks make the damage worse, not better. Skip every one of them.
We have rescued thousands of water-damaged phones since 2013. Speed and clean technique matter most. Here is what we do, in order, every single time.
You walk in. We take the phone and check the liquid damage indicator inside. We inspect the screen, the charging port, the speakers, and the power. You get a fixed-price quote in writing before any cleaning starts. No surprise add-ons later.
We power the phone off and take it apart on an anti-static mat. The battery, the screen, the logic board, and the shields all come out. We hand dry every part with lint-free wipes and clean cotton swabs in safe spots.
This is the key step. We use a professional ultrasonic cleaner to lift water, salt, sugar, and corrosion off the logic board. Home methods cannot do this. The bath runs at the right frequency to clean every contact without damage.
We test every chip and every connector. If a part is dead or corroded beyond saving, we replace it with a premium-quality part. The most common swaps after water damage are the battery, the charging port, the speaker, and the screen.
We put the phone back together with a fresh water-resistant seal that matches the factory rating. We then run a full system test for charging, audio, camera, touch, and signal. The phone goes back to you working, or you do not pay for the repair.
You walk out with a 30-day warranty on parts and labor. We also tell you what to watch for in the coming days, because some water damage takes a few weeks to show up. If anything comes back, you bring the phone in and we make it right.
We repair water-damaged phones on every major brand and almost every model. For brand-specific pages, see the links below.
Water damage repair cost is the hardest of all repairs to quote up front. Every case is different. Here is what shapes the final price on your quote.
Plain tap water is the cheapest case to fix. Sticky drinks and saltwater are far worse, because they leave mineral and sugar deposits that need extra ultrasonic cleaning. Saltwater rescues run higher and take longer than fresh-water rescues.
The longer you wait, the more parts need to be replaced. A phone brought in within 30 minutes may only need cleaning. A phone brought in two days later may need a new logic board on top of cleaning.
Many water-damaged phones need a new battery, charging port, screen, or speaker on top of the cleaning. We tell you each part cost up front. You decide what to fix and what to skip.
A splash on the outside is cheap to fix. Full submersion in saltwater is the hardest case. We give you an honest assessment, including the cases where a phone may not be worth saving.
How much does phone water damage repair cost?
Water damage cost is hard to quote until we see the phone. Every case is different. The cleaning starts around $89. Parts to replace, if any, are extra. We assess on a case-by-case basis and give you a fixed-price quote in writing before we start any work. Call us at (703) 594-9339 or walk in for a fair, free assessment.
Can a water-damaged phone really be saved?
Yes, in many cases. Phones brought in within 30 minutes have the highest save rate. Phones that sat in a bag of rice for two days have the lowest. There is no full guarantee with water damage, but we have rescued thousands of phones since 2013.
How long does water damage repair take?
Most water damage repairs take 24 to 48 hours. The ultrasonic cleaning needs time to dry, and we test the phone in stages over a full day. Some simple cases with light damage finish the same day.
Does rice actually work for water damage?
No. Rice does not pull water from the inside of a phone. It only draws a small amount of surface moisture. Meanwhile, corrosion grows inside the phone for every hour you wait. Skip the rice and call us instead.
Should I try to charge my wet phone to see if it works?
No. Charging a wet phone forces power through wet circuits. This shorts out the logic board in seconds. It is the number one mistake users make after a water accident.
My phone went in saltwater. Is there still hope?
Saltwater is the worst type of water damage because salt eats metal fast. There is still hope if you bring the phone in today. We rinse the saltwater off the inside with a special bath as the first step. The longer you wait, the more parts go bad.
Will my phone still be water resistant after the repair?
Yes, when the job is done right. We apply a fresh water-resistant seal that matches the factory rating. Cheap shops skip this step, which is why their repairs leak the next time the phone gets splashed.
Do you offer a warranty on water damage repairs?
Yes. Every water damage repair comes with a 30-day warranty on parts and labor. We also tell you signs to watch for, because some water damage takes weeks to fully show up. If anything comes back, you bring it in and we make it right.
We are open every day. Water damage cases get top priority because speed saves phones. Call (703) 594-9339 right now, get a free quote, or visit our contact page for directions. Free assessment. Professional ultrasonic cleaning. 30-day warranty on the repair. Premium-quality parts. Trusted by 443+ reviewers since 2013.
