You gotta love the Internet.
Think of almost anything you can imagine; and you’ll probably find it there. Recently for me, two valuable tips I’ve found on the world wide web have helped me a lot. These are simple, everyday solutions to problems and emergencies that just might save you money and a whole lot of stress. I really want to share my experiences here; because I hope to teach you some stuff in the way these other sites aided me in certain situations.
CRISIS # 1: Tight Flats
Three months ago, I bought a pair of flats that fit fine when I tried them on in the store. However, after walking in them for less than an hour, the shoes hurt and bruised my ankles. It’s too tight for everyday use! They were then hidden away in the back of my shoe closet.
Thanks to Pinterest, which led me to Coffee Light & Sweet, I found my solution three weeks ago; and I’ve been sharing this tip with my friends ever since.
What you need: thick socks (or a number of pairs of socks) and blow dryer
What to do:
– Put on the thick socks (or at least two layers of socks) and wear your flats.
– Aim the blow dryer in the tight spots, wiggling your feet as you heat the shoes so that it loosens up. Do this for a couple of minutes.
– Keep the shoes on as it cools down.
– Once cooled down, remove your socks and try the shoes on. Repeat process until shoes are comfortable for you.
Other applications: This is a great technique to break in your shoes. You may also try it with your leather shoes and heels. I’m currently trying this technique out with a pair of rain boots I bought from the US, which is tight around the calves. (It has loosened up a bit; and I’ll try doing the technique again for the next few days.)
CRISIS # 2: Wet iPhone
This is probably the most common emergency that may happen to anyone with a mobile phone. I am one of the recent victims. Let me share my story first. The other day (on my birthday nonetheless), I had an accident and my precious iPhone got soaked. It was in the water for about 2-3 seconds before I fished it out. Common sense told me to turn it off at once, which I did. I then immediately shook the phone for excess water and used paper towels to dry it off outside. In the back of my head, I know I read something about using uncooked rice or silica. I ran to my computer to search for a solution and got my confirmation.
These sites popped up in my quick search: CNET and Appstorm. They also suggested the uncooked rice trick; so I rushed to get some and immediately put my phone in it. A few minutes later, I also found a paper clip, removed my SIM card, then put the phone back in the rice. All of these were accomplished in less than 20 minutes.
When I got home, I found the packs of silica I saved up and added them in the container where my phone was drying out. I also briefly blow dried the phone (in cool setting) before putting it back in the container.
Next thing I did was wait overnight. (It was one of the longest nights of my life!) By the time morning came, my phone has been in the uncooked rice and silica for approximately 15 hours. I plugged in the phone while praying for a miracle to happen. About 8 minutes passed before I finally heard the sweet sound of the iPhone booting up with the Apple logo appearing. At this time, angels were singing in my head.
Next step was to try out the functions. Thankfully, I found no glitches! I only saw some fogging in the lamp and the front-facing camera. To be safe, I put silica packs in my iPhone case for the rest of the day. I also put my phone in uncooked rice again overnight. In the morning, the fogging was gone and the phone still works! Hallelujah!
What you need: paper towels, uncooked rice (or silica packs), lots of patience!
What to do:
– Turn off your phone immediately. Shake it out to remove excess water, then dry with cloth or paper towels. Don’t forget to remove the SIM.
– Put your phone in uncooked rice and leave it there for at least 12 hours. Depending on how soaked your phone gets, others suggest leaving it there for 24 hours to 3 days.
– After waiting, remove any uncooked rice that got into the nooks and crannies of the phone. Use a pin or brush to get them out.
– Plug the phone in and wait.
– If it turns on, test the functions of your phone immediately: battery, screen, touch screen function, home button, sending and receiving calls, texting, speakers, earphone jack, Wi-fi, 3G, camera, games & apps. This will help you determine the extent of damage to your phone. Since getting wet will void your warranty, you might as well get your phone repaired if any problem pops up.
– If it doesn’t turn on, try to put it back in the rice for a longer time, maybe weeks, before trying it again.
*Side note: This technique doesn’t guarantee that your iPhone will spring back to life. This is just one of the most effective ways to dry out and possibly salvage your water-damaged phone. It really depends on the extent of damage or the length of time that the device has been in the water.
Other applications: This can be applied to most electronic devices. If you can remove the battery, be sure to do so and dry it out before putting all parts in uncooked rice.
It’s only been a day or two since the accident; and I have yet to see any problems with my iPhone. I’m really thankful. It was just a matter of acting fast and finding a solution as soon as possible… thanks to the Internet.
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