I posted something similar about three years ago, but the mail bag has had people asking similar questions several times over the last few weeks…
From the title of this header, I’m sure some of you are scratching your heads. I have heard of people reading their Kindles while sitting in the bathtub (maybe you are one of those), using a variety of methods such as enclosing the Kindle in a Ziploc bag as well as having the Kindle enclosed in one of the waterproof cases I have seen on the Amazon website.
While the waterproof cases seem a little inconvenient and many are expensive (click here or type in http://smarturl.it/kindlewater into your web browser to see one) and seems like a good solution if you are so inclined, I wouldn’t recommend reading your Kindle in the bathtub, pool , or shower trusting your life to it being enclosed securely in a Ziploc bag. If you wonder why I say that, just think of how dangerous it is to blow dry your hair while sitting in the bathtub – hopefully, you don’t do that – as it can kill you: if the electronics, and the electricity contained in them, get into the water and you are in the water you could die. And for you naysayers, it only takes one volt to kill you.
Death is obviously forever, and I can’t think of any book I would absolutely have to read while sitting in the bathtub that could jeopardize my life while reading it in a Ziploc bag. Besides, I take showers!
I bring this up as I received a note from a blog reader wanting to know if I knew of a cure for a Kindle that had been dropped in the bathtub. You could try drying it out in a bag filled with dry white rice and see if it resurrects your Kindle – that sometimes works on cell phones, but not when I was pushed one time into the pool and it fried my one-week old new cell phone – but I wouldn’t hold out much hope.
I think your best bet would be to call Amazon’s Kindle customer service and tell them what happened, as I have heard numerous stories of Amazon offering a replacement Kindle for half price. The only “catch” is after you receive the replacement Kindle you have to return the damaged unit. That 50% off replacement policy may not be valid today, but it is certainly worth a try.
Good luck!
Michael
Another idea for wet electronics is to use the silica gel you get in new shoes. You can also buy it online or at a florist shop for drying flowers. Similar material is in disposable diapers. So you could put a diaper on your damaged item and see if it turns on after it has completely dried out. I haven’t done this myself, but there are sites online that will do this service for you for a fee.
Try a diaper before tossing a phone or wet kindle. You have nothing to lose.