Flash drive got wet.

[DSF]

So my USB flash drive ended up going through the washing machine. I don't have high hopes about the data being intact (thankfully it was all backed up), but it would be nice to know whether or not the thing is still usable.

-It's dry on the outside, but how long should I give it to make sure the internals are totally dry?
-Assuming it's bone dry, is there any chance of damaging the computer by using it?

 

[Rubycon]

Let it dry thoroughly - 48 hours is good. Hang it in a warm, dry area. Every Sandisk Cruzer I've had that's been washed worked perfectly fine after it dried out and no data was lost!

I've even had them dropped in sea water and they survived. I strongly recommend washing them with fresh water before letting them dry in that case. The residual salt residue is highly hygroscopic and will cause problems if the humidity rises in the room, for example.

 

[DSF]

Great, thanks for the input!

 

[Gaurav Duggal]

My Kingston 1GB flash drive was washed in the washing machine like 10 times. Also once I accidently dropped it in a bucketfull of water !(fell out of my shirt pocket as I was bending over!), but it still works. Your flash drive should be fine. There is no chance of damaging the computer by plugging it in. (In the worst case scenario if it is short circuiting ur comp's USB port, ur comp will show a message on overdrawing of power.)

 

[DSF]

Yep, everything was fine just like you guys said. Good to know.

 

[imported_wired247]

Anytime computer components get wet... I usually rinse it with high % isopropyl alcohol to speed up drying

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Same with wired. Anytime an electronic gets wet I'll take 90% alcohol to it and then let it dry thoroughly. Has always worked just fine. As long as the component is off you're still usually good to go.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I had a SanDisk Cruzer go through the washer as well. Pulled it out of the washer, plugged it into the computer, and it was fine. I did kill a SanDisk Cruzer in the dryer though.

 

[thegisguy]

Yeah I've washed my Flash drives quite a few times. No problem. Now the one time it went through the drier that was a different story.

 

[DSF]

Yeah I can imagine a hot, high-static environment like a drier would be a bad place for a flash drive.

 

[a212ww]

Thinking I'm a bit late here, but I washed my SanDisk Ultra 3 times and it went in the dryer twice. The third time I wrapped it in a heating pad. I forgot about it for a while and pulled it out. It was so hot, I almost burned my hand on the connector. Let it cool off, it was fine. Also it has survived 2 years of being inserted and removed multiple times a day, being dropped, and being in pockets.

 

[Jessie Wright]

What really makes it a problem is when you insert the drive if its still wet. that's why there's really a need to make sure that its not wet already when you plug it into any device. Its really helpful though to put the drive inside a jar of uncooked rice or you may consider putting it in a container with silica gel in it.

 

[nickmania]

Submerge it in isopropilic alcohol. Is non conductive and will merge with water to avoid electrical damage.