When a file gets wet, it can be a stressful situation. But don't panic! There are steps you can take to restore your wet file and minimize the damage. The first step is to get the file out of the water as soon as possible. Gently rinse the hard drive with clean, cold water and then store it in a Ziploc bag or other sealed container to make sure it doesn't dry out.
It's important not to dry the hard drive, as a film can form once the water dries, making it even more difficult to recover data. When books and paper documents are wet, there is a great risk of mold forming after about 72 hours (a little longer in cold weather). To prevent mold growth, place damp items in cool, dry conditions below 70 degrees and with a humidity of less than 50%. If mold develops, treat the materials with care, paying special attention to your health (use a respirator and surgical gloves).
If you've dropped your USB stick in the water or it's gotten wet in some other way, the most urgent thing is to restore the data from a water-damaged Android phone or tablet. To do this, you'll need to use specialized software that can scan your device for lost data and recover it. Finally, take some time to learn about this problem and the steps to recover a water-damaged hard drive, so that you have a better chance of recovering it correctly every time it gets wet.
