One fine morning when you are responding to nature’s call and listening to some soothing music, your AirPods might be dropped into the toilet. That is surely a horrible experience, not just because the AirPods get dirty but also because the AirPods are pretty expensive.
So, what should you do if you have dropped AirPods in the toilet? The first thing is to recover the AirPods from the toilet. Then, you should dry out the AirPods completely and disinfect them with antiseptic solutions. Only then you can use the AirPods if they haven’t been severely damaged.
In this guide, I will help you salvage your favorite AirPods from a toilet disaster. Let’s get started.
What Should You Do If You Have Dropped Your AirPods in Toilet?
Finding your AirPods in the toilet bowl can be a disgusting situation. And the situation can escalate quickly if you don’t take prompt steps. Here are the steps you need to take if your AirPods fell in the toilet.
Step 1: Recover the AirPods First
Whether the toilet bowl is dirty or clean, you must pick up the AirPods from the toilet as soon as possible. If you are late doing this, the AirPods might get completely damaged.
The first and second generations of AirPods don’t have any water resistance. Even though the third generation of AirPods are water-resistant, they aren’t completely waterproof. So, submerged AirPods in water can be quickly damaged. Use a tweezer to remove the AirPods from the toilet.
Step 2: Clean the Dirt and Debris from the AirPods
It is possible that your AirPods are covered in poop. In that case, you need to quickly transfer the AirPods to a bed of paper towels. Stack a few paper towels on top of each other and place the AirPods on the stack.
Paper towels will soak up some moisture from the AirPods. Use a tweezer to hold the AirPods in place and then hold the paper towel with another tweezer. Lightly rub the paper towel over the AirPods to clean any remaining debris.
Step 3: Use an AirPods Cleaning Kit or Microfiber Cloth
The next step is to completely dry out the AirPods. If you have an AirPods cleaning kit handy, you can use the cleaning brush to remove any remaining moisture from the AirPods.
But if you don’t have a cleaning kit, you can also use a microfiber cloth to remove the moisture. Remember, you don’t need to scrub the AirPods. Gently wipe off any moisture from the surface. And be careful so that you don’t push any moisture into the mesh openings.
Step 4: Keep the AirPods in a Ziplock Bag with Desiccants
You might have seen small packs of desiccants coming with electronic products. These packets contain silica gel which is hygroscopic. The material draws out moisture from items.
Take a zip lock bag and put a few packets of desiccants into the bag. Then put the AirPods inside the bag and close it. Keep the bag in a dry place and leave it for at least 24 hours. Silica gel should extract moisture from inside the AirPods if there is any.
Remember, using rice can be a common suggestion on the internet but don’t do that. Rice might not be that effective.
Step 5: Air Dry the AirPods
If you have dropped AirPods in the toilet and used desiccants to remove moisture, it should be safe to connect the AirPods to your iPhone now. But don’t do that yet.
After removing the AirPods from the zip lock bag, let them dry in the air. Don’t place them under direct sunlight. Otherwise, extreme heat can damage internal components.
Step 6: Disinfect the AirPods
As you have dropped AirPods in toilet, it is crucial to disinfect the AirPods before putting them into your ears again. The best way to disinfect AirPods is to use an antimicrobial solution. But if you have disinfecting wipes that contain at least 70% isopropyl alcohol, you can use them too.
Apply the wipes on the plastic surfaces carefully. You don’t want to wipe the mesh part of the AirPods and inject moisture into them. Once the AirPods are fully wiped, you should dry them off again using a microfiber cloth.
Step 7: Test the AirPods
After all the previous steps are done correctly, it is time to test the AirPods. Connect them to your iPhone and play some music. If you are fortunate enough, the AirPods might work fine. You should also call someone to test how the AirPods are working.
But if the salvation is delayed after the AirPods fall into the toilet, they can take some damage. In that case, you may hear distorted sounds from the AirPods. Muffled audio is another sign of damage. Finally, you need to put them into the charging case and see if they are charging. If not, your AirPods might have been badly damaged.
What If You Drop the AirPods Charging Case in Toilet?
What can be worse when you dropped your AirPods in toilet? Here’s what you need to do when you drop your AirPods charging case in the toilet.
- Step 1: Follow the same recovering and cleaning procedure I mentioned above.
- Step 2: After removing moisture, you should turn the charging case upside down and leave it for at least 48 hours. This is crucial for removing the last bit of moisture from the case.
- Step 3: Don’t connect the charging case to power before it is completely dry. Also, don’t put AirPods into the wet charging case.
- Step 4: Once the charging case is completely dry, you can power it up and try connecting the AirPods to check if they charge.
Related Article: Best AirPods Engraving Ideas 2023
Conclusion
I understand your grief about dropping AirPods in the toilet because it happened to me once. From that experience, I can help you with the right steps to take if you dropped AirPods in a toilet.
You should instantly recover the AirPods from the toilet to prevent further damage. Then, clean the AirPods and dry them completely. Allow them time to dry in the air before charging them or connecting them to your iPhone. If you do all the steps correctly, chances are your AirPods will run again.