My USB cable acquired moist. Can I nonetheless use it?

A humorous factor that occurred to me lately was that I by chance dunked the tip of a USB cable in my espresso cup once I was transferring it over my desk. “My espresso’s going to present me a little bit further vitality enhance at the moment,” I assumed as I pulled it out and examined the connector for drips of scrumptious, amber-colored goodness.

However as humorous because it was, it raised an attention-grabbing query for me, that being: Might I merely use my USB cable immediately as I had meant to do, or was my cable now roached? I wasn’t positive, so I investigated. Right here’s what I discovered…

Moist USB cables: The lowdown

Whereas most USB cables are waterproof, it’s essential to notice that that is the form of water resistance you possibly can count on from a knockoff Nineteen Eighties analog wristwatch, that means you possibly can splash them a little bit bit with out there being a lot of an issue, however you typically don’t need to submerge them in water — they’re merely not made for that.

Essentially the most susceptible a part of a USB cable is the connector, because it’s open to the atmosphere and never sure by plastic or rubber. No matter the place your cable will get moist, you need to shut down the system you’re utilizing shortly after which unplug it if it’s plugged in.

You additionally shouldn’t use the cable immediately however wait an hour or extra till it dries out first. This ensures that you just’re not transferring the corrosive water (or espresso as it might be) to your USB port or permitting the liquid to wreck the cable itself. You may as well assist dry out your cable with a number of fastidiously utilized methods.

The best way to dry your cables

In case your cable will get moist, you should utilize a material to dry it off, operating a closed hand down its size. If the connector will get water inside it, give it a little bit shake to get any droplets out first. Then use the tip of a tissue or a microfiber material to fastidiously poke inside and absorb any remaining droplets that stay there.

I used the above methods on my USB cable connector and located it labored completely as soon as I plugged it in once more.

Desire a fast resolution? Do this…

A hairdryer can pace up the method of drying out a connector if it has water inside it, however there are a number of steps you’ll need to take to guard your cable from being melted by the hairdryer’s highly effective warmth.

First, you need to at all times change the hairdryer to the bottom warmth setting.

You’re additionally going to need to maintain your cable at a secure distance from the hairdryer’s nozzle, to make sure you get a relentless move of sizzling air that received’t begin to burn the cable or connector — a distance of 14 inches ought to do the trick.

Drying with a hairdryer ought to get your cable dry sufficient to reuse in simply quarter-hour reasonably than a number of hours, however simply remember to test that it’s utterly dry earlier than plugging it in.

So, in abstract, whereas most cables do have some stage of water resistance and can survive being splashed or momentarily dunked in water (or different beverage), you need to nonetheless apply warning earlier than utilizing one once more and dry it out utterly to maintain your units secure from hurt.