I dropped my phone in water. What should I do?

Sure there are worst things that could happen to you, but dropping your precious smartphone in a pool of water is right up there with the most painful of them.

Now, I know there is no shortage of information on the Internet when it comes to finding out what you should do if you find yourself in this sort of unfortunate situation, still I thought it best to throw in my "two pence" as well.  So here goes:

• Step 1. Disconnect or remove the battery Immediately - this is the most crucial step.  DO NOT try to power up the device if it is off as this will most likely damage the internal circuits of the phone beyond repair.  Keep in mind that the battery has to be dried off as well.
• Step 2. Remove the SIM card and memory cards from the device if present.  If they are wet dry them off with a soft piece of cloth.
• Step 3. Dry off the phone thoroughly and quickly - AVOID HEAT, this means NO to blow dryers, heat lamps, ovens and even direct sunlight, which can melt or even warp certain delicate part and connectors in the phone.  Compressed air is not a good idea either as this will only assist in "pushing" the water into areas that might not have been exposed to it.  The best practice would be to open up the device if possible and brush (you can use a soft toothbrush...it works) the motherboard/circuit board and connectors (not the screen) with a bit of alcohol, now unto a very important step
• Step 4. Submerge the phone (if you were able to open it and you should, leave the parts disassembled) in a desiccant such as silica gel or even better (because you most likely will have some in the kitchen), in a bag of uncooked rice (enough to completely cover the phone).  This will help to remove any traces of water from the phone.  You can leave it there for at least a day.
• Step 5. Check for evidence of the presence of moisture, if none is visible ONLY THEN should you attempt to power on the phone else repeat step 4.