[PLUG] Resolved: Flash Drive went through the wash

[Dick Steffens]

On 7/6/19 2:27 PM, Galen Seitz wrote:
> On 7/6/19 2:17 PM, Dick Steffens wrote:
>> I put a flash drive in a shirt pocket and forgot about it. The shirt 
>> and the drive went through the washer and dryer. I just tried it and 
>> it works. (I had already downloaded the contents, so I wasn't worried 
>> about losing data.)
>>
>> The question is, did running it through the dryer right after it ran 
>> through the washer dry it out enough that it will be okay? Or simply 
>> because it got wet, and corrosion began, one day it will die?
>>
>> Not a big deal. It's an older, smaller flash drive that I don't use 
>> often. Just an academic question.
>
> It's certainly possible that there is still moisture inside.  If you 
> want to try to preserve it, try burying it in some uncooked rice. 
> Alternatively, if you have an electric oven or toaster oven, you could 
> bake it for an hour or so at 125 degrees.  I wouldn't do this in a gas 
> oven due to the moisture given off by combustion. OTOH, given the low 
> cost, I would just recycle it.

Sounds like the best plan. As I said, it's old (as these things go), and 
I wouldn't want to depend on it.

> Had you intercepted it between the washer and dryer, I might have 
> recommended an extra rinse to attempt to get any detergent residue out 
> of it before drying it out.

Rinse and repeat.

Thanks for your analysis.

-- 
Regards,

Dick Steffens