Woman reveals brilliant reason she never throws away silica gel packets: 'Save them'

Accidents happen. If you drop your phone into water, you might scramble to put it into a bag of rice, as the internet instructs you to do. 

It is supposed to help draw out excess moisture from the device, returning your phone to normal operating conditions. 

Instead of wasting edible rice, however, one TikToker (@MommaLikesToTalk) suggested using silica gel packets to revive your malfunctioning phone. 

@mommalikestotalk Helpful Tip Friday! Save the gel packs from your packages! It was recommended to not use rice! #applephone #cellphone #silicagelpacks ♬ original sound - Momma Likes to Talk

The scoop

"When you open up a package … you get these little packages in there … save them," the TikTok creator emphasized as she showed a ziplock bag of silica gel packets. "We learned the hard way that rice doesn't always work." 

The TikToker explained that her son had accidentally wet his phone while on vacation, leaving him without it for five days. They found a bag of rice to put the phone into — a hack perpetuated by folks on the internet. 

Even after letting the phone dry out in a bag of rice, getting it to turn on was a mission of its own. A grain of rice had situated itself perfectly in the charge port, and it became further embedded in the cavity when they tried to charge the phone.

Exasperated, the TikToker brought the phone to an Apple store, where employees successfully restored it. The TikTok mom then shared that the Apple employee had told her to use silica gel packets next time instead of rice to draw out excess moisture. 

Silica gel packets are the tiny, non-toxic, adsorbent pouches that come packaged with food items, clothing, electronics, and some vitamins or medications. These packets act as drying agents, absorbing excess moisture from items to prevent mold, rust, and fogging. 

How it's helping

Using rice to absorb excess moisture from your phone after you've dropped it in water is a cheaper option than buying a new phone altogether. However, rice doesn't always work, and it can make recovery even more difficult, as this TikTok mom showed. 

This DIY method also wastes perfectly edible rice while taking a chance on a successful phone recovery.

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Silica gel packets are free with most items that you purchase, such as shoes, purses, food, and electronics. If you make a habit of saving these gel packets, you'll have a stash to reach for without wasting food and money. 

Silica gel packets aren't only helpful in saving waterlogged devices. You can also use them in your gym bag or wet bag to prevent mold or bacteria, in your toolbox to prevent rust, in your electronics bags or on bookshelves to prevent moisture, or in your jewelry to prevent tarnishing. 

Instead of throwing these packets out immediately, which crowds landfills with unnecessary waste, you can reuse them to keep your belongings free from mold, rust, or moisture.  

These packets can be reactivated by baking them in the oven at a low temperature, which draws out moisture and allows them to work as intended again.

What everyone's saying

Commenters were excited to learn about the different uses for silica gel packets. 

"Good to know!" one user commented under the TikTok video. 

Another suggested using them in your car to absorb moisture from the windshield.

"These are also good in a small sachet bag on your dashboard for winter," they said. "Helps to keep the frost off windshield."

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