[Red Chief]

Was doing a load of laundry and heard a loud clanking noise coming from the drier. Opened it to look for the culprit and it was my 2020 Camaro keyfob I'd left in a pants pocket.

I have a spare but immediately decided to see if it still worked...and it did!

So maybe they don't make 'em like they used to but I was impressed that not only is this thing waterproof, it also surivived a washing machine spin cycle and being banged around in a drier for few minutes.

[s346k]

yes i have done this several times already. only dried it twice in the dryer but it'll definitely take a beating.

[LT1ornothing]

You may hold the crown for most intensely abused and still functioning 6th gen camaro key fob. Now don't do it again.

[jamala00]

lol... oops, but hey, no harm no foul right.

[UnknownJinX]

I would take it apart and just make sure all the water evaporates, but I am assuming you have done that already.

I personally attach my car key to a small pouch like this so it's hard to miss it when doing laundry,

[peteric]

Nice, but I would put it in a ziplock with desiccant to get the moisture out.

[Number 3]

I washed my Bose Noise Cancelling headphones. Still working.

Corrosion is your long term enemy here. But as pointed out in a baggie with descendant or simply open it up and use a blow dryer.

Sadly likely too late for either at this point.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by UnknownJinX

I would take it apart and just make sure all the water evaporates, but I am assuming you have done that already.

Originally Posted by peteric

Nice, but I would put it in a ziplock with desiccant to get the moisture out.

It's a common misconception that water and electronics don't mix when it's really something IN the water (sugar in coffee or soda, for example), electronics, and electricity don't mix!

I have literally disassembled and fully washed and dried computer keyboards and other items with absolutely zero issues. The key to all of it is to ensure that everything has been completely rinsed off and NO POWER is applied until it's completely dried. If it were me, this is what I would do...

- Pop the key fob open and remove the battery
- Pull the circuit board out
- Using Q-Tip's and isopropyl alcohol, fully wipe down the entirety of the board on both sides to be sure there are no remnants of soap or anything
- Leave it disassembled for a couple of days to fully dry out (you can put it into a zipper bag with something like rice if you wish)
- Put it back together and never, ever let it happen again

[ctrlz]

Ember is the man!
Soapy water probably did get in, albeit a small amount. Soap makes the water alkaline. Residual moisture can cause spot corrosion and kill a connection on a surface mounted device.

[MR2Aaron]

Originally Posted by ember1205

It's a common misconception that water and electronics don't mix when it's really something IN the water (sugar in coffee or soda, for example), electronics, and electricity don't mix!

I have literally disassembled and fully washed and dried computer keyboards and other items with absolutely zero issues. The key to all of it is to ensure that everything has been completely rinsed off and NO POWER is applied until it's completely dried. If it were me, this is what I would do...

- Pop the key fob open and remove the battery
- Pull the circuit board out
- Using Q-Tip's and isopropyl alcohol, fully wipe down the entirety of the board on both sides to be sure there are no remnants of soap or anything
- Leave it disassembled for a couple of days to fully dry out (you can put it into a zipper bag with something like rice if you wish)
- Put it back together and never, ever let it happen again

I'll raise you having washed piles of motherboards and graphics cards in my dishwasher after doing component level repairs. It works shockingly well.

The rice thing is bad advice, though. There are dessicants that you can use that way, but rice isn't among them. Little bits of it can get onto the board and sometimes cause additional corrosion, which is what you're trying to avoid by doing all this. Better to just blow all the water out with air and let the board finish drying on its own. As long as it's not powered on, the small amount of remaining water won't cause any problems before it evaporates.

[sandm]

washed our hyundai sonata fob many years ago a couple of times and 5 years later fob is still working perfectly without doing anything to it. was our first keyless unit and kept forgetting it.

if it were me, I'd continue using it as is rather than wasting all the time to clean it up. if it does die years from now, they are cheap and easy to program off ebay. our camaro only came with 1 and it was $30-ish and an hour of time while detailing the car to program.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by MR2Aaron

I'll raise you having washed piles of motherboards and graphics cards in my dishwasher after doing component level repairs. It works shockingly well.

The rice thing is bad advice, though. There are dessicants that you can use that way, but rice isn't among them. Little bits of it can get onto the board and sometimes cause additional corrosion, which is what you're trying to avoid by doing all this. Better to just blow all the water out with air and let the board finish drying on its own. As long as it's not powered on, the small amount of remaining water won't cause any problems before it evaporates.

Yes, rice can leave debris behind. If you do go this route, maybe put the board into a container with rice but wrap it with a microfiber cloth or put the cloth on top of the rice and the board on top of it.

Rice will work, but it's going to take a little time. Whether rice or a specific desiccant material, a barrier between it and the board is a good idea.

I haven't washed things like motherboards, but I've done component repairs (de-soldering / soldering of chips or similar) and used a denatured alcohol or similar to completely wipe down the surrounding area to remove all of the foreign substances to ensure no additional conductivity remains on the boards.

The keyboard washing was mostly due to people spilling drinks on their keyboard (or laptop computers). Black coffee was seldom an actual issue. But when it was loaded with sugar (similar when the spilled drink was soda or a sports drink), it was a different story.

[KenMaro]

Originally Posted by Red Chief

Was doing a load of laundry and heard a loud clanking noise coming from the drier. Opened it to look for the culprit and it was my 2020 Camaro keyfob I'd left in a pants pocket.

I have a spare but immediately decided to see if it still worked...and it did!

So maybe they don't make 'em like they used to but I was impressed that not only is this thing waterproof, it also surivived a washing machine spin cycle and being banged around in a drier for few minutes.

It's all good, now you know you have a very clean key fob!

[craigss50]

Lincoln MKX Key-fob would not work after going for a swim in the pool. Only in for about 3mins when I realized. Cost $350 to replace.