Urgent · Do NOT power it on
Water & Liquid Damaged Drive Recovery
Drive got wet, flooded, or dropped in liquid? The data is often recoverable — but powering it on can short the electronics and destroy it. Don't power it on, and don't use rice. Bring it to our cleanroom fast.
4.9 / 5915 reviews · cleanroom (opens Google in a new tab)Quick answer
Water-damaged drives are often recoverable — if you act fast and don't power them on. The data lives on the platters or NAND, not the water. The real enemy is corrosion and short circuits from powering a wet drive. Don't dry it with heat, don't use rice, and don't switch it on. Get it to a cleanroom quickly — sooner is better before corrosion sets in.
Act now
The first 24 hours: what to do
Step 1: Do NOT power it on or charge it
Powering a wet drive shorts the electronics and can destroy recoverable data instantly. This is the single most important rule.
Step 2: Don't try to dry it with heat or rice
Heat warps components; rice does nothing useful and leaves dust/starch residue. See the myths below.
Step 3: Keep it as-is — even slightly damp
Seal it in a bag/container. A drive kept damp corrodes less than one dried unevenly in open air.
Step 4: Get it to a cleanroom lab fast
The sooner we clean and stabilise it, the less corrosion. Call us or start online.
Don't do these
Water-damage myths that make it worse
The rice trick ✗
Rice can't pull water from inside a sealed drive, and leaves dust and starch behind.
Drying with heat ✗
Hair dryers and ovens warp components and bake on corrosive residue.
Powering it on to "check" ✗
The fastest way to destroy a wet drive — shorts the circuitry.
Opening / DIY cleaning ✗
Platters must be cleaned in a cleanroom; open air adds dust damage.
The cause
What water actually does to a drive
The threat isn't the water itself — it's what happens next. Powering a wet drive causes short circuits across the electronics. Over hours and days, water (especially flood, sea or sugary liquids) causes corrosion and oxidation on the PCB, contacts and platters. In our cleanroom we clean and desiccate the components, replace corroded parts, and image the platters before corrosion becomes permanent — which is why speed matters so much.
Good news
Is a water-damaged drive recoverable?
Often yes — if it hasn't been powered on and reaches us promptly. The data sits on the platters (HDD) or NAND (SSD/USB/SD), which usually survive immersion. We clean off contamination in the cleanroom, repair or replace corroded electronics, and image the media. Odds are best for drives brought in quickly and never powered on; they drop with time, drying attempts, and power-ups.
Coverage
Water-damaged devices we handle
Hard drives
Internal & external — cleanroom cleaning & imaging.
External / portable drives
Flooded or dropped-in-liquid portables.
Laptops & MacBooks
Spills reaching the drive or logic board — Mac recovery.
USB / SD cards
Washed in laundry, dropped in water — chip-level recovery.
Transparent pricing
How much does water-damage recovery cost?
Water-damaged recoveries are physical, cleanroom cases — indicatively $400–$1,800 (SGD) for hard drives, with flash devices assessed individually. Your free diagnosis confirms the exact fixed price. Full detail on our cost guide.
Getting it to us
How to get your drive to us — including after hours
Three ways, whichever suits you. Power the drive off first, and don't run anything on it.
- Walk in — 6 Harper Road, Leong Huat Building #05-02, beside Tai Seng MRT. Monday to Friday, 9.30am–6.30pm.
- After-hours drop-off locker — available 24/7 and monitored by CCTV. WhatsApp us on +65 8127 7508 before you come over and we'll walk you through it.
- Post or courier it — to the same address. Pack it so it cannot move inside the box; a failed drive should not be rattling around in transit.
How long it takes: diagnosis is typically same-day to 24 hours. Standard recoveries often complete within 3–7 business days depending on complexity; emergency and priority service is available for urgent business cases.
Free diagnosis whichever route you choose, and a fixed written quote before any work begins. If you decide not to go ahead, you collect your device and owe nothing.
Answers
Water-damaged drive FAQ
Often yes — the data lives on the platters or NAND, which usually survive water. The key is not powering it on and getting it to a cleanroom quickly before corrosion sets in.
Do NOT power it on or charge it. Don't dry it with heat or rice. Seal it as-is and bring it to us fast. Book a free diagnosis.
No — rice can't remove water from inside a sealed drive and leaves dust and starch behind. Please don't use it.
No — this is the fastest way to destroy a wet drive by short-circuiting the electronics.
Yes — salt, dirt and sugary liquids are more corrosive, so speed matters even more. We still recover many of these.
It varies with how far corrosion has spread, which is why getting the drive to us early matters. You receive a fixed quote after the free diagnosis, never an open-ended bill — full ranges are in our cost guide.
Zero risk
Free diagnosis & a fixed written quote
What our clients say
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Business Profile
Water Damaged Hard Drive Recovery – Rated by customers on Google
915Google reviews
4.9 out of 5
Updated 4 Nov 2026
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Peter AndroidiPhone 14 recovery · via Google “Amazing service from CBL. They have restored all the data from my laptop. Sarah was very helpful and attentive to my queries.”
S YTLaptop recovery · via Google