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Digital Camera Memory

Accidentally Washed a Memory Card?

SUMMARY: What to do if a digital camera memory card accidentally made its way through the washer.

You know that you should do whatever you can to keep digital camera memory from water. However, what if you placed a card in your pocket, then accidentally ran it inside some clothes through the washer? Is the card worthless, and are all the photos unrecoverable?

First off, don't panic! You may be able to recover the photos, but do not insert the memory into your camera. If the media is damaged, trying to insert it into the camera may damage the pins, preventing the camera from ever reading any media. Plus, if the media is wet, water could seep into the camera, completely damaging the internals.

First, place the media in a dry area free from moisture and do not try anything until all wetness is gone; you may want to wait a few days. Then, instead of placing the questionable memory into the camera, use an external USB reader, not one built into a computer. This way if inserting the memory damages the reader, you'll hopefully only be out a few bucks instead of losing a camera or damaging a computer. Again, do not insert media into the reader if it has any moisture!

If the photos do not display correctly, you still may have a chance for recovery by using a file and digital photo recovery tool.

Once (or if) the photos are displayable, immediately back up your photos to your hard drive and/or offline media! A washed card that seems to work one day may fail the next, which is why I would not recommend ever placing the memory back into a camera. Instead, purchase another card if you can afford it.

We CANNOT GUARANTEE inserting media into an external USB media reader will not damage your computer, but there is a lessened chance of damage if you use an external rather than an internal reader.

Return to the Digital Camera Memory page.

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download. < more >