[Narc]

I somehow managed to wash my IE8s (in my shirt pocket) on a 40 degrees centigrade cycle with detergent and only realized when the cycle was complete. I've not put any power through them yet and have put them in a 37 degrees centigrade incubator where I'm planning on leaving them for a week before plugging them into a power source.
 
The look fine on the outside but I don't hold out much hope for them working again. Any advice would be appreciated (they are a month old).
 
Cheers!

 

[keanex]

Your best bet is to soak them in distilled water for 10 minutes or so to, hopefully remove any sediments left in them, and then put them in a bag of dry rice for 3 days. Distilled water is actually completely safe for electronics since it's completely pure. The rise will absorb the moisture naturally. I honestly don't think there's a better way.

 

[Narc]

Thanks Keanex, I hadn't considered the sedimentation but the distilled water rinse makes sense. Do you think rice will be better than constant 37oC afterwards though?

 

[keanex]

I'm not sure what 37oC is, is that the baggies of stuff they keep in shoes and etc? If so that should work just as well as rice.

 

[JamesMcProgger]

subscribed to see the end of this drama 

 
best of luck to the OP

 

[Narc]

37oC = 37 degree centigrade...I'll have a google on desiccation methods later on as I think I can get my hands on some of the commercial stuff they use. Or maybe I'll just put the rice in a 37 degree incubator! Will have a think about it then do it later today. Cheers.

 

[keanex]

Eh, not sure all of that is necessary. I've heard of simply soaking an iPhone, that was dropped in a toilet, in distilled water for a bit then drying it in rice and it worked perfectly after.

 

[edvardd]

I did the same thing 6 months ago with my Sunrise xscape. I put them in the dryer and the next day they worked fine

 

[Narc]

OK, cheers Keanex...gonna give the distilled water then rice a lash and use them a week later. I've heard that drying too quickly is bad for electronic equipment so rice might be the way to go.
 
@ Edvardd - dont think I'll be putting them in the tumble dryer dude but thanks for the advice!

 

[AstralStorm]

Well, mylar membranes are pretty resilient against washing fortunately. Can't say that about other parts like the vents and nozzle - washing in multiple rounds of distilled water is definitely the right thing to do.
 
A cellulose driver like GR07's would have been completely ruined.

 

[keanex]

One thing to note, the longer you take to go from water damage to distilled water/rice the lower your chance of success is!

 

[feNcheL]

Jesus I'm getting paranoid.. what happens if you wash IEMs with balanced armatures in the washing machine? Does the driver suffer damage? What about moving armatures? If anybody knows...

 

[AstralStorm]

Armatures might get stuck due to some foam and debris falling into the IEM. They're likely more delicate than dynamic drivers in this regard.
Most dynamic driver IEMs have a filter or grill between the driver and the ear - this would stop most kinds of debris.

 

[feNcheL]

Hmm.. right. Do you know anything about the actual driver though?
In any case, I'll do my best to avoid washing my IEMs

Sorry for going off-topic.
OP, any update on your situation?

 

[Narc]

Well I followed Keanex advice as it made the most sense and gave them a 24 h rinse in a dish of double distilled water, changing the water a few times. Then I popped them into a bag of rice and forgot about them for a week. I am happy to report that they are working same as before I put them in the washing machine. To my ears they sound exactly the same, with the added benefit of being squeaky clean . Only change is that the foam tips have lost a lot of their spongey quality though they still provide an adequate fit.
 
Thanks for all the advice!
 
PS., After having had a few weeks break from these phones, I realize that they are just not sparkly enough for me on the high end. Unlike my Sleek SA6, they dont make me burst into an uncontrollable smile every now and again when listening to some of my fav tracks. There's something missing from them...something beautiful. That said, I haven't listened to my Sleeks since I got the IE8 due to the terrible SA6 cable issues. I've since ordered a new cable and am really looking forward to comparing the IE8 and the Sleeks. Perhaps my memory of the Sleeks was a little generous. Will wait and see...