5 bad habits that are ruining your expensive tech

Like it or not, we’ve all developed some decidedly bad habits that are slowly but surely ruining our gadgets. These habits range from sheer carelessness to pure ignorance, but thankfully are an easy enough fix if we care to make the changes.

Here’s what to watch out for, and what you can do to take better care of your electronics:

Cheap chargers and cables

This is the primary cause of exploding batteries and burnt phones. Almost all of our gadgets today support fast charging in some form, which is to say that they draw a lot of power when charging. However, largely owing to a lack of standardisation and a lack of sufficiently enforced ratings, it’s very easy and convenient to just plug devices into random chargers and cables willy-nilly.

This, however, is a serious issue. Cables and chargers are not made alike and in cases where your device demands more power or the charger delivers more power without checking, your device might melt/catch on fire and explode. Cables are also not all built the same and those designed for lower power will melt or burn if they’re forced to provide excess power.

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Always, we repeat, always use the manufacturer-given chargers and cables, and any replacements that you get must be rated for the same power draw, capacity, and charging standard that the original supported.

Using webcam or keyboard covers on laptops

The leading cause of broken laptop displays, we’d wager, is the use of keyboard and webcam covers on laptops. These covers tend to protrude slightly over design specs for the laptop and when the lid is closed, that protrusion can cause localised pressure and inevitably, a cracked display.

Do not use webcam and keyboard covers on your laptop. If you have to cover your webcam, get a device with a built-in cover or, in the worst case, use a piece of very thin tape.

Cleaning displays with strong chemicals

This is one we’ll chalk up to ignorance. Many displays, especially OLED panels, are covered in a thin film of protective chemicals, and in some cases, an oleophobic coating. Using cleaning agents on a display, even IPA, can wipe away these coatings or react with the display, causing severe, irreparable damage to the display.

We recommend only using a dry, lint-free cloth for cleaning, and if moisture is required, to use clear, distilled water sparingly.

Water resistant isn’t waterproof

Another one in the ignorance department is a failure to understand the difference between water resistant and water proof. Generally, water resistant devices can only take an occasional light splashing and no more, while waterproof devices can survive a dunking. However, it’s important to note that neither water resistant nor waterproof devices generally survive a high pressure spray like from a hose pipe.

Waterproof devices are generally okay to use in the rain while water resistant ones indoors while working out. For anything more advanced, look for a device with a higher rating.

Leaving devices unused for months

Any battery, once drained to zero, starts degrading. Leaving electronics unused for months on end leaves device batteries in exactly such a state, which degrades batteries to the point where you might even need to replace them after a few months.

The best thing you can do with old or lightly used electronics is fire them up occasionally and charge them. There’s no need to use the devices for hours on end or charge to full. Just make sure the devices are used and that the battery charges and discharges to some extent.

You have, hopefully, learned a thing or two about better caring for your devices from this list. Put these tips to good use to ensure that your device has a long and healthy life with you.