Don’t toss that ‘dead’ gadget yet — these hacks can save it
You know that moment when your phone won’t charge, your laptop feels hot enough to fry an egg or your printer spits out pages so faded you can barely read them? Before you spend a dime on new gadgets or call for help, take a look around your house. A few items lurking in your junk drawer, closets or other spots can handle pesky tech problems—and help you save money. Read on for the simple solutions!
Nix keyboard gunk
Crumbs, dust and debris settle into the gaps between your keys every single day. James Ratcliff, managing director of Ratcliff IT, suggests a two-step cleanup method: First, flip the keyboard upside down and gently tap the back to shake loose whatever’s trapped inside. Then press a small piece of soft putty (poster tack or modeling putty works perfectly) over the keys and lift.
The putty molds into crevices without introducing liquid or risking damage to electronics. It’s a dry, mess-free approach that pulls out what shaking alone can’t reach.
Revive a phone charger with a toothpick
That sluggish charging cable might not be the problem at all. Phone charging ports, especially Lightning and USB-C, fit cables snugly, which makes them prone to collecting lint and pocket debris. Over time, that buildup blocks contact with the charging pins, causing slow or failed charging, according to Ratcliff.
Here’s what to do: Power off your phone. Gently use a wooden toothpick to lift debris from the port. Scrape lightly along the sides and bottom, tilting the phone so lint falls out. If you feel resistance, stop.
Wood matters here. It’s nonconductive and safer than metal tools, which could short a connection or scratch internal components. Plug the charger back in after cleaning, and charging should improve right away.
Fix fading printouts
Faded printouts from a cartridge that isn’t empty? Dried ink may be blocking the nozzles. Remove the ink cartridge and aim a hair dryer at the nozzle area on low heat for 20 to 30 seconds. Let it cool, then reinstall the cartridge and run a test page. The warm air helps loosen dried ink so it can flow again.
One preventive habit worth picking up: printing a test page once a week helps keep ink from drying out in the first place. If your printer sits idle for long stretches between uses, that weekly test page could save you from replacing cartridges that still have plenty of ink left.
Cool an overheated laptop
When a laptop sits flat on a desk, heat gets trapped underneath, causing it to warm up quickly. Ratcliff’s solution requires two pencils and about 5 seconds of your time.
Place your laptop on a flat, stable surface, then slide a pencil (eraser-end first) under each rear corner so the back edge lifts slightly while the front stays flat. About one to two inches of each pencil should sit under the laptop, with the rest extending out behind it.
Raising only the back edge creates space for air to circulate underneath, allowing heat to escape instead of building up against the desk. You get the cooling benefit of a dedicated laptop stand or cooling pad without buying either one. This works especially well when you’re at the kitchen table, a hotel desk, or anywhere away from your usual setup.
The real reason these work
Most everyday tech annoyances stem from simple physical problems: dust, lint, heat and dried ink. They’re not hardware failures. Knowing that can save you real money and a lot of frustration. And every one of these fixes uses materials you likely have on hand right now.
So the next time a tech headache strikes, try one of these solutions first. You might save yourself time and money, and feel a little more confident tackling the problem!
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