At Data Recycling we’re all about what to do with your devices when they no longer work (a battery that’s constantly dying, for instance) or you’ve upgraded to the latest and greatest and need to move on. However, there are some instances when a device isn’t quite ready to be put out of commission and needs to be held on to for a bit longer. In those cases, it can be frustrated to use a device that seems to be playing chicken when you on when it will work and when it won’t, but we’ve got some tips for extending the battery life of your devices to help you alleviate some of that stress.
Charge Your Batteries… Properly
Since all portable electronic devices – laptops, mobile phones, cameras – use rechargeable batteries to keep them going, it’s important hat you’re treating the battery just as well as you do the rest of the equipment. First and foremost, use chargers that are by the same manufacturer – off brand chargers can often cause overheating or other issues. Additionally, don’t leave your mobile phones on the charger 24/7 – cell phones shouldn’t be on the charger longer than 12 hours. Leaving a laptop plugged in all the time, however, is fine.
Keep It Updated
One of the biggest mistakes that people make is not updating their devices as new releases are rolled out by the manufacturer. Some people just don’t want to wait around for the update to load, while others think that the new update may take up too much space, but the fact of the matter is that these updates are important to the overall health of your device. Not only do they sometimes include new functionality and features, they also contain patches and updates that improve security and can fix bugs that would otherwise be causing harm to your device.
Dispose of It Properly
If you’ve followed steps for keeping your device in good working order – not dropping it, or getting it wet, trying to keep the battery at optimal health, and keeping things updated – and it still seems like a lost cause, it may actually be time to let it go. In that case, properly recycling your device is the best thing you can do. At Data Recycling we recommend wiping hard drives clean and then sending them our way. We’ll do another wipe of the hard drive before either physically shredding the device (if it’s a hard drive) or refurbishing and reselling what we can’t. And if it’s unsalvageable, we’ll properly recycle the device so that doesn’t end up in a landfill.
