Fix It Tips for Common Gadgets

Posted by Lyndsey P. Bakos-Schneider

Gadgets almost seem disposable these days. Every time we turn around there’s a new and improved version of what we already have. However, ditching the old gadgets mean creating a lot of toxic e-waste. You can have a valuable impact on the environment just by keeping your cell phone, computer, palm pilot and other devices a few extra years. Prevent e-waste, save a ton of money, and impress everyone you know by learning a few easy fix-it tips so you can keep the gadgets you have running a lot longer.

Luckily, we can find free advice for nearly any device we need help with. Here are a few great tips for repair and maintenance of some of our most common gadget items.

Cell Phones

Cell phones get dropped, and sometimes their landing place is a big puddle of water. Luckily, they can often be dried out and work perfectly well. A hair dryer can be your best friend when that happens. If the glass plate cracks from a drop or other impact, that is replaceable too with just a few easy steps and inexpensive parts. Even mobile devices that seem a little intimidating, such as a Palm Treo are easy to swap out screens for just the cost of a replacement screen—often as inexpensive as $10-$15. Small scratches can be easily repaired so that your phone stays looking shiny and new. And for iPhone users, what do you do if your phone is bricked? No problem—you can fix a bricked phone at home.

iPods

Maintaining your iPod is important, since they are the constant companion of many people and go through a lot of abuse during the day. Should your iPod drop in a puddle like your cell phone, don’t worry—there’s a way to fix it with rice and a reset process. If the case is scratched, food can again come to the rescue. A banana works to remove scratches and bring the out-of-the-box shine back. Should you find you need to take a nano apart in order to fix something inside, there is an easy way to crack it open without damaging it.

Digital Cameras

Digital cameras can be an expensive item to replace. If you learn a few repair tricks, you can solve some of the more common problems, like replacing cracked screens, getting a jammed lens to open or close again, get beach sand out, and so on. Here is a great video series on taking apart a digital camera and putting it back together. Tips for specific camera brands abound online, and it is often just a matter of a quick search to find tips specific to the repair job you’re hoping to perform. If you own a Canon, you might also be able to get it repaired for free.

Laptops

When it comes to laptops, we might really get intimidated. It is such an expensive item—and often holds a lot of information we really, really don’t want to lose—that we might rush to take it to an expert before trying to mess with it ourselves. However, a laptop can also be simple to maintain and repair. From repairing the hard drive to replacing the screen, from replacing the keyboard to removing and repairing speakers, there is help out there to walk us through DIY-ing it.

Round-The-House Gadgets

There are all sorts of other gadgets we have laying around the house that we might think to just recycle and replace before we stop to fix them. But there is great advice out there on how to repair speaker foam or speaker wire, get your remote control to work again, clean your computer mouse or any other project you might need help with.

So before you think a gadget has had it and start walking it to your local e-waste drop off location, try seraching out fix-it tips and see if you can DIY the repair. It might save you money, hassle, and give you a boost of pride.

Courtesy of: Planet Green