Playing or working with your computer is great. But, do you know how to use your computer safely? You may think the computer is there to just serve you. Don’t get me wrong, it is. But, you still have to take care of it like you would your car, dog, or another loved one.
I’m going to give you the top 5 safety tips to take with your computer. These are computer safety tips that will allow it to last longer and give you peace of mind at the same time.
Here are the top 5 safety tips to take with your computer:
- Liquid and computers don’t mix. Keep your coffee, glasses of water and wine, bottles of beer, soda, you
name it, away from your laptop or desktop. Trust me, if you spill it, you’ll kill it! We have had many successful computer spill clean repairs performed, but you can prevent this kind of computer service expense. - Unplug your laptop. If you’re turning off your laptop, really truly wanting to turn it off, you should shut down your laptop and unplug the power cord. Why? When your laptop charger is plugged in although your computer is off, the battery is still being charged. So, when your battery is overcharged, it will lose its overall charge and leave the possibility of the AC adapter, the charger, overheating and making it flammable. This may lead to skin burns or fires.
- Replace your surge protector on an annual basis. Assuming you have a surge protector, you probably haven’t replaced it in a while. Think about the last storm we had. Chances are, your surge protector acted as a barrier and saved your computer from taking a surge. Chances also are that your surge protector is dead after that storm. Sure, it will still turn on, but its main properties of shielding your computer are gone. So, replace it every year to ensure it’s strong and working.
- Keep it clean. If you’re a smoker, use your laptop on a construction site, cook a lot, or do anything else that deals with dust, grit, or smoke, you have to take extra special care to clean your computer. Pull up your sleeves and perform quarterly computer maintenance, spraying your keyboard and fans with compressed air and lightly wash away the dust. If you have a desktop, open up the tower and remove the dust bunnies. Otherwise, your computer will ingest all the filth and die a slow death.
- No carpets please. Putting your desktop or laptop on top of carpet is a recipe for static electricity. In short, your system may take a surge and fail. Keep your machine on top of a wood floor, table, or anything else that is not a rug.