(Photo: Getty Images)
Taking good care of your electronics batteries can pay off. The
financial rewards of longer lasting batteries are obvious: You won’t be forced
to render a perfectly good gadget obsolete before its time or have to shell out
money for a replacement battery.
It’s also better for the planet since disposing of electronic
waste is a growing problem.
Experts say there are plenty of easy things you can do to
prolong the life of electronics batteries. They also dispel some common myths.
Here is general advice from Dell,
Nokia, and Apple that can be applied to other brands:
-
Avoid
extreme heat. It’s the single-most important thing you can do to protect
your battery. For example, don’t leave your laptop in the car on a really hot day, says a
Dell spokesperson. If you must leave electronics in the car, then don’t leave them on the
dashboard. Also don’t close them up in the trunk or glove compartment — the coolest place is probably under a seat. Apple recommends that you remove your iPod or iPhone from any extra case if
it gets hot while you charge it.
-
Take
precautions in cold weather. Bring your battery up to room temperature
before turning it on if it’s been exposed to very cold temperatures,
recommends a Dell spokesperson.
-
You don’t
need to totally discharge your battery periodically to make it last longer. That
was true of older batteries, but not for today’s lithium-based models. In some
systems, it does help with how accurately the battery reports how much energy it
has left, says a Dell spokesperson. Apple suggests that you go through at least
one charge cycle per month for laptops, iPhones, and iPods. (It’s also no
longer necessary to charge your battery for an extra long time for the first
charge, says Petri Vouri of Nokia.)
-
Unplug
your cell phone from the charger when the battery is fully charged. This
saves energy and protects the battery, according to Vouri. Don’t forget to unplug
the charger from the wall. There’s absolutely no difference between car and
wall chargers, according to Vouri. The only potential problem with car charging
is if you leave your cell phone in the car on a hot day (as noted above).
-
Leave
your battery in your laptop. Some websites recommend taking your battery
out of your laptop when you’re using it as a desktop computer so that your battery
doesn’t get worn out. That’s not such a good idea, according to a Dell
spokesperson, because your battery is more likely to be damaged if you take it
out. Besides, he says, it’s not necessary since the microprocessor inside the
battery stops it from charging when it’s fully charged.
Looking for ways to extend the life of your battery between
charges? Change your settings, turn off anything you don’t use, switch your
cell phone off when you’re in low coverage areas, update your software, and
follow the specific tips from Dell,
Nokia,
and Apple.
Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips
and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a question
or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book,
Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a
Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo!
Shopping and Amazon.com.
Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.