6 Tips to Keep Your Gadgets Safe From the Summer Heat

Whew! Is it hot in here or is it just me?

Filipinos are no strangers to the summer heat, but this year’s different. 

Just a few days ago, Manila recorded its highest air temperature at 38.8 degrees Celsius, and experts warn that this heatwave will persist until May. It’s so hot today that schools are canceling classes to keep the students and faculty safe.

Aside from its adverse effects on humans, the current high heat index in the Philippines can also damage our gadgets and appliances. There’s also the threat of rotational brownouts due to insufficient power supply.

All these can cause our devices to overheat or drastically shorten their lifespan, compromising our productivity at our work from home jobs.

To help keep your gadgets safe this summer, here are tips for preventing heat from damaging your electronics.

Allow for Airflow

Our gadgets need some breathing room to cool off on a hot day. Placing them in enclosed spaces for a long time causes them to overheat and damages them.

Thus, keep the vents on the back or sides of your computers/laptops clear of any obstacles. 

Clean your workspace and gadgets at least once a week to keep dust from clogging your device’s vents.

Avoid Placing Your Gadgets in Direct Sunlight

Storing your gadgets in places like the back of your car or near a window causes them to rapidly overheat and potentially malfunction.

Instead, place your devices in a cooler part of your room, preferably along the path of airflow from a fan or your air conditioner. Consider installing blackout curtains on your windows to further protect your gadgets from direct sunlight.

When you’re not using them, place a cloth or towel on your gadgets to prevent direct exposure to sunlight. If you must use your laptop or phone outside for your job, find a shaded area to work in.

Use Cooling Pads

Another way to keep your gadgets, especially your laptop, safe this summer is by using a cooling pad.

Cooling pads help dissipate heat from your laptop, keeping it cool and preventing overheating. They’re available in Shopee and Lazada, and come in various designs and sizes.

Avoid Using Your Gadgets While They’re Charging

Gadgets typically heat up during the charging process. 

However, due to the high level of heat nowadays, gadgets have a harder time dissipating this heat, leading to increased temperatures. 

Using them during this state puts them at risk of overheating, possibly melting down their internal components in the process.

The best way to keep your gadgets safe this summer is to avoid using them while charging altogether and continue your work on another device.

If you must use your gadgets while they’re charging, do so in a cool area so they won’t heat up so fast.

Turn Off Unused Apps

Our gadgets also need breaks from time to time. 

Resource-intensive apps like video-editing software, GPS, and productivity suites (i.e. Google Workspace) can strain your computer’s hardware and generate a lot of heat.

Unless you’re using the said apps, turn them off so your system can cool down properly.

You can also turn on the power-saving mode on your devices to generate less heat and to conserve its battery life, especially if you’re working outside.

Use an Uninterruptible Power Supply

For PC users, this helps protect your device from sudden power outages that are becoming so common lately.

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that enables a computer to run for a short time despite power interruptions. This helps prevent any damage to your computer and save your progress in the event of a sudden brownout.

Keeping Your Gadgets Cool Lately?

Aside from keeping yourself cool this summer, you shouldn’t forget to keep your gadgets safe from the heat as well.

The extreme heat can cause our devices to overheat or malfunction, severely hampering our ability to work from home.

Fortunately, by following the summer tech safety tips above, you can prevent this from happening and continue working at your best.

Looking for jobs offering an online work from home setup to escape the heat? Don’t worry, Remote Staff is here to help.

Our jobs list contains plenty of available positions to choose from, ranging from online transcription jobs to online design jobs.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up here. Good luck, and stay cool this summer!