Particularly speaking about your Android phone’s charger, the original charger is always the best. When it’s gone, you are stranded with third-party chargers that either break after few months or annoy you with that charger keep disconnecting issue. If you don’t want to depend on a third-party Android charger, then start taking care of your phone’s original charger right now. To help you protect your Android phone charger, I got some simple tips and some handy DIY tricks.
Simply tips to extend your Android phone charger life
Let’s start with some basic tips first that should help extend your charger’s life without too much effort. It’s important to handle your phone charger properly. There are tiny wires inside the cable that can easily break, and both ends of the cable are especially prone to bends and breakage. Below I have listed basic instructions on how to take care of your charger.
Pull Out the Charger the Right Way
Pulling out the charger by grabbing the cable is easy — after all, the cable is already in your hands — but it will break the wires inside. While pulling out the charger, put one hand on the power outlet and use the other hand to pull out the charger with increasing strength. Additionally, while pulling the cable out from the phone’s charging jack, use both hands and grab the connector (stiff part) instead of the cable.
Avoid protected power outlets
Today, many power outlets come with protectors in front that require you to put extensive force to insert the pins. The pins of your charger are prone to bending and even breaking if you put extensive force. If you have such power outlets, then a better alternative would be to use an extension cord or a multi-purpose plug adaptor (without protectors) and insert your charger there. I recently broke by Wi-Fi router’s charger pins thanks to those protectors.
Store it Properly
There are metals wires inside the charging cable, and we all know metal wires are less resistant to sharp turns and constant irregular turns. Even though wires inside the charging cables are resistant enough to survive constant bending but sharp and irregular turns will affect overall life. You need to use a reliable method to wrap the charging cable and use the same method every time to ensure least irregular turns. I recommend rolling the cable over a circular object as this ensures there are no sharp turns, similar to how duct tape is rolled. For my phone charger, I am using my son’s old plastic cup that also has a swirly design, you can use any circular object you like. Although make sure the wire isn’t rolled too tight as this will create tension that will damage it. Alternatively, you can also buy a cord winder that could automatically wind the cord safely and keep it organized. If you are interested, then check out this Recoil Winders Automatic Cord Winder that is available for $27.99 and can automatically wind cables.
Keep the Charger Away From Pets
If you are a pet lover, then it becomes mandatory to store your charger in the right place. Cats and dogs both have a habit of chewing on cables, especially if they are teething. If you have pets, then charge the phone somewhere out of their reach and hide it when you are done charging. Chewing on a cable that is connected to a power outlet could lead to an electric shock as well.
Tricks to reinforce Android phone charger
If you follow the able safety measure, then you should be able to get a long life out of your charger. However, if you want your Android phone charger to survive even longer, then there are some interesting ways to reinforce it. Let’s check out my favorite two methods to reinforce a charger.
Use a pen spring
It’s a quick and dirty trick, but it really works and can offer reliable protection. The concept is simple, you need to roll around the spring at both ends of the cable. This will ensure that the cable is bendable, but not to the point it may damage the wires inside.
Below is a video demonstration of how to do it:
Use matchsticks
If you want a rather stiffer protection then matchsticks can do a better job. All you need to do is get 2-4 (as needed) matchsticks and cover the ends of the cable like a splint. You can secure the matchsticks using duct tape. As added protection, you can first fully roll the matchsticks with a thread and then apply duct tape. Personally, I prefer using both of these methods simultaneously. I reinforce the ends with matchsticks and add springs right below the matchstick protection. This ensures that the area of the wire right after the matchstick protection doesn’t get bend as well. Alternatively, you can also buy charger protection accessories to protect your charger, like this BUTEFO DIY Cable Wrap. Search for such protectors on your favorite store and you should be able to find a good solution.
Ending words
I know it can be a little unpleasing to go through these precautions, but they are worth it in the long run. You should make sure that the original charger that came with your Android phone lasts till you are ready to switch to a new phone. Trust me, depending on third-party chargers is a real headache. If you know any other ways to protect Android phone charger, do share with us in the comments.
