27/06/2026
🌞🥵 TECH SAFETY WARNING IN THE HEATWAVE 🥵🌞
With temperatures soaring to record-breaking highs across the country, we aren't the only ones feeling the heat—our phones, laptops, and tech gadgets are sweating too!
Lithium-ion batteries inside your everyday tech hate extreme ambient temperatures. When you combine intense room heat with the internal heat generated by charging, it creates a perfect storm for battery degradation, swelling, or in worst-case scenarios, electrical fires.
To keep your home safe and your devices alive, here is our quick guide to best practices during this hot spell:
🔋 1. Avoid Overcharging (The 20-80 Rule)
Leaving your phone or laptop plugged in at 100% forces the device to continuously accept a "trickle charge." In this weather, that extra workload causes components to overheat quickly. Try to unplug your devices once they hit 80-90% to reduce stress on the battery.
🔌 2. Unplug From the Main Sockets
When you aren’t actively charging, pull the plug out of the wall. Chargers draw a small amount of electricity even when no device is attached (called "vampire draw"), which keeps the brick warm. More importantly, heatwaves put massive pressure on the electrical grid, increasing the risk of voltage spikes. Unplugging prevents surge-related electrical fires.
🚫 3. Ditch the "Soft Surface" Charging
Never charge your phone or laptop on a bed, sofa, cushion, or carpet. These surfaces trap heat like a blanket. Always charge on hard, flat, cool surfaces (like a wooden table or kitchen counter) so heat can dissipate naturally.
☀️ 4. Keep Tech Out of Direct Sunlight
Avoid charging your tech near windows or leaving them in hot cars. If a device feels hot to the touch, do not plug it in. Let it cool down in a shaded room first (but never put it in the fridge—condensation will ruin it!).
Be safe, keep your devices cool, and enjoy the sunshine safely! ☀️🏡
👇 Drop a comment below if your laptop fan has been sounding like a jet engine this week! 👇