How to Protect Electronics during Summer Fun

Last Updated on April 8, 2019 by Diane Hoffmaster

If you have a fancy new cell phone or iPad, you may be wondering how to protect electronics once they leave the safety of your house.  Summer is almost here in Georgia and we have loads of things planned in the coming months.  We will spend plenty of time in the garden and hanging out at the pool.  There will be trips to the beach and plenty of time in a hot car.  My teens are connected to their phones constantly and protecting your electronics during summer fun can save a ton of money on repairs and replacement. 

Products for Protecting Electronics

Have technology that you are trying to keep safe? Protection for electronics will vary, depending on where you are and what device you have.  Surge protectors with USB ports in your home protect electronics from lightening strikes during summer storms.  A portable safe with combination lock will help prevent cell phone theft during your trip to Disney. 

I will recommend a few cell phone cases and cleaning supplies later in the post but give some thought as to where your electronics will be going this summer and decide which products you will most likely need.  Whether it is summer sports or snorkeling in Mexico, don't let your electronics get damaged this summer! 

How to Protect Electronics during Summer Fun

During the summer, we do all sorts of fun things, right?  We grow awesome things in the garden that we want to show off.  We hit the pool in our sexy bikini (or, like us old people...in our modest 2 piece that has a skirt to cover our butt!). Then we go to amusement parks, beaches, and outdoor parties.  Of course, all of these memories need to be photographed and shared all over social media, right?  Well, maybe not but we do it anyhow!  So, if you can't possibly be parted from your technology for a few hours, keep these tips in mind to keep them safe.

More Technology Tips

• Teenagers and Technology: Negotiating their Expensive Wish List
• How to Back Up a Computer on an External Hard Drive
• How to Make Your iPad Run Faster (a guide for the NON techie person!)

Use the Right Protection

Look at the specifications on your current cell phone case.  Will it protect your cell phone from damage if you drop it?  GREAT!  But, that doesn't mean it protects it from sand or water damage.  If you plan on going whitewater rafting, camping, or hiking, you may want to invest in a cell phone case that can protect from the elements as well as from being dropped.

How to Protect Your Phone From Damage

1. Get a good, hard phone case.  Preferably one with plugs for all the holes and jacks.
2. Want to know how to protect phone from scratches? Put a screen protector on it.   They really do work!
3. Don't take it anywhere near a bathroom.  Bathing with your iPad is just asking for trouble. 
4. Avoid taking your phone with you to the rugged outdoors.  Consider investing in a GoPro instead.  It can take a beating and delivers excellent photos and video.
5. Get savvy with storage. Don't put it places where it can fall or where something hard can fall on IT. 

Check out Smartskin Condoms for Smartphones or head over to Amazon and buy yourself a waterproof cell phone case. Some of these cases truly amaze me at how airtight they claim to be!  Laptops are very difficult to keep sand out of so I really recommend that you keep those at home.

Protect Electronics from Heat

Extremely hot or cold temperatures are not good for technology.  There is even something called 'heat-related death' that your poor phone can suffer from.  If at all possible, don't leave your electronics in a hot car or in direct sunlight.

If your phone DOES get too hot, please don't put it in the freezer to cool it down fast. Yes, people have actually done this.   Let it cool to room temperature slowly before you power it back on.

How to Prevent Your Phone From Overheating 

• Avoid direct sunlight to your phone.  
• Turn off unused apps on your phone.  
• Don't turn your brightness up
• If you're not using your phone, turn it to airplane mode or turn it off.
• If your phone is already overheating, take your case off. 
• Separate your phone from your other gadgets. 

Know the Proper Fixes

So, you know how to protect electronics but you still damaged your tech? Maybe you have forgotten to buy a good case or your kid ignored all of your advice.  Now, what do you do?  If your phone gets exposed to dirt, sand, or water, know the right way to fix it:

• Dirty screens:  So, your screen is filthy.  How do you clean it without scratching it? Or get that greasy sunscreen off of it?  Make sure you use the right wipes or sprays for electronics.  Don't use plain water or (heaven forbid!) chemicals from your cleaning bucket.  Check out my DIY screen cleaner if you want to be frugal.
• You dropped it in water: Water is NOT a good friend to your cell phone.  Remove the phone from the water immediately.  If your device allows you to, remove the battery immediately.  Put the battery and the device into a bowl of rice (not the cooked kind!) as soon as possible and leave it there for a few days before trying to power it on.
• You Got Sand In It:  Sand gets in every crack and crevice of a phone.  If you have gotten it into your cell phone nooks and crannies, invest in a can of compressed air.  Just point the tiny hose of the compressed air can into the hole and spray away.  Make sure the phone is completely dry so that the sand comes unattached easily.

Give it a Rest Occasionally

So, you have brought along cell phone chargers and want to play games all day, right?  Hmmm..not a great choice.   Using technology creates heat.  When you combine that heat with the heat of a hot summer day, your technology may need a break more often than it does inside your home.  Try not to stay on it for hours when the temperature starts to rise.  Go old school and turn off the tablet at the beach in favor of an actual book made from real paper.

Always Back It Up

Never, ever, EVER rely on your phone or computer to permanently store your data, photos, files, documents, etc.  You should invest in an external hard drive to protect your personal information for the long term.  I love the cloud but I don't use it as my only source of backups.  I have material on my electronics, in the cloud, AND on an external hard drive.  In the case of a major catastrophe, I want to know that I won't lose all my photos and documents!

Knowing how to protect electronics from the elements is incredibly important during active, summer months.  Enjoy your outdoor adventures but make sure your cell phone, tablet and phone all come home in working order!  Look for a few fun activities for teens that don't include electronics and encourage them to unplug for a while!

Have any other tips on how to protect electronics?

(NOTE: post updated and content added from previous publish date)

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy.  She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire  but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time.  You can learn more about her HERE.