Be it adrak ki chai for cold or turmeric for cuts and bruises, every Indian household has a trove of nani ke nuskhe
(granny’s advice) to overcome day-today problems. Some of this advice has scientific explanation, but even those that can’t be proven with science are known to work wonders. Ever thought about extending this style of quick-fix home remedies to your bratty gadgets as well? Mind you, none of them come with 100% scientific guarantee. But they work. Take a look.
Rescue your cell from water
No matter how hard you try, at least once in its lifetime, your cellphone will find its way into the potty or the sink. But does it mean it’s time to bury your dear one? Definitely not, especially if you try this home remedy. First, take the phone battery out immediately to prevent electrical short circuits from roasting your phone’s innards. Next, wipe the dripping piece of machinery gently with a tissue, and bury it into a jar full of uncooked rice. Yes, rice. Remember the coconut-in-dry-rice routine to keep moisture away? It’s the same logic that works here too. It’s been found rice has a high chemical affinity for water — which means it has an almost magnetic attraction for water droplets. So, instead of sticking to the cold metal of your cellphone, they will get soaked by the rice, thus leaving your phone dry as a bone (well, almost).
How to extend laptop battery
Another most common gripe with laptop users is that its juice runs out when you need it. So a good home remedy is to remove the battery from your laptop when you are using the AC power exclusively. This reduces constant charging/ recharging of the battery. Maintaining the battery at full charge for extended periods can shorten its service life. Should you opt not to remove the batteries but run the laptop so that it is nearly always plugged in, it’s a good idea to remove the charger cord frequently — at least once a week — and run the computer off battery charge for an hour or two.
A similar nuskha, by the way, works for your iPod too. If your iPod’s battery stubbornly refuses to charge or doesn’t charge completely, try making the battery completely dry. Next, simply pull out the battery from the iPod and leave it outside for 24 hours. Plug it back and notice the difference.
Squeeze cartridge ink
If the ink dries out just when you are in the middle of printing an important document, simply remove the cartridge and run a hair dryer for three-four minutes and place it back into the printer and print again while it is still warm. Tech experts say the hair dryer melts the thick ink, thus releasing extra ink for a page or two.
Revive your dead hard drive
If you have been hit by the blue screen of death — the hard drive just crashed on you — don’t panic. You might be able to salvage your precious data. The nuskha is simply freeze the hard drive for an entire night.
This might sound silly, but here’s the logic. Tech experts say, many hard drive failures are caused by worn parts that no longer fit in with each other, making it impossible to read from the drive. Engineers have found that if you freeze the drive, lowering the temperature causes its metal and plastic internals to contract slightly. Thawing it will cause those parts to expand again, thus possibly binding them. This might not bring the drive back to life essentially, but give you enough window to transfer data to a safe place. Worth a try, right?
