There are a few things you should not do with your battery. The limited two-year lifespan of lithium-ion batteries can be reduced even further if you don’t avoid certain behaviors. We’ll tell you which ones they are in this article.

The battery is the most sensitive part of our smartphones and their usable lifespans can be affected by our behavior. Several series of measurements by the Battery University have produced significant results. Now, get ready for the shocking findings.

Don’t charge your smartphone at a computer

Charging via the USB port of your PC not only takes longer, it is also harmful. Tensions of USB ports often vary and create greater heat generation. This has an affect on the service life of batteries. The materials used for electrodes and electrolytes are really stable only in a small temperature spectrum and they dislike when you rip them from their comfort zone.

If your charge your battery hard, especially in connection with high voltages, it can lose capacity within a few months. The Battery University notes a fall to 65 percent of its original capacity when the battery is warmed to 40 degrees Celsius.

So, ideally, use the original charger and connect it to an electrical outlet. The supplied transformer provides a direct current, which should not heat a battery – thus maximizing its service life.

Don’t completely drain your battery

If your battery level drops to 2 percent, it is already too late to find a charging socket. Be aware that if your battery discharges too deeply, it may cause damage and premature aging.

In its long-term test, the Battery University found that regular, to-the-limit discharging led to an overall lifespan of only 300 to 500 charge cycles, while batteries which had been discharged to only 25 to 50 percent could reach 1,000 to 2,500 cycles.

So don’t shy away from charging the battery even if there’s another 30 or 50 percent charge left.

Don’t charge the battery overnight

The structure of the battery is so composed that, during charging, the lithium ions are pressed into a graphite lattice. The problem here is that the lithium ions react nastily with crystals when they meet and connect. And the greater the battery is charged, the more likely these connections are.

These crystals are sharp, big and destructive. They are so large that the graphite lattice, which should be confined, actually break up little by little. And with fewer of these individual cells remaining, there is logically less space for lithium-ion…ergo less battery capacity.

So don’t charge your battery to 100 percent. Unfortunately, there is no app that stops charging at, say, 80 percent so you must make sure yourself that your smartphone is not overcharged. Battery University even found that when you regularly charge your battery to only 70 percent, you can still get more than 1000 cycles from it.

Step 1:Cleaning the Keys

Before you begin, unplug the keyboard or remove the batteries. If using a laptop, shut it down and unplug it. Pick a can up from an office supply store and spray around the base of each stuck key to dislodge dust and debris. If you don’t have compressed air, turn the keyboard upside down and tap the back while shaking gently. Dampen a cotton swab or clean cloth with isopropyl alcohol. Run it around the edge of each key to remove grease and dried liquid. Some people have reported success with baby oil, but it can remain in your keyboard, so use at your own risk. If you can see the debris underneath the key, use the toothpick or straightened paper clip to dislodge it.

Step 2:Cleaning Under the Keys

If you need to remove more than a few keys, take a photograph first so you remember which key goes where. Before you continue, unplug the keyboard, Most laptops have keys that are difficult or impossible to remove. In these cases, you’ll need a guide or advice specific to your laptop model, or you’ll need to have your laptop professionally repaired. On desktop keyboards, the outer key covering can usually be pried up easily with a flat-head screwdriver. Most debris is found in the letters and numbers. Other keys tend to be less dirty and more difficult to replace after removal, especially the space bar. Use compressed air to remove exposed dust and debris, and a cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol to remove stickiness and stains. For laptop keyboards and other keyboards with delicate internal parts, use gentle swabbing only. If the underside of your keys are discolored or dirty, put them in a colander and run water over them, or rub them in a bucket of soapy water. Let them air dry completely on a paper towel.Try this technique if your laptop key raises or lowers extra slowly. After removing the key, look for a square plastic object around the button. Remove this gently by pushing the corners sideways with a toothpick. Rinse this in water to clean the hinge, then let air dry. On a Macbook, the catch that holds these hinges in place are on the lower left and right.Let all the keys dry, then push them down over the buttons to reattach them. Let the keyboard dry overnight before you use it.

Step 3:Fixing Hardware and Software Issues

If you only have keyboard problems when using a single application, you’ll need to look for help fixing that software issue.Inconsistent results from keystrokes can be caused by low battery power. USB keyboards work best when plugged directly into the computer, not into a hub, keylogger, or other device.Keyboards with a circular, six-pin PS/2 plug sometimes encounter errors if they are connected while the computer is on. Shut down the computer, disconnect the keyboard, and reconnect it again.If some of your laptop keys don’t register when pressed, there could be a loose internal connection. Unless you have a guide for your model and are comfortable disassembling your laptop yourself, you should take it to a professional.