How to fix and care for the tech in your life

Phones. Laptops. Tablets. Flat screens. What would we do without all the tech in our lives? These tips will ensure that you never need to answer that question.

If you let dust pile up on the vents of your router it can overheat. A few puffs of compressed air can fix the problem. Here are some tips.

If your Android phone is acting funny, don't toss it. You can troubleshoot and fix it using these tips.

For example, certain Androids can get really warm. To keep your phone cool, don't use high CPU-sucking apps, like Pokemon Go or Facebook, for long periods of time, especially while you're charging your phone.

Is your flat screen safe? Depending on how and where you mounted it on the wall, it may not be. For example, you shouldn't mount it over the fireplace. Here's seven things to consider before mounting your TV.

Apple TV is great, but it can give you problems from time to time. Here are five easy fixes that anyone can try. 

For example, if it freezes, don't throw the remote. Hold the home or TV button and the menu button at the same time until the lights on your Apple TV flash. This will reboot it and your problem should be solved.

If your screen is a little scratched up, you can give it a good polish using these tips.

One of the best home remedies for making scratches disappear is a simple white rubber eraser. Rub the scratch left and right with the eraser for around 60 seconds. Then, rub it up and down for 60 seconds. The rubber softens with the friction and fills up the scratch.

While you're spiffing up your phone, why not free up some memory to make it run better? A memory stick like Picture Keeper or a wireless media hub like RavPower FileHub Plus can store memory hogs like photos and music externally, but you can still take them with you wherever you go. Here are some more tips to make your phone feel like new.

You can remove dust from your keyboard and other tricky electronic crevices with cleaning slime. Here's how to make your own. 

Even if you love your iPhone, you probably wish it had better battery life, right? Luckily, there are eight ways you can boost battery life. 

One easy thing you can do so you don't reach for the charging cable so often is to lower the screen brightness. Go down to at least 50 percent brightness. After a few minutes you won't even notice that the screen is dimmer, but your battery will.

Speed is usually the first thing to go when it comes to a computer. These five tips will boost your Mac's speed. 

An easy way to boost the speed of your Mac is to limit how many applications open when you boot up. To do this, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups. Click on the Login Items tab. This will bring up a list of the startup apps. Highlight the ones that you don't need open when you start your computer, and then click the minus-sign button found below the list of apps.

While you're cooking, cleaning or working on the car, slip your phone or tablet into a plastic bag to protect it from flour, grease or dirt. The plastic will cling to the screen and you can still use it as you work.

When you're about to go on a trip, often the last thing on your mind is the security of your gadgets. This can lead to stolen data and other problems that can easily be avoided with these seven tips.

Did you know that one-third of phone users don't use a password on their phones? If you're one of them, set a password right now. This simple task can protect your phone long enough that you can track it down.

If your phone or tablet is ever lost, a tracking system is the easiest way to find it. Get a tracker up an running on your devices, pronto. Google's Find My Device is a good choice for Androids. iPhones and other iOS-powered devices can use Apple's Find My iPhone. 

While you care for your tech, don't forget about cords. Here are nine ways to protect and fix cords around the home.