Throw Your Phone Charger Away Immediately If You Notice This

We love them, need them, and can't seem to go anywhere without them, so what would you do without your phone charger? Of course, over time, the wear and tear of any phone charger is common. Most people tend to use their phone charger until it completely stops working, no matter what it starts to look like over time. We're all guilty of it. You paid for it; why wouldn't you get the most out of it? Even at its worst, no matter how fried and damaged it becomes, regardless of any loose wires, if it's still giving your phone a full charge, there's no need to throw it away, right?

Well, you should think again because continuing to use your phone charger even after it's damaged and still powering up may cause more harm than good. According to Make Use Of, in 2008, electrical failures and impairments caused over 53,000 house fires. Damaged phone chargers are dangerous, as they are a fire hazard, and continuing to use them can put you at serious risk for your health and safety.

Nothing lasts forever, especially not your phone charger. From constantly yanking it out of cables and wall sockets, trapping the wire in a door, or even taking it from your dog, there will always come a time when it's time to get rid of your charger. How do you know if your phone charger has reached the end of its life? According to Cable Wholesale, there are warning indicators you can look for if you're sensing it's time to give up your phone charger and get a new one. 

When you're charging your phone, it's normal for it to internalize the heat as it gets more power. However, if you notice your phone becoming hot or drastically warmer than normal, this is a good indication that it's time to get rid of your charger. If you observe the screen or buttons becoming inactive or slowing down, especially when charging, the charging cable is more than likely the cause. If you can visibly see that your phone charger is bent and has unraveling wires, this is a clear indication that it's time to replace it.

According to Cable Wholesale, your phone has about 25,000 germs. Did you know that's dirtier than your toilet seat at home and even the bottom of your shoe? If your phone carries that many germs, imagine how many germs your phone charger carries. You should be replacing your phone charger every now and then, no matter what.

 A phone charger is considered a commercial cable, so it does carry heavy metals and plastic. Simply throwing it out in the trash would be devastating for the environment, according to The Green Cities. The last thing the earth needs is more people not recycling. Fortunately, there are a number of options to be considered when it comes to throwing away your fried phone charger. One of the easiest ways is to utilize Best Buy's electronics recycling program, which gives you the option of recycling up to three items per day free of charge. Apple also offers a give-back or trade-in program with the choice to mail your old phone charger in for free. Sprint offers the same program as well. Lastly, you might be able to sell it to a scrap metal recycling center, and they even pay you for it.