First aid for your mobile phone

Small scratches

What you need

• Toothpaste or baking powder

• A microfibre cloth

• Some water

What to do

Using a little toothpaste and a damp microfibre cloth, gently polish the screen or the back of your phone in circular motions for at least two minutes. The tiny abrasive particles in the toothpaste can magically remove small scratches and make your mobile phone look almost as good as new.

You can also use baking powder instead of toothpaste. To do this, mix two parts baking powder with one part water and start polishing.

Water damage

What you need

• Dry cloths

What to do

Place the smartphone onto dry cloths and leave it to air-dry. You may find it hard to be without your phone for a while – but this is the best way to hopefully save it from water damage. After around 48 hours, you can try switching on your phone to see if it’s still working.

Incidentally, another common option is to dry your smartphone in rice; however, silica gel works much better. You’ll often find small sachets of these tiny beads in packaging boxes for new shoes or electrical appliances. If you have some at home, put them in an airtight envelope together with your smartphone.

Shattered screen

What you need

• Transparent, wide sticky tape

• Scissors

What to do

Apply the transparent, wide sticky tape so it is overlapping the screen and then trim the edges using scissors. This will protect your fingers while you are using the phone and also make it easier to remove the broken display when repairing the phone, as it won’t then break up into a thousand pieces.

Broken charging socket

What you need

• Paper clip

• A small brush or some compressed-air spray

What to do

Dust and dirt are the number-one causes of a charging socket that isn’t working properly or at all. You can use a paper clip to remove most of the dirt and then a small brush to get rid of the last remnants. Alternatively, you can use a compressed-air spray with a small aperture to blow the dirt out of the socket.

Hacks by Loopia

Rather than being seen as disposable products, electrical appliances should be valued as durable consumer goods. With this in mind, Loopia has developed an app that allows consumers to register and manage their electrical appliances, and gain access to repair service providers. Loopia is a project of the Migros Pioneer Fund.